C-213 An Act to Amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Cessation of Refugee Protection)
Bill Type: Private Member’s
Bill Sponsor: Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East)
First Reading: June 18, 2025
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 — unclear how cases currently in process would be handled
Source: https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/45-1/bill/C-213/first-reading