Ottawa Moves to Secure Faster Work Permits for Asylum Seekers

The federal government has moved to make faster work permits for asylum seekers a permanent part of Canada’s refugee system.

Draft changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations were published in the Canada Gazette on June 19, 2026. The proposal would allow eligible asylum claimants to receive open work permits earlier, before their claims are formally referred to the Refugee Protection Division.

Early Access to Work

Under the current rules, an asylum seeker normally qualifies for a work permit only after their claim has been referred to the Refugee Protection Division, also known as the RPD.

The proposed change would move that access point earlier in the process. Claimants whose cases have been found eligible for referral could receive an open work permit before the referral itself is completed.

This approach is not entirely new. Since November 2022, Ottawa has used a temporary public policy to exempt refugee claimants in Canada from some requirements for open work permit issuance. The policy was created to help claimants support themselves financially while they wait for their hearings.

However, temporary public policies can be cancelled without notice. By adding the measure to the regulations, the government would make early work permit access a permanent part of the asylum system.

Other Asylum Reforms Proposed

The draft package includes several other changes. Ottawa proposes to make permanent an exemption from the one-year asylum ban for unaccompanied minors.

The amendments would also allow an asylum seeker to begin a claim without first submitting every required document. Claimants would have up to 60 days after referral to the RPD to provide supporting documents. They could also request a 30-day extension.

The proposal would require the minister to consider a claim within 365 days after receiving all required documents.

The regulations would also set out when the minister must or may appoint a designated representative for an asylum claimant. They would describe the responsibilities of those representatives and allow the minister to reinstate withdrawn claims when justified.

Consultation Runs Until July

The proposed regulations are open for a 30-day public consultation period, ending July 20, 2026. After that, the government may revise the package before publishing final amendments in the Canada Gazette.

According to the federal government’s release, Ottawa expects the changes to be finalized and implemented “later in 2026.”

The proposed regulations follow major asylum changes introduced through Bill C-12 earlier this year. The bill received royal assent on March 26, 2026, and changed several procedures for refugee claims.

Bill C-12 also introduced a ban on asylum claims made more than one year after a claimant’s first entry to Canada. It also created a ban on some claims made by irregular crossers at the U.S.-Canada border.

Those bans apply retroactively to claims made on or after June 3, 2025, the date Bill C-2, the earlier version of the legislation, was first introduced.

The one-year limit applies only to claimants who entered Canada after June 24, 2020. Ottawa introduced the temporary exemption for unaccompanied minors from that ban in May 2026.