Canada introduces major immigration law changes, i.e., Canada has introduced major changes to its immigration system through a new law. These changes give the government more control over immigration applications, documents, and temporary residents.
Bill C-12, titled “An Act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada’s borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures,” became law on March 26, 2026, after receiving royal assent.
The new law gives strong powers to the Governor in Council. This means the federal government can take quick action when needed in immigration matters.
New Powers For Immigration Control
Under this law, the government can take several actions related to immigration processes.
These powers include the ability to issue orders
- to cease accepting for processing, suspend processing of, or terminate processing of immigration applications
- to suspend, cancel, or vary immigration documents, such as work permits, study permits, temporary resident visas, and permanent resident visas
- to impose or vary conditions on temporary residents.
These actions can be taken when it is considered to be in the public interest. The law defines public interest as situations related to administrative errors, fraud, public health, public safety, or national security.
Even though the government has these powers, there is still oversight. The immigration minister must report to Parliament on how these powers are used and their impact.
Changes To The Asylum System
The new law also brings important changes to how asylum claims are handled in Canada.
It introduces two new reasons why an asylum claim may be considered ineligible:
- claims made over a year after entering Canada
- claims made by claimants who have crossed into Canada from the Canada-United States border outside a port of entry (“irregular crossers”)
Before this law, irregular border crossers could still make asylum claims if they waited at least 14 days after entering Canada.
Now, these rules have changed. The new ineligibility conditions apply to claims made on or after June 3, 2025. This date matches when an earlier version of the bill was first introduced.
The one-year time limit applies only to people who entered Canada after June 24, 2020.
If a claim is found ineligible, it cannot be reviewed by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). However, these individuals can still apply for a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA), which checks if they would face danger if removed from Canada.
Additional Reporting Requirements
The law also includes new rules for transparency.
The immigration department must report to Parliament on how many asylum claims are rejected due to the one-year rule. It must also report on related pre-removal risk assessments.
For claims that are accepted for review, the Immigration and Refugee Board must now treat them as abandoned if the claimant returns to their home country voluntarily.
The IRB is also not allowed to continue with a case if the claimant is not physically present in Canada.
Rules On Sharing Personal Information
Another key part of the law deals with the sharing of personal information.
The immigration department can now share personal details with other government bodies, including government-owned corporations.
With approval from the immigration minister, these organizations may also share this information with foreign governments or agencies.
The type of information that can be shared includes a person’s identity, their immigration status in Canada, and details about any official documents issued to them.
Earlier, the Senate suggested that Canadian citizens and permanent residents should not be included in these information-sharing rules. However, this suggestion was not accepted, and the final law does not include this exemption.
Future Review Of The Law
To ensure accountability, the law includes a plan for future review.
A Parliamentary committee will review the impact of this law after five years. The committee will then present its findings and suggest any needed changes.
Thus, this new law brings wide-ranging changes to Canada’s immigration system. It gives the government more authority to manage immigration processes while also introducing stricter rules for asylum claims and broader information-sharing powers.
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