OTTAWA — A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Lena Diab is defending new rules that will rule out thousands of refugee claims, saying difficult decisions were required to regain control of Canada’s immigration system.

Under Ottawa’s new border law that passed in March, refugee claims must be made within a year of a claimant’s first arrival in Canada.

The changes are retroactive to June 24, 2020, and the rule applies to all claims made on or after June 3, 2025 and the department estimates about 30,000 existing claimants have been sent notices warning their claims may now be deemed ineligible.

That includes a Palestinian man who donated a kidney to his Canadian sister in 2023 and an Iranian political activist whose identity was leaked to the regime in July 2025.

Claimants who receive those notices are given 21 days to provide additional evidence to support their claims.

Laura Blondeau, Diab’s communications director, says there are safeguards in place, including a pause on removals to certain countries and pre-removal risk assessments for individuals whose claims won’t be heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press