Are you a refugee or a person in need of protection?
An individual may be considered as a refugee from the Convention if he or she has a well-founded fear of persecution upon returning to his or her country of citizenship or legal permanent residence. The international community acknowledges five types of persecution: race, ethnicity, nationality, membership of a specific social group (e.g. gender, sexual orientation, etc.) and political opinion. The fear of persecution must be one of these five forms to claim refugee status. The person must demonstrate that their country is unable or unwilling to provide them adequate state protection.
A new Refugee Appeal Division (RAD)
Changes to the asylum system came into effect on December 15, 2012, with the goal of improving efficiency in making quicker decisions, deterring abuse resettling more refugees, facilitating transition to life in Canada, and more quickly removing unsuccessful refugee claimants.
Changes to the system include:
a list of Designated Countries of Origin (DCO); these are countries that do not normally produce refugees and are under pressure to respect human rights and provide state protection–processing times are estimated at 30–45 days for claimants from these countries; 60 days for other claimants–for a list of DCOs, please check below.