Canada has exempted unaccompanied minors from its one-year asylum claim deadline, effective May 19, 2026. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced the temporary public policy on that date, creating a carve-out from restrictions introduced under Bill C-12 that took effect in June 2025.

The exemption matters because Bill C-12 made asylum claims ineligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board if filed more than a year after the claimant entered Canada — a rule that applied to anyone who entered after June 24, 2020, and filed a claim on or after June 3, 2025. The bill also barred claims made 14 or more days after someone crossed the U.S.-Canada land border outside an official port of entry. Both provisions blocked thousands of late-filed claims from reaching a hearing, as reported by CIC News.

Under the new policy, IRCC officers can now exempt unaccompanied minors from both the one-year rule and the 14-day rule. An unaccompanied minor is defined as a child under 18 with no parent or legally responsible adult in Canada at the time the claim is made. The age test applies on the date of filing — a claimant who turns 18 afterward still qualifies if they were under 18 when they submitted the claim. The policy applies to claims where eligibility is decided on or after May 19, 2026, and remains in force until the Minister of Immigration revokes it.

"Unaccompanied minors are defined in the temporary public policy as children under 18 with no parent or legally responsible adult with them in Canada," the release states.