C-213 (45-1) - An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (cessation of refugee protection)
Chamber
commons
Stage
1st Reading
Introduced
Jun 18, 2025
Progress
This bill removes rules that make permanent residents inadmissible or lose their status when their refugee protection is cancelled.
Key Changes
- Repeals Section 40.1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which currently makes permanent residents inadmissible if their refugee protection is ceased
- Repeals Paragraph 46(1)(c.1), which currently causes permanent residents to lose their status as a result of cessation of refugee protection
- Eliminates the automatic link between cessation of refugee protection and loss of permanent resident status
- Removes a pathway the government uses to deport former refugees who have become permanent residents
Gotchas
- Cessation of refugee protection can occur when someone is found to have voluntarily re-availed themselves of their home country's protection (e.g., by obtaining a passport or travelling back), so this bill would remove consequences for such actions for permanent residents
- The bill does not eliminate cessation proceedings themselves — it only removes the inadmissibility and status-loss consequences for permanent residents, meaning cessation could still be declared without triggering deportation
- Critics of the current law have argued it disproportionately affects refugees who have lived in Canada for many years and have deep community ties
- Supporters of the current law may argue that removing these consequences weakens the integrity of the refugee protection system
- This is a Private Member's Bill, meaning it faces a lower likelihood of passing without government support
Who's Affected
- Permanent residents who originally came to Canada as refugees
- Individuals facing or at risk of cessation proceedings
- Immigration lawyers and refugee advocates
- The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which initiates cessation applications
- The Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), which hears cessation cases
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- Cessation of refugee protection can occur when someone is found to have voluntarily re-availed themselves of their home country's protection (e.g., by obtaining a passport or travelling back), so this bill would remove consequences for such actions for permanent residents
- The bill does not eliminate cessation proceedings themselves — it only removes the inadmissibility and status-loss consequences for permanent residents, meaning cessation could still be declared without triggering deportation
- Critics of the current law have argued it disproportionately affects refugees who have lived in Canada for many years and have deep community ties
- Supporters of the current law may argue that removing these consequences weakens the integrity of the refugee protection system
- This is a Private Member's Bill, meaning it faces a lower likelihood of passing without government support
Summary
Bill C-213 proposes to change the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act by removing two specific provisions. Currently, if a permanent resident's refugee protection is 'ceased' (meaning it is cancelled because, for example, they returned to their home country or conditions there changed), they can be found inadmissible and lose their permanent resident status. This bill would eliminate those consequences. The bill was introduced by NDP MP Jenny Kwan on June 18, 2025. It targets what critics have called a harsh outcome where refugees who have already become permanent residents can lose that status due to cessation proceedings — a process that can be triggered even years after someone has settled in Canada. The people most directly affected are permanent residents who originally came to Canada as refugees and who may be subject to cessation applications by the government. Removing these provisions would mean that even if their refugee protection is ceased, they would not automatically lose their permanent resident status or be found inadmissible on that basis.
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Vibes
0 responses