What is admissibility?

Admissibility is the process through which immigration officers decide if a person can enter or stay in Canada.

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Who assesses admissibility?

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Does admissibility depend on a refugee’s ability to adapt to life in Canada?

No, admissibility does not depend on a refugee's ability to adapt to life in Canada. The admissibility assessment for refugees focuses on legal criteria, such as criminal history, security risks, and misrepresentation, rather than adaptability or integration potential.

What is admissibility?

Admissibility is the process through which immigration officers decide if a person can enter or stay in Canada. It is an assessment of whether there are any reasons an otherwise eligible person should not be allowed entry into (or be able to stay in) Canada.
In Canada, admissibility is judged by immigration officers who decide if a person can enter or stay in Canada based on their background and history. IRCC conducts screenings of applicants against departmental databases and risk assessment indicators to make sure entry is not granted to those who are considered inadmissible on security, human or international rights violation or organized criminal grounds.

Key Areas of Admissibility

Medical Examination

Security Screening

Criminal Assessment

Misrepresentation

Medical Examinations:

All applicants, including refugees and their family members, must undergo a medical assessment to determine if they are admissible on health-related grounds.Applicants may be medically inadmissible if they:

• Pose a danger to public health, such as having an infectious disease that could spread.
• Pose a danger to public safety, such as having a medical condition that may lead to sudden incapacity or unpredictable/violent behavior.

Refugees will not be refused on the grounds of medical inadmissibility due to excessive demand on Canada’s health care system. For example, if a refugee has cancer or diabetes that will require expensive treatment, they will not be refused based on that.

Security Screening:

The security screening is usually done to ensure that anyone who wants to come to Canada..

• Has not engaged in an act of espionage that is against Canada or its interests
• Has not engaged in or instigated the subversion (attempts to overthrow a government) of any government 
• Has not engaged in violence or terrorism
• Is not a member in an organization involved in any of the above
• Has not engaged in Human Rights violations including, war crimes
• Has not engaged in crimes against humanity
• Is/was not a senior official in a government engaged in gross human rights violations or subject to international sanctions

Did You Know?

Being a part of certain organizations can make you inadmissible even if the group is not on a terrorist list. Contacting a lawyer can help you find out if involvement with an organization could result in findings of inadmissibility.

Criminality Assessment:

Refugees can be inadmissible to Canada if they have been convicted of crimes or have committed acts or omissions that would render them inadmissible to Canada.

Generally, IRCC officers should not require refugees to submit police certificates from their home country with the exception of applicants under the one-year window of opportunity who continue to reside in their country of citizenship. They may, however, request police certificates for countries of temporary asylum.

Misrepresentation:

Refugees can be inadmissible if they provide false information on the application or hide an important piece of information that can impact the immigration decision.

Misrepresentation has grave consequences, including being inadmissible to Canada for a period of 5 years. So, misrepresenting is not a solution to avoid other issues such as a finding of inadmissibility on other grounds.

Who assesses admissibility?

Different organizations play a role in assessing admissibility for various immigration categories.

For Foreign Nationals Coming to Canada

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is responsible for assessing admissibility of foreign nationals who submit an application to come to Canada. They often work closely with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), where they refer certain applications for Comprehensive Security Screening.

For In-Canada Refugee Claims

Refugee claims made within Canada are assessed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

For Citizenship Applications

For individuals applying for Canadian citizenship, all citizenship grant applications are referred to CSIS for screening.

With the exception of some vulnerable groups and special measures in place to support resettlement initiatives, permanent resident applicants may be asked to provide a police certificate or criminal record check (foreign) as part of the screening process. In certain cases, temporary resident applicants may also be asked to provide this documentation.

Inadmissibility often leads to removal. Contact a lawyer immediately if you are facing removal.

Does admissibility depend on a refugee’s ability to adapt to life in Canada?

No, admissibility does not depend on a refugee's ability to adapt to life in Canada. The admissibility assessment for refugees focuses on legal criteria, such as criminal history, security risks, and misrepresentation rather than adaptability or integration potential.