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Issue

Some erroneously suggest that Canada’s immigration system places the safety and security of its citizens at risk by admitting refugees who have fraudulent identification.

Fact

Although Canada has a long-standing humanitarian tradition of helping refugees in need of protection, our number one priority remains the protection and safety of Canadians. This means that anyone who comes to Canada must go through extensive security screening, including refugees.

Refugees are often fleeing dangerous situations. For their safety, they may have had to leave their country quickly, without the proper documents or identification. Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, this doesn’t keep people from making a refugee claim, but they still have to go through our security checks. Other countries such as the United States and Great Britain follow the same principle, which was established by the United Nations in 1951.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) works with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to make sure refugees are properly screened. Every person who applies to be a refugee has to go through in-depth personal interviews and background checks, and photographs and fingerprints are scrutinized.

Anyone who could be a threat to Canada’s safety and security is barred from making a refugee claim and could be deported. People who are accepted as refugees in Canada must go through security checks a second time before becoming permanent residents.