You started your refugee claim in the IRCC Portal, saved it, and planned to finish it once you had your documents together. Now you log back in and there are questions you have never seen, or answers you thought were done are flagged for review. Or you are about to start a claim and have read that the online application changed in November 2026.
Either way, you want to know what changed, whether it affects your claim, and how to avoid mistakes that could follow you to your hearing. This post explains the November 3, 2026 change to the online asylum application, who it affects, how it fits with Bill C-12 and the proposed new regulations, and what to do if you had a draft in progress.
What changed on November 3, 2026
On October 1, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) posted notices on its asylum pages saying that the way claims are submitted in the IRCC Portal would change starting November 3, 2026. IRCC describes this as part of its ongoing work to modernize the asylum process. The cut-off for the earlier version of the application is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2, 2026.
In practical terms, from November 3 the online application includes new questions, and claimants who have not submitted by the cut-off must review answers they gave earlier. The basic route has not changed: if you are making a claim from inside Canada, you still apply through the IRCC Portal, and you can ask to submit on paper if you cannot use the Portal for accessibility reasons. For the overall steps, see our guide on how to make a refugee claim in Canada.
Who is affected, and how
Where you stood at 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2, 2026 decides how the change affects you. Based on IRCC’s notices:
- You submitted your claim in the Portal by the cut-off. IRCC says you do not need to give any new information unless it asks you to. Your claim continues under the existing process.
- You started a claim from inside Canada but did not submit it. Your personal information is saved, but before you can submit you must answer the new questions and review your earlier answers.
- You claimed at the border and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told you to finish online, but you had not linked your claim to a Portal account or submitted it. You still need to link the claim to a Portal account. IRCC says the information CBSA collected will be saved, and you will then answer the new questions and review the existing ones.
- You are starting a new claim on or after November 3, 2026. You will complete the updated application from the start.
Some news sites have said that border claimants who had not linked their claim will have to re-enter their personal and family details. IRCC’s own page says the CBSA information will be saved. Either way, check every pre-filled field carefully before you submit. Saved data can be incomplete or out of date.
What are the new questions?
As of November 1, 2026, IRCC had not published a list of the new questions or explained what they cover. Its notices say only that unsubmitted claims will need to answer new questions and review old ones. We will not guess at the content here.
What we can say is that the government’s stated goal is a single, simpler online application that collects what is needed for a claim to go forward without duplicate forms. The proposed rules for the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) also list new information items, such as details about young children, who helped you complete the claim, and your counsel. Whether and when those exact items appear in the Portal is something to confirm when you log in.
How this connects to Bill C-12 and the proposed regulations
Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026. Some parts took effect right away, including the new eligibility bars: claims made more than one year after your first entry to Canada after June 24, 2020, and claims made 14 days or more after crossing between official ports of entry from the United States, are generally not referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). These bars apply to claims made on or after June 3, 2025. We cover the law in more detail in our post on Bill C-12 and refugee claims in 2026.
The rest of the asylum overhaul is meant to come through changes to the regulations. IRCC has said it wants to simplify the online application and refer only complete, “schedule-ready” claims to the IRB, meaning files where the government’s checks are done and a hearing can be booked without delay.
Draft regulations and draft RPD rules were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on June 20, 2026, for a 30-day comment period. In broad terms, they propose that:
- claimants would have 60 days to provide all the required documents and information, with one 30-day extension available on request;
- the information explaining why you need protection (now given on the Basis of Claim form) would go to IRCC or CBSA as part of one online application, and the government would forward it to the RPD on referral;
- the government would aim to finish security and admissibility checks within 365 days of receiving a complete file, before referral;
- the RPD, not an officer, would schedule the first hearing, and changes to your claim information would be due soon after you receive the notice to appear;
- claimants would have 30 days after referral to file personal documents with the RPD.
These were proposals. As of November 1, 2026, we had not found final versions published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, and IRCC’s notices about the Portal change do not say that the November 3 update brings the new regulations into force. The details above could change before they become law. If you see a reference to a 60-day deadline, check whether it actually applies to your claim before relying on it.
When the Basis of Claim form and documents are due
The Basis of Claim (BOC) form is your written account of who you are, what happened to you and why you fear returning. It is the foundation of your hearing. Under the rules in force as of November 1, 2026, the timing depends on where you made your claim:
- Claims made from inside Canada: the BOC form and your identity documents are part of what you submit through the Portal, and must be provided by the time an officer decides whether your claim is eligible. Your eligibility interview is covered in our post on the IRCC refugee claim appointment.
- Claims made at a port of entry: the regulations set 15 days after referral to the RPD, but the RPD’s practice notice currently extends this to 45 calendar days. You can ask the RPD for more time before the deadline passes. If the form is late, you may have to attend a special hearing to explain why your claim should not be treated as abandoned.
If the proposed rules take effect, these timelines would change. Always follow the deadline in the most recent letter or Portal message you have received, and ask a lawyer if two sources seem to conflict.
If you had a draft in progress
If your claim was saved but not submitted at the cut-off, take these steps when you go back in:
- Before changing anything, save or screenshot what is already there so you have a record of your earlier answers.
- Read every new question in full. Do not assume it asks the same thing as an older one.
- Go through each saved answer again. Correct anything that is wrong or has changed, such as your address, family details or travel history.
- Check that every family member claiming with you is listed and that their information is current.
- Do not let the change stall you. A saved draft is generally not treated as a submitted claim, and the one-year bar is counted from your entry to Canada, so delay can cost you a hearing at the IRB.
If you are reading this before 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2 with a nearly finished draft, submitting it under the current version is an option. Do not rush an incomplete or inaccurate answer just to beat the cut-off, though. An error made in a hurry can do more harm than a few extra questions.
Practical tips for any online refugee claim
- Keep copies of everything. Save a PDF or screenshots of your submitted application, every document you uploaded, and every message and letter from IRCC, CBSA and the IRB. You may need them months later.
- Be consistent. Your Portal answers, what you tell the officer at your eligibility interview, your BOC form and your testimony at the hearing will all be compared. Unexplained differences in dates, names or events are a common reason decision-makers doubt a claimant. Our post on how the Refugee Protection Division assesses credibility explains why this matters.
- Don’t guess. If you don’t know an exact date, give your closest estimate and say that it is an estimate. If you don’t know something at all, say so. A confident guess that turns out to be wrong is harder to explain than an honest “I am not sure.”
- Use a qualified interpreter if you need one. If you are not fully comfortable in English or French, have someone competent interpret the questions and your answers. The RPD requires a declaration about the language of your claim and, if an interpreter helped, a declaration from the interpreter.
- Tell the truth, completely. IRCC warns that lying on a claim is a serious offence and can lead to a ban on returning to Canada. Leaving out important events can be nearly as damaging as a false statement.
- Record technical problems. If the Portal will not accept your information, take screenshots of the error and report it through IRCC’s technical web form. Keep proof that you tried to submit on time.
- If someone is helping you, make sure they are authorized and that the Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476) is completed and signed.
Talk to us about your refugee claim
Kabir & Alam Lawyers helps refugee claimants across Canada prepare and review online claims, draft and revise Basis of Claim narratives, prepare for eligibility interviews and RPD hearings, and respond when IRCC asks for more information. Learn more about our refugee law services.
If you have a draft claim affected by the November 2026 change, or you are not sure which deadline applies to you, book a free 15-minute phone call or a paid consultation to talk it through.
This post is general information about Canadian immigration law and is not legal advice. Every case turns on its own facts. Speak with a lawyer about your situation before making decisions.