Canada has proposed regulatory changes that would make earlier access to open work permits a permanent part of the asylum system. The draft amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations were published in the Canada Gazette on June 19, 2026, and are subject to a 30-day consultation period.
Under the current Regulations, an asylum seeker qualifies for a work permit only after their claim has been referred to the Refugee Protection Division.
The proposed changes would allow open work permits to be issued earlier, once an asylum claim has been found eligible for referral, but before the claim is formally referred to the Refugee Protection Division.
This earlier access has already been available through a temporary public policy first introduced in November 2022. That policy was designed to let refugee claimants work in Canada and support themselves while waiting for their hearings. Because it is a temporary public policy, it can be revoked at any time without notice. Moving the rule into the Regulations would make it a permanent feature of Canada’s asylum process.
Additional asylum process reforms
The proposed regulatory changes also include several other reforms:
- Making permanent the exemption to the one-year asylum ban for unaccompanied minors
- Allowing an asylum seeker to start the asylum claim process without submitting the full set of required documents immediately
- Giving claimants up to 60 days after referral to the Refugee Protection Division to submit supporting documents
- Allowing a 30-day extension for supporting documents upon request
- Requiring the Minister to consider a claim within 365 days after receiving all required documents
- Specifying when the Minister must or may appoint a designated representative for an asylum claimant
- Defining the responsibilities of designated representatives
- Allowing the Minister to reinstate withdrawn asylum claims when justified
Consultation and implementation timeline
The proposed amendments have been published in the Canada Gazette for a 30-day consultation period ending July 20, 2026.
After consultation closes, the government may revise the proposed amendments. The changes will come into force only when the finalized amendments are published in the Gazette and on the date specified in the final version.
Ottawa expects the proposed changes to be finalized and implemented later in 2026.
Connection to Bill C-12
The proposed regulatory updates follow major legislative changes introduced through Bill C-12, which changed procedures for asylum claims.
Bill C-12 introduced:
- A ban on asylum claims made more than one year after the claimant’s first entry to Canada
- A ban on asylum claims by irregular crossers at the US-Canada border
Bill C-12 received royal assent on March 26, 2026. The two asylum bans apply retroactively to claims made on or after June 3, 2025, the date when Bill C-12’s precursor, Bill C-2, was introduced at first reading.
The one-year time limit applies to claimants who entered Canada after June 24, 2020.
A temporary public policy exempting unaccompanied minors from the one-year asylum ban was introduced in May 2026. The new proposed Regulations would make that exemption permanent.
Source article: www.cicnews.com
