Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA)

A Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) is a written protection process administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It asks one central question: if you are removed from Canada, would you face persecution, torture, a risk to your life, or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment in your home country? If the answer is yes and you can support it with credible, current evidence, you may be permitted to stay in Canada as a protected person.

A PRRA is not a refugee hearing. In most cases it is decided on written submissions only, with no in-person appearance. For many people facing removal, it is the primary or final legal protection available in Canada. Because of significant changes to Canada's asylum system in 2025 and 2026, more people than ever are now going through the PRRA process as their first protection assessment, not as a last resort after IRB rejection. Understanding exactly how it works and what it requires is therefore more important than ever.

You can only apply for a PRRA if the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) notifies you that you are eligible and gives you an application package. You cannot apply on your own without that notification.

Who Is Eligible for a PRRA and What Are the Application Requirements?

Eligibility is determined by CBSA when removal proceedings begin. A CBSA officer reviews your immigration history and issues a notification if you qualify.

You may be eligible if you are:

• A failed refugee claimant: The Refugee Protection Division (RPD) rejected your claim, the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) upheld the rejection or you had no right of appeal, and you now face removal.
• Diverted under Bill C-12: Your refugee claim was found ineligible for an IRB hearing under the one-year rule or the 14-day border-crossing rule introduced by the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12), which received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026. For these claimants, the PRRA is the first and primary protection assessment. The new evidence restriction does not apply.
• Ineligible for an IRB referral on other grounds: Your asylum claim could not be referred to the IRB but you were not returned under the Safe Third Country Agreement.
• Applying at a port of entry: In some circumstances, a PRRA may be requested at the port of entry at the time of removal.
• Subject to inadmissibility grounds: Persons found inadmissible on security, human rights, serious criminality, or organized criminality grounds may still receive a restricted PRRA assessment limited to section 97 grounds. See the section on restricted PRRA below.

Who Is Not Eligible for a PRRA

You cannot apply for a PRRA if you:

• Made a refugee claim that was found ineligible solely because of the Safe Third Country Agreement.
• Were found to be a Convention refugee in another country you can currently return to.
• Are already a protected person in Canada.
• Are subject to extradition.

The 12-Month Waiting Period

In most cases, if you have previously received a negative decision on a refugee claim or a previous PRRA, you must wait 12 months before a new PRRA application becomes available to you. The 12-month waiting period is triggered by:

• A negative decision from the IRB on your refugee claim.
• A negative decision from IRCC on a previous PRRA application.
• Abandonment or withdrawal of your refugee claim or PRRA application.
• The Federal Court refusing your application for leave to review your refugee claim or PRRA decision.

Country-specific exemptions to this waiting period exist and are updated by IRCC on an ongoing basis. Always confirm your eligibility against the current official exemptions list on Canada.ca rather than relying on static published tables, which quickly become outdated.

PRRA Exemption for Iranian Nationals (December 2025)

On December 19, 2025, IRCC announced a specific exemption to the 12-month waiting period for Iranian nationals. Iranian nationals who received a final negative decision on their asylum claim from the IRB or the Federal Court between December 20, 2024 and December 19, 2025 may now be eligible to apply for a PRRA. IRCC cited the deterioration in human rights conditions in Iran following the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran in June 2025. Iranian nationals who received a negative PRRA decision during the same period may also now be eligible to apply for a secondary PRRA.

Eligibility to apply does not mean you will be permitted to stay in Canada. IRCC officers continue to assess each case individually based on the evidence submitted. Iranian nationals who receive a negative final decision after December 19, 2025 are not eligible to apply for a PRRA for 12 months.

What Are the Key Factors That a PRRA Submission Should Address?

In a PRRA submission, the key factors include demonstrating the specific risks you would face if returned to your home country. This involves explaining how the risk concerns you personally, why you are unable to seek protection in your country, and whether you could avoid the risk by relocating within the country.

Reviewing your GCMS Notes can provide valuable insight into how your previous immigration interactions may impact your current application.

Evidence supporting claims of persecution or risk, such as documents from human rights organizations, news reports, or testimonies from people familiar with your situation, should also be included. Providing new evidence that wasn't previously available can strengthen your case, especially if a previous claim was rejected.

When Must I Send My PRRA Application?

