Canada has experienced a significant reduction in asylum claims since last year, with authorities attributing the decline largely to tighter scrutiny of temporary visas amid concerns about misuse of the immigration system. According to updated figures released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), asylum applications lodged between January and November 2025 were down by roughly 33 per cent compared with the same period in 2024, reflecting a shift in migration patterns as Ottawa enforces more rigorous entry processes.
The downward trend in claims appears to have accelerated toward the end of the year. IRCC data show that asylum requests by holders of temporary resident visas — which include visitor, student and worker visas — plunged by about 55 per cent in November 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier. Officials linked this sharp decline to heightened review procedures applied to temporary resident visa (TRV) applications, aimed at preventing those who are unlikely to meet immigration criteria from entering Canada in the first place.
Temporary resident visas have been at the centre of Ottawa’s efforts to protect the integrity of its asylum system. The stricter approach has also coincided with an overall fall in arrivals of certain categories of temporary residents. Between January and November last year, Canada recorded approximately 52 per cent fewer new students and temporary workers than in the previous year, according to IRCC. The department said the drop was largely due to a 60 per cent decrease in new international students and a 47 per cent reduction in temporary workers.
Immigration advocates and consultants have noted that before these policy adjustments, migrant advisors and agents frequently bundled temporary visas with refugee claim strategies, particularly for visitors hoping to transition to longer stays. Kanwar Sierah, a Mississauga-based immigration consultant, told media that many claimants previously arrived on visitor visas and were marketed “package deals” that included an asylum claim, a practice that critics said exploited loopholes in Canada’s immigration rules.
Data from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) further illustrate the composition of asylum claimants. Indian nationals remain the largest group with outstanding claims before the board, with tens of thousands of cases pending as of late September 2025, alongside several thousand that have already been finalised. Mexican nationals also accounted for a substantial number of pending cases, although the overall volume of claims has fallen as a result of policy changes and increased visa scrutiny.
Among Indian claimants referred to the IRB, roughly equal numbers of cases have been accepted and rejected, underscoring the complexity of individual applications and the challenge of balancing humanitarian obligations with immigration enforcement. Critics of the previous, more permissive regime have argued that the asylum system was being stretched by claims filed by individuals whose primary motive was not protection from persecution but rather access to Canada’s social benefits and pathways to permanent residency.
The Canadian government’s recent measures reflect an ongoing effort to strike that balance by deterring unfounded claims while preserving refuge for those facing genuine danger in their home countries. Whether the drop in claims marks a long-term shift, or a temporary lull as prospective migrants adjust to the new regime, will become clearer as more data emerge in 2026.
