Data released by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada shows that in the first half of 2025, the number of Americans seeking asylum in Canada was not only higher than in the whole of last year, but also the highest since 2019. Last year, 204 people from the United States filed asylum claims, while this year the number has increased to 245 in just six months.

Immigration lawyers say the increase in applications is mainly related to trans people, who have been made difficult by recent restrictions in the United States on access to gender confirmation care, military service, use of health services and participation in some sports. To be accepted as refugees, applicants must prove to the Canadian government that they are not safe anywhere in the United States. In this regard, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has added new documents from human rights groups about the situation of the LGBTQ community in the United States to its country documentation package.

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