More and more Americans are applying for refugee status in Canada
An increasing number of Americans are applying for refugee status in Canada, according to the latest data from the country’s Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB).
Every year since 2013, the IRB has released an annual report revealing the number of claims by country of alleged persecution.
In the first half of this year, 245 Americans have applied for Canadian refugee status. That already surpasses the total number of refugee claims made by Americans in all of 2024 (204).
While refugee claims from the United States make up a small portion of overall applications (55,093) so far in 2025, it’s already more than any full year since 2019.
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The report doesn’t specify why the claims are being made; however, the spike does come amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term.
The Trump administration has cracked down on immigration, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducting deportation raids at schools, workplaces, and even courtrooms.
Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court have also rolled back trans rights, banning gender-affirming care and barring trans people from serving in the military.
American refugee claims in Canada also surged during Trump’s first term. In 2017, applications from the U.S. soared to 869, up from 129 in the previous year. Former U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration saw the lowest refugee claims from Americans, ranging from 69 to 129 from 2013 to 2016.
According to the government, refugee protection can be granted in Canada if the Refugee Protection Division determines that the claim meets the United Nations definition of a Convention refugee, or that the claimant is a person in need of protection.
“Convention refugees are people who have a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group,” states the IRB. “Membership in a particular social group can include sexual orientation, gender identity, being a woman, and HIV status.”
If someone claims to be a person in need of protection, they’ll need to show that if they return to their country of nationality, they will face “a danger of torture, a risk to their life, or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.”
Refugee claims can be made by speaking to an officer from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at any port of entry into the country. It can also be made to an officer from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada or CBSA at an inland office.
A recent United Nations Refugee Agency report found that Canada is one of the largest recipients of refugees in the world.