Significant increase in asylum applications at Quebec border crossing

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has said it is ready to handle a new wave of asylum seekers as the border crossing in Quebec has seen a significant increase in asylum claims. At the same time, an immigrant rights activist is calling for a more humane approach to the refugees.

According to CBSA data, 10,724 asylum claims were registered at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing from the beginning of the year to July 27. This is a significant increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 5,077 applications were registered.

The largest increases in applications were in April (2,733 cases) and July (3,089 cases), while the numbers in 2024 were 670 and 818, respectively.

However, the total number of asylum applications filed in Quebec so far this year is down from 14,874 this year: 22,337 applications were filed as of July 27, 2025.

Nationally, asylum applications have also declined. The CBSA said it had received 22,237 asylum applications as of July 27, 2025, a 46 per cent drop from the 41,187 applications filed the previous year. This includes all applications, including those found inadmissible.

A warning sign is posted at the Wrexham Road entrance to Canada in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacol, Quebec, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, warning that crossing the road is illegal.

“Given the political climate in the United States, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing a surge in immigration,” said Franz André, a spokesman for the Committee for Action for Undocumented Persons. “People are taking risks to enter illegally.”

He called for a better system to protect immigrants, adding that the first step would be to repeal the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), an agreement that allows Canada to return asylum seekers arriving from the United States. Under the agreement, people must file a claim for asylum in the first country they enter.

Andre says the agreement has forced asylum seekers to take dangerous routes:

“This law has effectively put people in more dangerous situations.”

CBSA data shows that U.S. citizens are the third-largest group of asylum seekers at the border.

Top 10 nationalities by number of land-based asylum applications as of July 27, 2025:

Haiti

Venezuela

United States

Colombia

Pakistan

Chile

Romania

Mexico

Afghanistan

Nicaragua

The CBSA announced that on June 19, it had set up 12 shelters near the Laval border — eight for waiting and four for health services. The agency said the number of immigrants is currently far below their processing capacity and the shelters are not currently being used.

“Some people are not coming out because they are afraid that ICE agents are arresting people on the street or at their workplaces,” Andre added.

The CBSA says it is prepared to deploy more staff and rent additional space to process cases if demand increases.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) also told CTV News in an email that in recent weeks they have “seen a significant increase in illegal entry, particularly in areas covered by the Valley Field Unit.” The agency stressed that crossing the border outside of official crossings is illegal and dangerous.

The RCMP said it is continuously monitoring the situation and is updating its resources as needed.

The CBSA said it identified 2,462 people as inadmissible under the STCA last year, up from 1,753 in 2025.

Last fiscal year, the Canada Border Services Agency removed more than 18,000 people who were ineligible — the most in a decade.

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