Step 1: Make a claim for Refugee Protection

Tell us if you change your contact information

Keep your contact information up to date with the Refugee Protection Division (RPD). The RPD will not be able to reach you if we do not have correct contact information.

We must be able to let you know your hearing date and send you important information. If we do not have your current contact information and you miss your hearing because of this, we will send your claim for an abandonment hearing. If your claim is abandoned, your claim will not be heard, and you will probably be told to leave Canada. So, you must always keep your contact information up to date.

Tell the RPD: If your address, phone number or email changes, immediately send us a Notification of Client Contact Information (change of address) form
Tell IRCC and the CBSA: You will also need to inform Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), if there is a change. See IRCC contact for more information

You can ask for refugee protection in 2 ways:

when you arrive at a Canadian port of entry: an airport, land border or seaport
when you are already in Canada (inland)

Here is what you need to do in each case, along with important deadlines.

How to claim refugee protection at a port of entry (airport, land border, seaport)

You can make a refugee claim as soon as you arrive in Canada at a port of entry. When you make your refugee claim, you will speak with a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer. They will:

ask you questions to see if you can make a refugee claim
take your fingerprints and photo
help you fill out forms or direct you to an online portal to fill out webforms

If the officer decides that you can make a refugee claim, they will send your claim to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD). The RPD will make a decision on your claim.

The officer will give you a:

Refugee Protection Identity Document (RPID): This document will help you get health care coverage and apply for a work permit or a study permit
form saying that the officer has sent your claim to the RPD
Basis of Claim (BOC) form: You must complete and send the form directly to the RPD within 45 days

You will use the BOC form to explain why you are asking for refugee protection. You need a BOC form for each family member.

See how to send your Basis of Claim form for more information.

We encourage you to get professional help to complete your BOC form. The professionals are called counsel.

See Get ready for your hearing for more information about counsel.

The CBSA officer may ask you to complete an online application using the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) portal. On this application, you will give information about how you came to Canada, your education, work, and family. You will have 45 days to complete it.

See Application guide (Port of entry) for information on using the portal on the IRCC website.

Important: There are 2 deadlines that must be respected when you make your claim at a port of entry:

deadline to send the BOC form to the RPD: You must send the BOC form directly to the RPD within 45 days after the officer sent your claim to the RPD. See Submit your documents for more information on how to send your BOC form to the RPD
deadline to complete the online application on the IRCC portal: If the officer asked you to complete an application online using the IRCC portal, you have 45 days to submit it

There are consequences if you miss these deadlines. See the section about the abandonment hearing process.

How to claim refugee protection when you are already in Canada

If you decide to make your claim after you have entered Canada, you must:

complete your online application using the IRCC portal
go to an appointment at an IRCC office

The online application for asking for refugee protection in Canada can be found on the IRCC website. Once you start the online application, you have up to 90 days to complete the application. If you do not finish the application in 90 days, you must start over.

See the Application Guide for Inland Refugee Claims on the IRCC website for more information.

You will also need to submit your supporting documents, including your:

identity documents and travel documents if you have them
BOC form

You will use the BOC form to explain why you are asking for refugee protection. You need a BOC form for each family member.

See how to send your Basis of Claim form for more information.

We encourage you to get help from a professional to complete your BOC form. The professionals are called counsel.

See Get ready for your hearing for more information about counsel.

Meet with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

After you submit your online application, you will get an appointment to meet with an officer at an IRCC office about your refugee claim. If the IRCC officer decides that you can make a refugee claim, they will send your claim to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD). The RPD will decide your claim.

The officer will give you a:

Refugee Protection Identity Document (RPID). You need this document to apply for health care coverage, for a work permit, and for a study permit
form saying that the IRCC officer has sent your claim to the RPD

See Claim refugee status from Canada: How to apply for information on how to make a claim for refugee protection when you are already in Canada.

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