Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he’s eyeing changes to Canada’s asylum system “that could potentially address” people who take advantage of the Safe Third Country Agreement.
Under the revised deal, Canada and the United States can turn away people who cross from one country into another through unofficial points of entry and try to claim asylum within 14 days. Until early 2023, the agreement only applied to official points of entry and did not include a 14-day rule.
Immigration lawyers and refugee advocates say the change has forced people to make more dangerous choices, like rely on human smugglers to bring them across the border in undetected ways, and to remain hidden until two weeks pass in order to make an asylum claim.
