Are you thinking of claiming asylum in Canada during the covid pandemic?
|
en français -- en espagnol
|
November 21st, 2021 - BREAKING NEWS BELOW!
Dear Visitor
Hello! Welcome to our information page. Bridges Not Borders is a small group of Canadian volunteers who live in the area near Roxham Road in southern Quebec. Since the COVID border closure in March 2020 we have been providing information on the border situation and the rules for asylum seekers who want to enter Canada. We are not lawyers and cannot advise you or assess your asylum claim. We receive many emails and sometimes we refer people to another organization that can also help. We answer emails three days a week and not on weekends.
PLEASE ONLY SHARE OUR INFORMATION WEBPAGE LINK HERE: main information page.
We update this page as soon as new information becomes available.
Dear Visitor
Hello! Welcome to our information page. Bridges Not Borders is a small group of Canadian volunteers who live in the area near Roxham Road in southern Quebec. Since the COVID border closure in March 2020 we have been providing information on the border situation and the rules for asylum seekers who want to enter Canada. We are not lawyers and cannot advise you or assess your asylum claim. We receive many emails and sometimes we refer people to another organization that can also help. We answer emails three days a week and not on weekends.
PLEASE ONLY SHARE OUR INFORMATION WEBPAGE LINK HERE: main information page.
We update this page as soon as new information becomes available.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY MADE AN ASYLUM CLAIM IN THE UNITED STATES
If you have applied for asylum in the US (or in the United Kingdom, New Zealand or Australia) you are no longer entitled to the full independent refugee determination process in Canada. Instead you only have access to a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) hearing conducted by a government official. You will be able to have a lawyer or immigration consultant present with you. You need to be aware that the PRRA is a less thorough process and has a lower success rate (about 40%) than the refugee process. However, if you are successful you will be recognized as either a refugee or a protected person in Canada. ** Please consult a Canadian refugee lawyer before attempting to enter Canada.
If you have applied for asylum in the US (or in the United Kingdom, New Zealand or Australia) you are no longer entitled to the full independent refugee determination process in Canada. Instead you only have access to a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) hearing conducted by a government official. You will be able to have a lawyer or immigration consultant present with you. You need to be aware that the PRRA is a less thorough process and has a lower success rate (about 40%) than the refugee process. However, if you are successful you will be recognized as either a refugee or a protected person in Canada. ** Please consult a Canadian refugee lawyer before attempting to enter Canada.
|
NEWS ! - As of November 21st, asylum seekers entering Canada at irregular entry points like Roxham Road will no longer be returned to the US *** The above information does NOT apply to those who have already gone to an official Port of Entry and been excluded from Canada under the Safe Third Country Agreement rules (see below) Crossing Irregularly at Roxham Road Please be aware that you will be arrested temporarily by the police (RCMP) at Roxham Road. After arrest, the police will take you to the offices of Canadian immigration (CBSA) to begin the asylum process. Also be aware that before you cross, the police may tell you to go instead to Lacolle Port of Entry. Do not go to Lacolle. You have the right under international law to enter Canada irregularly to make an asylum claim. If you go to Lacolle Port of Entry you may be excluded from Canada and sent back to the USA under the rules of the Safe Third Country Agreement, unless you qualify for an exception to the agreement (see below). It is important to bring with you any documents and proofs that show WHY you need to ask for asylum in Canada. Why are you afraid to return to your country of origin? How have you been persecuted, threatened, tortured or hurt etc.? You will be asked questions about that. If you cannot pay for a lawyer, you may qualify for legal aid in Canada and be able to get a lawyer to help you with your asylum claim. |
IMPORTANT! If you have ALREADY been directed back to the USA after irregular entry (e.g. at Roxham Road) you can now go to an official Port of Entry (like Lacolle) to make your asylum claim. ** This does NOT apply to those who have already gone to an official Port of Entry and been excluded from Canada under STCA rules (see below) ** Make sure that you have any documents/file number you were given by CBSA when you were directed back to the USA. See Canadian government information HERE VACCINATION Asylum seekers who enter Canada do not need to be vaccinated.
|
CROSSING AT AN OFFICIAL LAND PORT OF ENTRY (Like Lacolle): THE SAFE THIRD COUNTRY AGREEMENT
NOTE: The following information describes the rules for asylum seekers at official land Ports of Entry since 2004.
It will not change unless the Agreement is suspended or ended.
VERY IMPORTANT
If you are allowed to enter Canada to make a refugee claim you will have to remain in isolation for 14 days unless you can prove complete vaccination (see above).
NOTE: The following information describes the rules for asylum seekers at official land Ports of Entry since 2004.
It will not change unless the Agreement is suspended or ended.
- If you are seeking asylum in Canada AND you meet one of the exceptions to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), you can go to an official land Port of Entry to make a refugee claim. Note: the STCA does not apply to U.S. citizens or to habitual residents of the United States who are not citizens of any country ("stateless persons").
- FIRST make sure you fit under an exception to the STCA. The four exceptions are: having a close family member with the right status residing in Canada - being an unaccompanied child under 18 - being at risk of the death penalty - having the right Canadian visa. Important: read about STCA exceptions HERE and also at the Canadian government website HERE.
- Before going to a land Port of Entry you are strongly advised to consult: 1. Vive Shelter in Buffalo, New York to get advice about STCA exceptions on 716.892.4354 or viveinfo@jrchc.org or 2. a Canadian refugee lawyer: You can call/write Romero House in Toronto, Ontario to obtain the name of a lawyer: 416.763.1303 / info@romerohouse.org
VERY IMPORTANT
- If you DO NOT meet an exception under the STCA you will be excluded from Canada and sent back to the US. Unless you are able to challenge this decision, you will NEVER be able to apply for asylum in Canada again.
- In the United States you may be put in immigration detention, and, depending on your situation, you may be put in removal proceedings (to be sent back to your home country).
If you are allowed to enter Canada to make a refugee claim you will have to remain in isolation for 14 days unless you can prove complete vaccination (see above).
Please go to these pages for more information on the current situation from:
- the Government of Canada: Govt of Canada
HELP IN THE USA
- We work closely with Plattsburgh Cares, a volunteer organization in Plattsburgh (New York State), which gives information and support to people wanting to leave the US to seek asylum in Canada. You can contact them for support at: support@plattsburghcares.org or call them at 518-243-8292 or 518-240-8866.
- Contact the Office for New Americans Hotline for advice on US immigration matters and the border situation on 1-800-566-7636 (service in many languages): Website
- If you are in or near to Plattsburgh, NY you can contact Diane Noiseux of the Office for New Americans in Plattsburgh ONLY for emergency shelter (for 24-48 hours) on 518-420-7210 . She does not provide legal information or updates on the border situation.
