$7 Electronic Visas Led to 672 Percent Rise in Refugee Claims: Budget Office Report

Cars wait in line to go through U.S. customs at the Rainbow Bridge between Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ont. on Aug. 13, 2022. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

A program intended to keep inadmissible foreign nationals from entering Canada ended up increasing refugee claims to record levels, according to data from the federal Budget Office.

The number of refugee claims from travellers who bought a $7 electronic visa has risen 672 percent since 2017.

“Since 2016, the number of asylum claimants has been rising and reached an all-time high of 144,860 claims in 2023,” said a Budget Office report, first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter. “Asylum claimants who arrive in Canada with an Electronic Travel Authorization are the fastest growing group.”

The Department of Immigration began mandating in November 2026 that foreign visitors from most countries in Asia and Latin America would need to apply for an electronic visa known as an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). The intention of the program was to “push out the Canadian border by identifying inadmissible foreign nationals before they fly to or through Canada,” according to a 2023 internal audit called Evaluation Of The Electronic Travel Authorization Program.

The program was instead used by claimants to gain quick access to Canada’s refugee claims system, according to the Budget Office report. The report estimates the average cost for each asylum claimant arriving with an ETA was $16,500 in 2024.

The cost associated with claimants who had arrived in Canada with an ETA before Jan. 1, 2024, but had not received a final decision, was estimated to be $455 million over the five-year processing period, said the report. “This excludes all claims made after that date for which decisions and costs will also be required.”

The analysts noted that many who stepped off airplanes to claim refugee status were entitled to remain in Canada for several years. A typical claimant was given 15 days to complete an initial “claim form,” and then awaited a hearing of the Immigration and Refugee Board with appeals of any subsequent deportation order at the Federal Court.

Claimants who lose in court can then apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment if they believe there is a “risk to life or of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment” if they were sent home, according to the report. Actual costs to Canadian taxpayers for each false refugee claim could run as high as $40,814, wrote analysts.

The Budget Office findings come after a 2016 immigration department probe confirmed unauthorized brokers were selling electronic visas at up to $85 a piece. The Immigration Department requested that Google “flag or disable” websites of brokers who were promising fast access to Canada.