Social Policy Trends – Asylum Claimants Processed in Canada

• Main Author: Margarita (Gres) Wilkins
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Calgary 2017-08-01
• Series: The School of Public Policy Publications
• Online Access: https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Social-Policy-Trends-Asylum-Claimants-August.pdf

ASYLUM CLAIMANTS PROCESSED IN CANADA Number of asylum claims processed in Ontario, Quebec, rest of Canada and the entire country, over the period of 2000 to 2017 Recently, the number of asylum-seekers – people applying for refugee status at the Canadian border (as opposed to individuals claiming refugee status from their country of origin) – has attracted a great deal of media attention. The focus has been on the recent unexpected influx of asylum-seekers crossing the border from the U.S. into Manitoba and Quebec. The federal government has made an assertion that Canada can handle the surge in newcomers. However, it is provincial or municipal governments, and in particular local social agencies, in a municipality in which the claim is being made, that are responsible for allocating the necessary resources to handle the surge in asylumseekers. This is important for understanding the potential impact it may have on the agencies’ ability to provide those individuals with the required assistance and other support.