Strict deadlines apply to PRRA applications, and failing to meet them can have serious consequences. The specific timeline depends on how you received your notification.

• If the package is given to you in person: You must complete and submit your application within 15 days.
• If the package is sent by mail: You must complete and submit your application within 22 days.
• Whichever applies, IRCC must receive your complete application before the deadline shown on your notification. If your notification also sets a separate date for written submissions or supporting evidence, follow that date exactly.

Submitting your application on time is critical. A timely submission for a first-time PRRA applicant results in an automatic stay of removal, which means the government will pause any removal proceedings while your application is processed.

What If I Do NOT Wish to Apply for a PRRA?

If you have been notified of your eligibility for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment but do not want to apply, you must formally state your intention. You will need to complete Section G ('Statement of No Intention') on the Application for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment form (IMM 5508).

Once completed, send this form to the address specified in your Notification letter. You should also contact the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to make arrangements for your departure from Canada.

What Risks Does a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment Cover?

A PRRA looks at a specific set of legal risks, not general hardship.

Convention refugee risk: persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, where you cannot get protection from your own country.

• Torture, risk to life, and cruel treatment: danger of torture, risk to your life, or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. If your removal order relates to serious criminality or security grounds, your assessment may be limited to this category only.
• Personalized risk vs. general conditions: a report describing difficult conditions in your country is not enough on its own. An officer needs to see the risk connected specifically to you: your identity, activities, profile, or past experiences. For example, a general report on press restrictions is background. A summons naming you after something you published is personal risk. Strong submissions use both together.

PRRA New Evidence Rule: What Qualifies and What Doesn't

If you previously had a refugee claim or PRRA application rejected, abandoned, or withdrawn, you can only rely on new evidence.

What qualifies:

• Evidence that arose after your last decision: new threats, a new summons, harm to family members, a change in government, a new law targeting your group.
• Evidence that existed earlier but was genuinely unavailable to you at the time, such as a document you couldn't obtain, or medical evidence that only became available later.

What usually doesn't qualify:

• Documents already submitted to the RPD, RAD, or a previous PRRA.
• Evidence that was reasonably available before your last decision.
• Repeating your original account without new supporting material.
• General country reports with no clear link to your case.

Label your new evidence clearly and explain why each document is new. If your case went to the Refugee Appeal Division, review that decision closely; it usually spells out exactly what still needs to be addressed. See refugee appeals for more on that process.

What Risks Does a PRRA Assess?

A PRRA covers a specific, legally defined set of risks under sections 96 and 97 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). General hardship, economic difficulty, and difficult living conditions do not, on their own, meet the legal test.

Convention refugee risk (section 96): A well-founded fear of persecution based on your race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, in circumstances where your own country cannot or will not protect you.

Risk to life, torture, or cruel and unusual treatment (section 97): A personalized danger of torture as defined under the Convention Against Torture, a risk to your life, or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. This must be a risk that you face personally, not a risk that all people in your country face generally.

Restricted PRRA

If your removal order relates to serious criminality, security, human rights violations, or organized criminality, your assessment may be limited to section 97 grounds only. The section 96 persecution ground is not available in a restricted PRRA.

Personalized Risk vs. General Country Conditions

General country reports, on their own, do not satisfy the legal test. An officer needs to see a clear connection between the documented conditions in your country and your specific situation.

A simple illustration of this distinction:

• General country evidence: A human rights report documenting that journalists in your country face government harassment.
• Personalized evidence: A copy of a summons naming you, issued after an article you published, along with messages threatening you by name.

The first piece establishes the backdrop. The second demonstrates why the risk would apply to you specifically. A well-prepared PRRA submission uses both: it establishes that the risk is real in your country, then connects it precisely to your identity, history, activities, profile, or relationships.

Relevant personal factors can include your gender, ethnicity, religion, political or social activity, family relationships, employment, past encounters with authorities, and any public profile you hold.

Pre-Removal Risk Assessment Process

The PRRA process begins when the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) notifies you of your eligibility. Once you receive this notification, you must submit your application to the IRCC Humanitarian Migration office by the deadline mentioned in the notification.

