Refugee Claimants - Frequently Asked Questions
Asylum seekers (in Canada use the term refugee claimant) have the legal right to cross the border and enter Canada to make a refugee claim. Asylum seekers are crossing irregularly – between ports of entry - but that is not illegal. They are doing so to because the Safe Third Country Agreement (2004) between Canada and the United States requires Canada to send refugee claimants back to the U.S., with a few exceptions. The Safe Third Country Agreement applies only to refugee claims made at border crossings.