Overview

• Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board recorded 245 U.S.-origin claims in the first half of 2025, surpassing all of 2024 and marking the fastest pace since 2019.
• These filings represent 245 of roughly 55,000 refugee applications this year, and Canada has historically accepted few claims alleging persecution in the United States.
• The IRB expanded its country-condition materials to include Human Rights Watch and other reports on U.S. treatment of LGBTQ people.
• To win protection, applicants must persuade the IRB that no part of the United States is safe for them, and many land-border seekers are returned under a first safe country agreement.
• Eight lawyers report rising interest from transgender Americans, with interviewees citing restrictions advanced by President Trump and the U.S. Supreme Court, while a U.S. DHS spokesperson said claims in Canada would create room for people facing actual persecution.