Canada 2017 Asylum Claim Numbers Break Two-Decade Record (Video Content)

March 13, 2018 – Canadian asylum claims received within the country and at legal border crossings shattered a two-decade record in 2017.

Figures show 49,775 claims were received last year, beating the previous high of 44,695 claims in 2001. Other high years include 2000 and 2008, which saw 37,845 and 36,920 claims respectively. Meanwhile, in 2013 the claim number was as low as 10,380.

The 2017 number saw 20,600 claims received at border checkpoints, with the remaining claims coming from within Canada. There was also a marked increase in illegal border crossings in 2017, particularly over the Quebec border, as immigrants afraid of losing their status in the U.S. flooded into Canada.