The number of asylum applications in Canada increased by 66% at the beginning of 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to data published by the Canadian Ministry of Immigration.

The data from the Canadian Ministry of Immigration clarified yesterday, Thursday, that on March 31, 2023, Canada and the United States closed the Roxham Road used by asylum seekers to cross the land border into Quebec and submit their applications there. The number of interventions by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the Quebec border decreased from more than 4,000 monthly to just a few dozen. However, this did not reduce the total number of arrivals in the country, who have now primarily started using airports.

During the first four months of 2024 - according to the Ministry of Immigration - the number of applications submitted in Ontario nearly tripled, from 11,915 to 31,820 applications, while the total in Quebec remained relatively stable, increasing from 22,605 to 22,905 for the first four months of this year. During this period, the total number of asylum applications in Canada rose from 37,480 to 62,180 applications.

Ontario now receives 51% of applicants, compared to 36% the previous year, alleviating the imbalance between the two provinces in receiving refugees, a concern that Quebec had previously raised.