Iran and Turkey top Canada’s refugee claims

According to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 98% of Iranian refugee applications are accepted, along with 97% of Turkish applications.

Between September 2018 and September 2024, 16,206 applicants from Iran successfully entered Canada as refugees. In second place was Turkey, with 13,340 successful applicants.

India, Turkey, and Iran are among the top five countries with the most refugee applications to Canada.

Nearly all applications from Iran and Turkey receive limited scrutiny, based on the geopolitical situations in both the Islamic Republic of Iran and Erdoğan’s Islamist rule in Turkey.

The religious and authoritarian nature of both regimes inspires many citizens to leave. However, Canada’s approach has opened its doors to refugees from these nations with minimal scrutiny.

Without an application hearing, the potential for abuse becomes significant, allowing regime supporters, Islamists, and fraudulent refugee claims to exploit the system.

The material and economic benefits offered in Canada far surpass those in either Iran or Turkey. However, the values and intentions of some refugee claimants may not align with what is presented in their applications.

A hearing would typically allow for a more thorough examination of applicants’ motives and backgrounds. Nevertheless, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act allows many cases to be decided without a hearing through a process known as a “paper review.”

This trend coincides with nearly 14,000 international students applying for refugee status and 50,000 denied asylum claimants remaining in Canada.

The combined influx of refugees from various sources has imposed a significant financial burden on Canadian taxpayers.

The Liberal government has responded by planning to purchase additional hotels to house incoming refugees. This has forced provinces like Alberta to manage the surge without adequate federal financial support, further straining provincial-federal relations.