Bill C-213 Refugee Protection

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C-213 An Act to Amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Cessation of Refugee Protection)

Bill Type:  Private Member’s Bill 

Bill Sponsor:  Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East)

Status: Outside the Order of Precedence

Latest activity: Introduction and First-Reading on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 (House of Commons)

Estimated Read Time:  2 minutes

This Bill is about refugees who have become Permanent Residents. Right now, if the Government cancels someone's refugee status — even years later — they can also lose their Permanent Residency and be deported. This Bill would end that.

WHO GAINS POWER

  • Permanent Residents who were originally refugees — protected from losing their status if their refugee protection is later cancelled
  • Immigration advocates — a long-standing legal vulnerability for this group is closed

WHO LOSES POWER

  • The Government — loses the ability to use cessation of refugee protection as a pathway to remove Permanent Residents from Canada
  • The Immigration and Refugee Board — cessation proceedings become less consequential for Permanent Residents since status loss no longer follows automatically

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • No direct financial impact

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • No direct financial impact

THE CATCH

  • The Bill repeals two specific provisions — Section 40.1 (inadmissibility following cessation) and paragraph 46(1)(c.1) (loss of Permanent Resident status following cessation)
  • Refugee protection can still be ceased — the Bill only removes the automatic consequences for Permanent Residents
  • Critics argue cessation exists precisely for cases where someone no longer needs protection — returning to their home country voluntarily, for example — and Permanent Residency should not be insulated from that finding
  • No transition provisions are included in the Bill