You cannot apply for PRRA within 12 months of decision by Immigration and Refugee Board, as soon as Bill C-31 is applied (royal assent)!

PRRA means Pre Removal Risk Assessment. In situations when you are told to leave Canada and a removal order is being enforced against you, you could  be allowed to apply for PRRA. Once you apply, an officer will review your application, documents, evidence etc. to determine the authenticity of your claim. Under these circumstances, your removal order is suspended temporarily. The officer will consider the risk of persecution, torture, your life or the risk that you may be subjected to any cruel or unusual treatment or punishment, if you are removed from Canada. 

You may not be eligible:

·         If another country has requested Canada to return you because you are a suspected or convicted criminal or

·          If you have come to Canada from a country that is designated as a  safe country e.g. United States or

·         If  you have claimed refuges status or applied for PRRA in the past within a specific time or

·         If you are already recognized as a person who needs protection or

·         If you can return to a country that has already recognized you as a convention refugee.

If the  officer accepts your PRRA application, you will receive the status of ‘protected person’ and thus you can apply for permanent residence in Canada. However, if your application is rejected, your removal order will again come in effect and you may receive a reasonable time to leave Canada. You have the option to apply to Federal Court of Canada  for a review of PRRA officer’s decision.

Canadian government in Feb 2012 introduced Bill C-31 which proposed changes to Immigration and Refugee system of Canada.  The government has now issued amendments to this bill. One such amendment   proposes that if Immigration and Refugee Board issues a removal order then the failed asylum-seeker will not be able to apply for PRRA for 12 months. More information about PRRA, etc can he had at this link.  The amendment also propose that a previous negative decision, for those from designated countries, will now bar these asylum-seekers from applying for 36 months as against the current norm of  12 months. This will discourage asylum seekers from going underground after a negative decision and then reapplying after 12 months.

In addition, the government had earlier proposed that if a person has obtained  permanent residence in Canada based on a refugee claim then it could be revoked if situation in home country is improved.  The government is now amending this section and issuing further clarification that it did not intend the law to be read in this manner.

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Bill C-31 on Refugees - Goverment accepts the opposition to it!

Bill C-31 was introduced (proposed) in Feb 201  by Canadian Government.  Substantial opposition was raised to this bill and finally the government agrees to modify some if its proposed changes. As part of these amendments, permanent resident status (refugee/asylum seekers) will not be revoked based on solely  the current situation in country of origin. This means that if one has become a permanent resident of Canada based on a refugee claim (that  was based on the fact that the country of origin is not safe), then this status of permanent residence will not be revoked solely on the grounds that the current situation in the  country of origin has improved substantially. Refugees arriving as part of smuggling or other irregular process will now have their initial detention review after 14 days (and subsequently 180 days) rather than a year, as proposed earlier.   Genuine refugees will be released while others will continue in detention and eventually be deported. For information on Refugees, Protection, Removals and Inadmissibility, visit this link.  For more information about detention visit this link.