Canada has a record number of asylum seekers in 2023

Canada is experiencing an unprecedented wave of people seeking asylum upon arrival in the country. According to data released by the Border Services Agency and the Ministry of Immigration, just over 144,000 applications were registered in 2023, representing a 57% increase compared to 2022. This number causes problems in reception and health centres, among other services, as well as representation. Financial pressures for…

Canada is experiencing an unprecedented wave of people seeking asylum upon arrival in the country. According to data released by the Border Services Agency and the Ministry of Immigration, just over 144,000 applications were registered in 2023, representing a 57% increase compared to 2022. This number causes problems in reception and health centres, among other services, as well as representation. Financial pressures on some provincial governments.

Data from federal institutions indicate that the main gateway for these asylum seekers was airports, especially those in Montreal and Toronto. The second is land routes. Both border posts and irregular entry points. Access by sea was minimal (only 35 orders). Quebec was the province that received the most people (about 65,000), followed by Ontario (just over 63,000). British Columbia and Alberta received about 7,600 and 6,000, respectively.

François Legault, Premier of Quebec, sent a letter last Thursday to Justin Trudeau. In the letter, Legault asked the Canadian Prime Minister to take additional measures. “We are on the verge of collapse due to the large number of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec month after month. The situation has become unsustainable,” he said, stressing that this wave of people is putting a strong pressure on government services and reception agencies. Legault asked the federal government for other provinces to receive more asylum seekers, in addition to an aid package worth about 470 million Canadian dollars (350 million US dollars).

Trudeau responded to the letter, during a visit to the territory of Nunavut, saying: “We will share the burden and responsibility of continuing to be a nation that welcomes and successfully integrates people from all over the world.” Minister of Intergovernmental Relations, Dominique LeBlanc, announced on Sunday that his government is studying how to compensate the most affected provinces.

“The possibility of accessing Canada from Mexico without a visa undoubtedly explains part of the influx of asylum seekers,” the Quebec Premier stated in his letter. Mexicans ranked first on the list of applications for 2023: about 24 thousand applications (there were 115 in 2015). Justin Trudeau abolished the visa for Mexicans in 2016. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper had reimposed this requirement in the wake of the growing number of asylum applications. Academics at York University in Toronto estimate that the approval rate for asylum applications from Mexicans will reach 44% in 2022.

Immigration Minister Mark Miller said Monday that a visa return for Mexicans is part of the scenarios being considered, but Canada is holding diplomatic talks with Mexico, one of its major trading partners, regarding the surge in asylum seekers. Federal officials cited by Canadian media noted that one possibility is that the visa is only intended for Mexicans with no previous trips to Canada.

The Trudeau government also says it is aware of some issues with people obtaining work permits or student visas. As for this second group, its population reached about 900 thousand people in 2023 (in 2011, there were about 240 thousand people). Newspaper The Globe and Mail It was published that 19% of those who come to Canada to study do not have proof of their enrollment in an educational center. Secretary Miller on Monday announced a temporary two-year limit on the number of visa permits for foreign students; A 35 per cent reduction in permits approved in 2023. Ottawa will weight this cap in each province based on its population.

Mark Miller acknowledged that the increase in the number of new arrivals puts strong pressure on various government services. As well as with regard to obtaining housing, which is one of the most serious problems faced by a large portion of Canadians. “Canada needs to take action, and there is work to be done,” Miller said. Canadian Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre addressed the issue at an event in Vancouver, calling the Liberal government “incompetent.” “Before Mr. Trudeau came to power, we had the most efficient immigration system in Canada in the history of the world,” the Conservative leader declared.

Subscribe here To the EL PAÍS México newsletter and get all the essential information about current events in this country