Bill C-12 explained: what Canada’s new law changes for refugee claimants

By Sundeep S. Grewal, lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation · Reviewed November 12, 2026

Published November 13, 2026

Sundeep S. Grewal is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2018, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Updated November 12, 2026: IRPA ss. 49 and 101 as amended, the Government of Canada’s Bill C-12 page (modified May 21, 2026) and IRCC’s PRRA timelines checked that day.

Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, received royal assent on March 26, 2026. For refugee claimants, it is the biggest change to Canada’s asylum system in years. A claim made more than one year after you first entered Canada, or more than 14 days after crossing the Canada–US land border between official crossings, is no longer sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board. The rules reach back to claims made on or after June 3, 2025, so many people who had already claimed, and some who were waiting for a hearing, have received letters. This guide explains what the law changed, who it affects, and what happens next. The deeper guides linked below cover each situation.

Lawgical Law Corporation, an immigration law firm in Surrey, Abbotsford and Vancouver, BC, represents refugee claimants affected by Bill C-12, from the fairness letter through the PRRA and the Federal Court; this guide is by Sundeep S. Grewal.

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What Bill C-12 changed for refugee claimants

Other asylum changes

The Government’s Bill C-12 page also lists these changes:

• only complete, “schedule-ready” claims are referred to the Board;
• claims can be decided only while the claimant is in Canada, and a claimant who goes back to the country they fear before a decision is treated as having abandoned the claim;
• inactive claims are removed from the system;
• a removal order takes effect on the day a claim is withdrawn.

Separately, since November 3, 2026, new regulations give claimants found eligible 60 days to provide their documents and information. See how the refugee claim process works.

What happens if your claim is caught

1. A procedural fairness letter. IRCC tells you the claim may be ineligible and gives you a short deadline to respond. This is not yet a decision. See procedural fairness letters and a claim ineligible under the one-year rule.
2. The ineligibility decision. If the officer decides the claim is ineligible, the conditional removal order made when you claimed comes into force 7 days after you are notified (IRPA s. 49(2)(b)). If a claim already before the Board is ended this way, it comes into force 15 days after the proceedings end (s. 49(2)(h)).
3. Judicial review. The decision can be challenged in the Federal Court; the deadline to file for leave is 15 days.
4. The PRRA. In most cases, CBSA notifies you that you can apply for a PRRA. IRCC expects about 30,000 additional PRRAs over two years.

Families and special situations

Because the rules look at each person’s own entry date, family members can end up on different tracks; see family members with different outcomes. If you have a Canadian spouse or child, see an ineligible claimant with a Canadian spouse or child.

Why this needs a lawyer

One lawyer, one file, every step:

• checking the entry dates IRCC relies on and answering the fairness letter;
• challenging an ineligibility decision in the Federal Court within 15 days;
• preparing the PRRA application, submissions and evidence;
• bringing a stay motion if removal is scheduled before a decision.

Bill C-12 moved the decision about your risk from a hearing to a paper application with short deadlines. Every step is a legal step, and the PRRA is often the only time your risk will be assessed.

Immigration lawyers are members of a provincial law society (in our case, the Law Society of British Columbia), and only a lawyer can bring a motion to stay a removal in the Federal Court. An immigration consultant cannot file or argue it there.

Mistakes I have seen

• Assuming the rules don’t apply because you claimed before the law passed in March 2026.
• Counting the year from your most recent entry instead of your first.
• Missing the fairness letter’s deadline.
• Treating the PRRA as a form instead of your whole case.

Frequently asked questions

When did Bill C-12 become law?

It received royal assent on March 26, 2026. The new eligibility rules apply to claims made on or after June 3, 2025.

Does Bill C-12 affect claims made before June 3, 2025?

The one-year and 14-day rules do not apply to claims made before that date.

Can I still stay in Canada if my claim is ineligible?

In most cases you can apply for a PRRA. If it is approved, you generally become a protected person.

Are children affected?

The Government says unaccompanied minors are exempt. Children who claim with a parent are assessed on their own entry date.

Related guides: a claim ineligible under the one-year rule, the Safe Third Country Agreement and the 14-day rule, refugee claimant work permits, visas and permits cancelled under Bill C-12, the PRRA guide, family members with different outcomes, an ineligible claimant with a Canadian spouse or child.

What should I do right now?

Find your first entry date to Canada and the date you claimed, keep every letter from IRCC, and get advice before the fairness letter’s deadline.

Book a consultation with our immigration lawyers in Surrey, Abbotsford or Vancouver, or online from anywhere.

Ready to book? Open the booking form ↑

Legal aid: If you live in British Columbia, you may qualify for Legal Aid BC for this. We take Legal Aid BC files. See how to get a legal aid immigration lawyer in BC.

Sources (official)

• Government of Canada: Understanding the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12) (modified May 21, 2026)
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 101(1)(b.1), (b.2) and (1.1)
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 49
• IRCC: Temporary public policy on work permits for certain ineligible refugee claimants (March 26, 2026)
• IRCC: PRRA timelines and eligibility (modified November 18, 2025)
• IRCC committee notes: asylum reforms and ineligibilities (February 9, 2026)

This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.