IRCC asylum portal changes start November 3: what unfinished claimants need to know

The online process changes on November 3

IRCC says changes to the asylum application will take effect in the IRCC Portal on November 3, 2026. The transition applies both to people starting a claim from inside Canada and to people who made a claim to the Canada Border Services Agency and were told to complete it online.

This is a portal and application-process change. IRCC has not described it as a new asylum eligibility rule, and it does not make an otherwise ineligible claim eligible.

Unfinished inland claims

A person who starts an inland claim but does not submit it by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2 will need to answer new questions and review earlier answers after the change. IRCC says the claimant's personal information will be saved.

If the claim is submitted through the IRCC Portal by that cutoff, the claimant will not need to provide the new information unless IRCC asks for it.

Claims started with CBSA at the border

If CBSA instructed a claimant to complete the claim online, and the person linked the claim to an IRCC Portal account but did not submit it by the November 2 cutoff, the person will need to answer new questions and review earlier information. IRCC says the saved personal information will remain available.

If the claimant does not link the CBSA claim to the portal by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2, information collected by CBSA will not be saved in the portal. The claimant will need to link the claim and enter details about themselves and accompanying family members again.

What claimants should do now

• Check whether the claim is only started, linked or fully submitted; these are not the same status.
• If planning to submit before the transition, allow time to complete the questions, upload required documents and confirm submission before 11:59 p.m. ET on November 2.
• Keep copies of every answer and uploaded document, along with the portal submission confirmation.
• Follow the instructions for the correct route: an inland claim started directly with IRCC or a border claim first made to CBSA.
• Use IRCC's web form for technical problems and include screenshots showing the page, fields and error messages.

Documents and deadlines still matter

IRCC's inland instructions continue to require a Basis of Claim form for each family member making a claim, identity or travel-document copies, and a Use of a Representative form when someone is formally assisting. The personal document list can vary by case.

The November 2 portal-transition cutoff is not a general extension of any other legal or procedural deadline. A claimant who has received case-specific instructions from IRCC, CBSA or the Immigration and Refugee Board should follow those instructions and seek legal advice if the deadlines conflict or the claim is urgent.