If this is your first PRRA application, submitted on time and not at a port of entry, your removal is generally paused while your application is processed. This pause ends at the earliest of: you confirm you don't intend to apply, you miss your deadline, your application is refused, or you withdraw or abandon it. If this is not your first application, or it was submitted late or at a port of entry, this protection generally does not apply.

How Bill C-12 Changed the PRRA Process in 2026

Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act, received Royal Assent on March 26, 2026 and introduced the most significant change to Canada's asylum system in decades. Two new eligibility rules now prevent certain asylum claims from being referred to the IRB for a full refugee hearing. Both rules apply retroactively to claims made on or after June 3, 2025.

The one-year rule: If you first entered Canada after June 24, 2020, and you made your asylum claim more than one year after that first entry, your claim will not be referred to the IRB. The clock runs from your very first entry into Canada and does not reset if you leave and return.

The 14-day border-crossing rule: If you entered Canada between ports of entry along the Canada-U.S. land border and did not file your claim within 14 days of arriving, your claim will also not be referred to the IRB.

For people affected by either rule, a PRRA is the first and only formal protection assessment available in Canada. The standard new evidence restriction does not apply to these claimants -- they can submit a full evidentiary record from the outset.

Unaccompanied minors under 18 are exempt from both the one-year rule and the 14-day border rule.

If you received a procedural fairness letter stating that your claim has been found ineligible under these rules, seek legal advice immediately. The deadlines to respond are short and the stakes are high.

PRRA Application Deadlines

Strict deadlines apply. Missing them has serious consequences.

• If the CBSA officer gives you the package in person: You must submit your completed IMM 5508 form within 15 days. Written submissions and supporting evidence are due 15 days after the form deadline.
• If the package is sent to you by mail: You must submit your completed IMM 5508 form within 22 days.

IRCC must receive your complete application before the deadline shown on your notification. If your notification sets a separate date for submissions or evidence, follow that date exactly.

Online submission through Canada Post's Connect service is available and is recommended over mailing. Applications submitted online are received immediately and your stay of removal can be registered faster as a result.

Automatic Stay of Removal

If you are a first-time PRRA applicant and you submit your application before the deadline and not at a port of entry, your removal is automatically paused while your application is being processed. This stay of removal ends if you confirm you do not intend to apply, miss your deadline, withdraw or abandon your application, or your application is refused. If this is not your first PRRA application, or it was submitted late or at a port of entry, this automatic pause generally does not apply.

If You Do Not Want to Apply

If you receive a PRRA notification but choose not to apply, you must formally state this. Complete Section G (Statement of No Intention) on the IMM 5508 form and send it to the address in your notification. Then contact CBSA to arrange your departure.

Documents to Include with Your PRRA

Your application is assessed on the documents and written submissions you provide. There is no in-person opportunity to fill in gaps after submission in most cases, so completeness at the outset is critical.

Include the following:

• Completed IMM 5508 form, signed and dated.
• Written submissions, explaining the specific risks you face, why those risks are personal to you, why protection in your home country is unavailable, and why internal relocation within your country is not a viable option.
• Identity documents: Passport, national identity card, or birth certificate.
• Evidence of personal risk: Police reports, arrest warrants, summons naming you, threatening communications, photographs of harm, or medical records documenting injuries.
• Country condition evidence: Reports from UNHCR, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, or U.S. State Department human rights reports, used to provide context for your personal risk.
• Witness statements or affidavits from people who can corroborate your account.
• Expert reports, where relevant, for example from a medical professional, a country expert, or a psychologist.
• Translations: Every document that is not in English or French must be accompanied by a certified translation.

Identify each piece of evidence clearly in your written submissions and explain its relevance to your specific risk. If your previous case went to the Refugee Appeal Division, review that decision carefully before you file -- it usually identifies what evidence gaps still need to be addressed in your PRRA.

If you want to understand how previous immigration proceedings may have affected your current file, requesting your GCMS notes can provide insight into what is already on record.

What Happens After You Apply

If Your PRRA Is Accepted

A positive decision grants you protected person status. This means you cannot be removed to the country where the risk was found. Once you hold this status, you can apply for permanent residence in Canada. While your permanent residence application is being processed, you can apply for a work permit or a study permit.

In rare cases, an accepted PRRA leads to a stay of removal only, without full protected person status. This can happen where a person is found inadmissible on serious grounds but the officer determines the person cannot be safely removed. A representative can explain which outcome applies to your situation after a decision is made.

