Step 1: Make your claim

Find out how to make a refugee claim in Canada before your claim is referred to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD).

You can ask for refugee protection in 2 ways:

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

On this page

• How to claim refugee protection at a port of entry (airport, land border, seaport)
• How to claim refugee protection when you are already in Canada
• If you're applying as a family
• Which language should you use on the application
• If you need help with your application

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 at a port of entry in Canada.

This includes:

• an airport
• land border
• seaport

When you make your refugee claim, you'll speak with a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer.

If your claim is eligible, the officer will:

• direct you to complete your refugee claim application in the IRCC portal
• give you a document called a Notice of Application Due Date

Your Notice of Application Due Date shows when your complete application is due and explains how to complete your application.

How to claim refugee protection when you are already in Canada

If you decide to make your claim after you have entered Canada, you will make your refugee claim with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). You must:

• complete part 1 on the IRCC portal
• be scheduled for an appointment at an IRCC office

Complete part 1 of your application

The online application to ask for refugee protection in Canada is on the IRCC website. Once you start the online application, you have 90 days to complete part 1. If you do not submit part 1 within 90 days, you will need to start over with a new application.

Meet with IRCC

After you submit part 1 of your application online, IRCC will give you a date and time to meet with an officer at an IRCC office. At this meeting, the officer will decide if your claim is eligible to continue.

If your claim is eligible, you will be invited to complete part 2 of the refugee claim application in the IRCC portal and you'll receive a Notice of Application Due Date document.

If you're applying as a family

Family members can submit their applications together. A refugee application must be completed for each person in your family.

For children under 18 years old, a parent, legal guardian or designated representative must complete the application and sign the declaration on behalf of each child in the family.

Which language should you use on the application

You must complete your application in English or French.

If you get help from an interpreter, you must:

• review your answers with your interpreter in your own language
• make sure your answers are accurate and complete

Using an interpreter

If an interpreter helped you complete the application, they must complete the interpreter's declaration. The interpreter's declaration includes:

• the interpreter's name
• the translated language and dialect (if any)
• a statement that the translation is accurate

Upload the interpreter's declaration to the IRCC portal before you submit your application. You can find the interpreter declaration form.

Translating documents

Documents you submit must be translated by a human translator. The translator must provide a signed declaration confirming that the translation is accurate.

You may use online translation tools, translation software or artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with a translation only if the translation is accompanied by a human translator's declaration.

The human translator must state if AI was used to help with the translation.

See the Practice notice: Use of artificial intelligence in IRB proceedings for more information.

If you need help with your application

You can get help from counsel to complete your application and support you through the refugee claim process.

Counsel can:

• explain the refugee claim process
• help you complete forms and prepare documents
• represent you during the refugee claim process

If you want to hire counsel, do not wait until your claim is referred to the RPD, you should do it as soon as you can.

You can hire a professional counsel that you pay. They may be lawyers or immigration consultants. In Quebec, counsel can also be a notary public. In Ontario, counsel can also be a paralegal.

Paid counsel

If you pay someone to represent you, they must be authorized counsel.

Authorized means your counsel is a member of a professional association, such as:

• a provincial law society (for a lawyer or paralegal, in a province that allows paralegals to be members of the law society)
• the Chambre des notaires du Québec
• the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants

Only a counsel who is a member of a professional association can charge you a fee.

Getting free or low-cost legal help

If you cannot afford to pay for counsel, contact the legal aid office in your province to find out what help is available. If you qualify for legal aid, it might include free or low-cost legal information, or they might get a professional counsel to help you with the claim process.

If you cannot get help from legal aid, someone can represent you for free. For example, a friend, family member or volunteer can be your counsel if they are not being paid for their help.

Find local community resources and support

If legal aid cannot help you, look for other support in your community. Do an online search for refugee claimant support with the name of the province, city or town where you live.

We encourage you to review the IRCC guide and CBSA guide to support you on how to answer each question in the application.