Published
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: CBSA’s removals page (modified October 5, 2026) and IRPR s. 230 checked that day.
What they are: two ways Canada pauses removals to a whole country or region during a crisis.
Who is excluded: people inadmissible for serious grounds such as criminality or security don’t benefit.
Why a lawyer: a pause is temporary and gives no status. When it is lifted, removals resume. A lawyer uses the time to build a lasting option. Why a lawyer
Our immigration lawyers
Sundeep S. GrewalBarrister and Solicitor
Prabhpreet Kaur SanghaBarrister and Solicitor
Pardeep S. GrewalBarrister and SolicitorAbout our lawyers
Sundeep S. Grewal founded Lawgical Law Corporation and argues immigration cases at the Immigration and Refugee Board and the Federal Court of Canada.
Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha focuses on refugee claims, immigration appeals, inadmissibility, detention reviews and Federal Court cases, and has presented at Continuing Legal Education seminars and the National Immigration Conference.
Pardeep S. Grewal is an immigration and estates lawyer known for clear communication and practical strategy.
Sometimes a country becomes too dangerous for anyone to be sent back. Canada has two tools for that: an administrative deferral of removals, imposed quickly by CBSA in a humanitarian crisis, and a temporary suspension of removals, imposed by the Minister of Public Safety for generalized risks such as armed conflict or environmental disaster. Both pause removals for everyone from the affected country or region, with exceptions for people inadmissible on serious grounds. Neither one gives status, and both can be lifted when conditions improve. This is different from asking CBSA to put off your own removal date, which is covered in {L_1749}.
Lawgical Law Corporation, an immigration law firm in Surrey, Abbotsford and Vancouver, BC, advises people from countries under a removal pause, and prepares the H&C, PRRA and stay applications they need when the pause ends; this guide is by Sundeep S. Grewal.
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Administrative deferral or temporary suspension?
| Administrative deferral (ADR) | Temporary suspension (TSR) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who imposes it | CBSA | The Minister of Public Safety |
| When it is used | Humanitarian crises; generally put in place quickly | Generalized risk to the whole civilian population, such as armed conflict or environmental disaster |
| Legal basis | IRPR s. 230, as CBSA’s news releases describe it | IRPR s. 230 |
| Excluded | People inadmissible on grounds such as security, criminality, human or international rights violations and organized crime | |
Which countries are covered now?
CBSA’s removals page, as of October 5, 2026, lists a temporary suspension for Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, and administrative deferrals for certain regions of Somalia, the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, Syria, Mali, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Venezuela, Haiti, Iran, Sudan, Lebanon and Israel. The list changes, so check CBSA’s page on the day it matters to you.
When a pause is lifted
When conditions stabilize, CBSA lifts the pause and removals resume for everyone with an enforceable removal order. In March 2026, for example, CBSA halted removals to the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar; that halt has since been lifted. See removals to the Gulf states resuming for what that meant for people with removal orders.
Using the time well
A pause is a window, not a solution. People covered by one should look at:
- an H&C application, where conditions in the home country and time in Canada can be weighed (see humanitarian and compassionate applications);
- a PRRA when one becomes available (see the PRRA guide);
- a deferral request or stay when removals resume and a date is set (see a stay after a PRRA or deferral refusal).
Why this needs a lawyer
One lawyer, one file, every step:
- confirming whether a pause covers you and whether an exclusion applies;
- preparing an H&C or PRRA while the pause is in place;
- acting quickly with a deferral request and stay motion when it is lifted.
Pauses end with little notice. The people best placed when removals resume are those who used the time to file a lasting application.
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
- Treating a pause as permanent status.
- Not checking whether a criminality exclusion applies.
- Waiting until the pause is lifted to start an H&C.
- Relying on an old news report instead of CBSA’s current list.
Frequently asked questions
Does a temporary suspension give me status in Canada?
No. It only pauses removal.
Can I work while removals to my country are paused?
It depends on your situation and any permit you hold or can apply for. Get advice.
What happens when the pause ends?
Removals resume for people with enforceable removal orders, usually with a new removal interview.
What should I do right now?
Check CBSA’s current list for your country or region, confirm no exclusion applies to you, and start a lasting application while the pause is in place.
Book a consultation with our immigration lawyers in Surrey, Abbotsford or Vancouver, or online from anywhere.
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Sources (official)
- CBSA: Enforcing removals from Canada (modified October 5, 2026)
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s. 230
- CBSA news release: temporary halt on removals to the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar (March 24, 2026)
This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.