If Your PRRA Is Refused

A refused PRRA leaves limited but time-sensitive options.

You may apply to the Federal Court for leave to seek judicial review of the decision. This is a two-stage process: the Court first decides whether to grant leave to hear the case; if leave is granted, a judicial review follows. Judicial review is not a new hearing. The Court examines whether the officer's decision was reasonable and procedurally fair, not whether it agrees with the outcome. If an error is found, the case is typically returned for redetermination by a different officer, not reversed outright.

Filing for judicial review does not automatically stop your removal. You must separately apply to the Court for a stay of removal. Deadlines to file for leave are very short -- typically 15 days for matters arising inside Canada -- so seek legal advice immediately after a negative decision. There is no appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division from a PRRA refusal.

Depending on your circumstances, you may also consider an immigration appeal or an application on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. A representative can advise which options remain open in your specific situation.try, but you do not become a protected person. We help you understand which status applies to you after an acceptance.

How PRRA Differs from a Refugee Hearing and an H&C Application

PRRA vs. Refugee Hearing at the IRB

For more detail on the refugee hearing process itself, see the refugee hearings page.

PRRA vs. Humanitarian and Compassionate Application

A PRRA focuses narrowly on the legal risks of being returned to your country. An humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) application considers a broader range of factors, including your degree of establishment in Canada, family relationships, and the best interests of any children affected by removal. These are different legal questions with different standards.

You can submit a PRRA and an H&C application at the same time. They address different issues. Submitting an H&C application does not, on its own, stop removal proceedings.

Most failed refugee claimants are subject to a 12-month bar on H&C applications. Exceptions apply where a child under 18 would be directly and adversely affected by removal, or where a life-threatening medical condition cannot be treated in the home country.

If you receive a procedural fairness letter during either process, respond carefully and on time. For guidance on how to handle those letters, see the procedural fairness letter page.

Key Differences Between PRRA and Refugee Hearings

While both processes assess protection needs, a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment is different from a refugee hearing at the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB).

• Format: A refugee hearing is an oral proceeding where you testify before a decision-maker. A PRRA is almost always decided based on written submissions and documents only.
• New Evidence Rule: For most PRRA applicants who previously made a refugee claim, the assessment is restricted to new evidence that was not reasonably available at the time of the refugee hearing.
• Decision-Maker: A refugee hearing is conducted by a Member of the Refugee Protection Division of the IRB. A PRRA is decided by an officer at IRCC.
• Scope: A refugee hearing determines if you meet the definition of a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection. A PRRA assesses risk of persecution, torture, risk to life, or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

Designated Countries and the PRRA Bar

The 12-month bar can be waived for nationals of specific countries where conditions have changed suddenly, such as a coup, a new conflict, or a sharp deterioration in human rights conditions. These exemptions are tied to precise date ranges and change frequently. Because the list is updated on an ongoing basis, confirm your situation against the current official exemptions list rather than a static table.

If you are from a designated country, you must wait 36 months after a rejection to apply again. This is much longer than the standard 12-month bar. This rule exists to prevent people from safe countries from using the assessment to delay removal. It is important to know if your country is on this list.

The list of designated countries can change over time. It often includes places like the United Kingdom, the United States, and many European nations. If you are from one of these places, your evidence must be exceptionally strong. You must show why your situation is different from most people in your home country.

PRRA Application Cost

There is no government fee to apply for a PRRA. However, preparing a submission that meets the legal standard -- particularly one addressing a previous refusal or requiring expert reports -- typically requires professional representation.

Factors that affect the cost of professional help include:

• The volume of evidence that needs to be reviewed and translated.
• The number of family members included in the application.
• Previous decisions that need to be addressed and distinguished.
• The urgency of the removal date.
• Expert reports or medical documents required to support the risk claim.

A clear cost breakdown is provided before any work begins.

May I work while my application is being processed?

If you have a valid work permit at the time you apply for a PRRA, you may continue to work under its existing conditions. If your work permit is expired or you do not have one, you are generally not authorized to work.

However, if your PRRA application is approved, you will be granted protected person status. This status makes you eligible to apply for an open work permit, allowing you to work for most employers in Canada.