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Asylum claims · IRCC Portal

Asylum claims change on November 3. Finish yours by 11:59 p.m. ET, November 2.

IRCC is changing how asylum claims are submitted in the IRCC Portal. If your claim is unfinished, or you claimed at the border and haven’t linked it yet, the cutoff decides how much you redo. Claims already submitted need no new information unless IRCC asks.

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Cutoff: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday, November 2, 2026Changes start Tuesday, November 3

Four situations

Find your line. Read only that one.

  1. You started a claim in the IRCC Portal and have not submitted it.

    If it is not submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2, 2026, you’ll need to answer new questions and review your old answers. IRCC says your personal information will be saved.

    Before the cutoff

    Finish and submit it in the IRCC Portal before the cutoff. Claims submitted by then do not need new information unless IRCC asks. Answer every question truthfully: canada.ca warns that lying on the application is a serious offence.

    Source: canada.ca — Start a claim online (page updated October 1, 2026), verified October 9, 2026.

  2. You already submitted your claim in the IRCC Portal.

    Claims submitted in the IRCC Portal by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2, 2026 do not need to provide new information unless IRCC asks.

    Before the cutoff

    Nothing new to file. Watch your IRCC Portal account, answer any request from IRCC, and keep your address and contact details up to date.

    Source: canada.ca — Claiming asylum from within Canada (page updated October 1, 2026), verified October 9, 2026.

  3. You claimed at the border, linked the claim to an IRCC Portal account, and have not submitted it.

    If you made your claim to the CBSA and linked it to a portal account but do not submit it before 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2, 2026, you’ll need to answer new questions and review old ones. Your personal information will be saved.

    Before the cutoff

    Submit it in the IRCC Portal before the cutoff. IRCC says a linked claim submitted by then needs no new information unless it asks.

    Source: canada.ca — If you are asked to complete your claim online (page updated October 1, 2026), verified October 9, 2026.

  4. You claimed at the border, the CBSA told you to finish online, and you have not linked the claim yet.

    If you do not link your claim to a portal account by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2, 2026, the information the CBSA collected won’t be saved. You would have to link the claim and enter details about you and any family again.

    Before the cutoff

    Create an IRCC Portal account and link the claim before the cutoff. Choose “Make a new refugee claim or continue a claim made to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)”, then enter your application number (it starts with “L”), your UCI and your date of birth exactly as they appear on your document.

    Source: canada.ca — If you are asked to complete your claim online (page updated October 1, 2026), verified October 9, 2026.

Border claim and the IRCC Portal says your application is not in the system? Check that every entry matches your document exactly. If it still isn’t found, canada.ca says to email the CBSA at CBSA.Asylum-Asile.ASFC@CBSA-ASFC.gc.ca with your application number (starting with “L”) and the names and application numbers of family members.

Where claims are filed

Asylum claims go in the IRCC Portal. Not in our client portal.

The IRCC Portal
The Government of Canada account where you start, link and submit an asylum claim. canada.ca: “If you are inside Canada, you need to use the IRCC Portal to submit an asylum claim online.” One account can cover you and your family. Get an IRCC Portal account · Start a claim online
The CHK client portal
The Client portal link at the top of this site is for CHK clients’ files with us. It is not connected to your asylum claim and cannot submit one.
If someone helps you
canada.ca says that if someone is helping you make your claim, you must complete and sign the Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476).
If you can’t use the portal
You can ask to submit your claim on paper if you can’t submit online for accessibility reasons.
Asking for a work permit
In the online application, choose “Yes” when asked if you would like to request a work permit. canada.ca: “There is no separate application or extra fees to apply.” It is issued once your claim is found eligible and your medical exam is passed. Claimant work permits, step by step

Source: canada.ca Start a claim online (updated October 1, 2026) and While you wait (updated July 20, 2026), verified October 9, 2026.

IRCC says the change is part of its “ongoing efforts to modernise the asylum process”, and links to its page on the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12), which received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026.

That page says regulation updates will “simplify the online application process and reduce the need to answer duplicate questions and complete multiple forms.”

Sources

Where each fact comes from.

  1. The November 3 change, the 11:59 p.m. ET November 2 cutoff, unfinished and submitted claimsClaiming asylum from within Canadaupdated Oct 1, 2026 · verified October 9, 2026
  2. Border claims: linked, not linked, already submittedClaiming asylum at the borderupdated Oct 1, 2026 · verified October 9, 2026
  3. Linking a border claim in the IRCC Portal, and the CBSA contactIf you are asked to complete your claim onlineupdated Oct 1, 2026 · verified October 9, 2026
  4. Using the IRCC Portal, paper claims, the representative formStart a claim onlineupdated Oct 1, 2026 · verified October 9, 2026
  5. Requesting a work permit inside the asylum applicationWhile you wait for a decisionupdated Jul 20, 2026 · verified October 9, 2026
  6. Bill C-12 and the modernized asylum processLEGISinfo — C-12 (45-1)Royal Assent Mar 26, 2026 · verified October 9, 2026

Questions

Asked most often.

When is the deadline for the asylum claim changes?

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2, 2026. Changes to the asylum application in the IRCC Portal start on November 3, 2026.

I already submitted my asylum claim. Do I need to do anything?

No new information is needed unless IRCC asks. canada.ca says claims submitted in the IRCC Portal by 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2, 2026 do not need to provide new information unless IRCC asks for it.

Will I lose what I already entered in the IRCC Portal?

Not if you started the claim in the IRCC Portal, or linked a border claim to your portal account: IRCC says your personal information will be saved, though you will need to answer new questions and review old ones if you miss the cutoff. The exception is a border claim the CBSA told you to finish online that is not linked to a portal account by the cutoff: the information the CBSA collected will not be saved, and you will need to enter details about you and any family again.

Where do I submit an asylum claim?

In the IRCC Portal. canada.ca says that if you are inside Canada you need to use the IRCC Portal to submit an asylum claim online, and that you can ask to submit on paper if you cannot submit online for accessibility reasons. The client portal on the CHK website is for CHK clients and is not where an asylum claim is filed.

Can I request a work permit in my asylum application?

Yes. canada.ca's "While you wait" page (last updated July 20, 2026) says to choose "Yes" when the online application asks if you would like to request a work permit, and that there is no separate application or extra fees. The permit is only issued once your claim is found eligible to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board and you have passed your medical exam.

Why is IRCC changing the asylum application?

IRCC says the change is part of its ongoing efforts to modernize the asylum process, and links to its page on the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12), which received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026. That page says regulation updates will simplify the online application process and reduce the need to answer duplicate questions and complete multiple forms.

General information only, not legal advice. IRCC and the Immigration and Refugee Board make all decisions on asylum claims. Contacting us does not create a client–consultant relationship until a written retainer is signed.

Asylum claim question

Not sure which line is yours? Ask before the cutoff.

Tell us where your claim stands. A licensed RCIC reads it personally and replies with your next step in the IRCC Portal, plus the consultation fee and the next available times.

  1. 01Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant
  2. 02Your claim stage checked against the canada.ca notice
  3. 03Fee-based; the fee and times come by reply

CHK Immigration Services, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions. Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.