As of October 13, 2026. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will change the online asylum application in the IRCC Portal on November 3, 2026. The cut-off is 11:59 pm Eastern Time on November 2, 2026. If you submit your claim in the portal before then, IRCC says you "do not need to provide new information unless we ask." If you have started a claim but not submitted it, you will have to answer new questions and review the answers you already gave. People who claimed at the border and have not linked their claim to a portal account by the cut-off lose the information the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) collected and must enter it again.
This page explains who is affected, what to do before November 2, and how the change connects to the asylum rules in Bill C-12 and the regulations IRCC proposed in June 2026.
What changes on November 3, 2026?
The application form and the process inside the IRCC Portal change. IRCC's claim asylum from inside Canada page, updated October 1, 2026, says the changes come from its "ongoing efforts to modernise the asylum process" and "will affect how asylum claims are submitted in the IRCC Portal." IRCC has not published the new questions in advance.
What happens to you depends on where your claim stands at 11:59 pm ET on November 2, 2026:
| Your situation at the cut-off | What IRCC says happens |
|---|
| Claim submitted in the IRCC Portal | No new information needed unless IRCC asks |
| Claim started in the portal but not submitted | Answer new questions and review old ones; your personal information is saved |
| Border claim linked to a portal account but not submitted | Answer new questions and review old ones; your personal information is saved |
| Border claim not linked to a portal account | Information collected by CBSA is not saved; link the claim and enter details about you and your family again |
The last two rows come from IRCC's page for claims made at a port of entry, also updated October 1, 2026.
What should you do before November 2?
If your application is complete and accurate, submitting it before 11:59 pm ET on November 2, 2026 avoids the new questions. If it is not ready, do not rush to submit something incomplete or wrong. Inconsistencies between your portal form, your Basis of Claim and your testimony are one of the most common problems in refugee hearings, and a claim built on inaccurate answers is harder to fix than a claim submitted a few days later on the new form.
A practical checklist:
- Border claimants: if a CBSA officer told you to complete your claim online, link your claim to an IRCC Portal account before the cut-off, even if you cannot finish the form yet. Linking is what keeps the information CBSA already collected.
- Inside Canada: log in and check whether your claim shows as submitted. "Started" is not the same as submitted.
- Keep copies. Download or screenshot your answers before the switch, so you can check them against the new form if you need to review them.
- Watch your deadlines. The portal change does not pause any deadline you already have with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).
If you are unsure whether your claim was submitted or linked, our licensed consultant (RCIC-IRB) can review it with you. Book a consultation.
Is this a new asylum rule?
No. The November 3 change is to the application process, not to who can claim asylum. The eligibility rules that changed came earlier, through the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act, known as Bill C-12. The government's explainer on the Act says two eligibility requirements apply to all claims made on or after June 3, 2025:
- a claim made more than one year after your first entry to Canada after June 24, 2020 will not be referred to the IRB
- a claim made 14 days or more after entering Canada between ports of entry along the US land border will not be referred to the IRB
Unaccompanied minors are exempt from both rules. The government says most people caught by them can still apply for a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA). The Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States is unchanged.
What are the proposed asylum regulations?
On June 20, 2026, the government published the proposed Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Asylum System Reform) in the Canada Gazette, Part I. IRCC's June 2026 backgrounder and the Gazette text describe these main changes:
| Proposed change | Detail in the Gazette text |
|---|
| Deadline to complete your application | 60 calendar days after an officer finds your claim eligible to be referred to the IRB under subsection 100(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act |
| Extension | A one-time 30-day extension if you ask before the deadline; IRCC may also extend or pause the period for reasons of fairness |
| Work permits | Can be issued once your claim is found eligible for referral and you have submitted a complete application |
| Review before the hearing | A time limit for security, criminality and admissibility checks, so only "schedule-ready" claims go to the IRB |
| Withdrawn and abandoned claims | Rules for continuing a claim the IRB finds was not abandoned, and for when the Minister may reinstate a withdrawn claim |
| Designated representatives | When one must be appointed for minors and people who cannot understand the process, and what they must do |
| Exceptions to the one-year rule | Unaccompanied minors, and people who submit their information online within one year of their first entry |
These rules are proposed, not final. The comment period ran for 30 days after publication. According to the Gazette notice, the regulations would come into force on the day section 31 of the amending Act (Bill C-12) comes into force, or on the day they are registered if that is later. As of October 13, 2026, we found no final version in the Canada Gazette, Part II, up to its October 7, 2026 issue, and IRCC has not said whether the November 3 portal change is tied to them. IRCC's Forward Regulatory Plan entry lists "a single online application" as the first goal of the package, so the new portal form and the regulations are clearly part of the same project. We will update this page when the final regulations are published.
Who this affects most
- People who entered Canada recently and intend to claim. The one-year rule is already in force. If the proposed exception is adopted, starting your claim online early would matter more, not less.
- Border claimants told to finish online. The linking step before 11:59 pm ET on November 2, 2026 is the one action on this page with a hard consequence if you miss it.
- Claimants waiting for a work permit. The proposed rules tie the work permit to a complete application. Until they are final, the current rules apply.
- Protected persons. If the IRB has already accepted your claim, this portal change does not affect you. Permanent residence for protected persons is moving faster in 2026; see our analysis of IRCC's January to July 2026 admissions data.
If you are in Canada on another status, such as a work or study permit, and are weighing an asylum claim against other options, get advice first. A refused claim can affect future applications. Start with our free immigration assessment to see which other pathways may fit, and read about how Bill C-12 is being challenged in court.
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Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration or legal advice. Immigration laws and policies change frequently. Each case is unique and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) before making immigration decisions.
