Asylum Claims Received at Canadian Land Borders & Airports

The table below which has been provided by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is deceiving. Every year, many asylum claimants enter Canada with visas and make claims after they get into Canada. Those visas may be genuine or fake, but they allow the bearers to enter Canada easily. This group is often as large or larger than the total of people who make asylum (refugee) claims at the Canadian Land Borders and Airports. In other words, there are 3 groups making asylum claims, not just the two shown in the table. When the three groups are added together, the total number of people making asylum (refugee) claims is very high.

CY Land Border Airport
1989 5,012 6,104
1990 8,772 12,554
1991 8,570 9,066
1992 9,523 9,718
1993 6,858 4,474
1994 6,845 4,831
1995 7,583 6,975
1996 6,806 8,831
1997 7,105 7,463
1998 8,000 6,639
1999 9,949 6,683
2000 13,270 7,624
2001 14,009 10,161
2002 10,856 4,692
2003 10,938 4,179
2004 8,904 3,461
2005 4,041 3,345
2006 4,478 4,202
2007 8,191 5,721
2008 10,801 8,168  
2009  6,295 9,411  
2010 Q 1 1,215 923
1989-2010 Q1 178,021 145,225
Data extract date: Sep. 22, 2010
Download as of Sep. 21, 2010