August 22, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Toronto, ON – Canada is seeing a surge in refugee claims from U.S. citizens, with more applications filed in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024 — and more than in any full year since 2019, according to newly released data from the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB).
Between January and June, 245 Americans sought asylum in Canada, compared to 204 in all of last year. While that represents only a fraction of the roughly 55,000 total claims so far this year, it marks a sharp rise in U.S.-based applications.
Historically, Canada has accepted very few refugee claims from the United States. Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, asylum-seekers arriving at the land border from the U.S. are typically turned back, as they are expected to apply in the first “safe” country they enter.
The IRB data does not explain why the claims were made. However, immigration lawyers told Reuters they are hearing from more transgender Americans seeking to flee U.S. policies that restrict access to gender-affirming care, military service, sports participation, and even bathroom use.
One Arizona woman who filed a claim in Canada in April said she no longer felt safe as a trans person in her home state. Another mother told Reuters she crossed the border to file on behalf of her young trans daughter.
The rise comes amid a renewed Trump presidency and a U.S. Supreme Court that has rolled back several protections for LGBTQ Americans.
To succeed in Canada, U.S. applicants must prove that nowhere in their home country is safe for them. The IRB recently updated its national documentation package with reports from Human Rights Watch and other organizations on the treatment of LGBTQ people in the United States.
In response, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told Reuters that claims from Americans could divert resources away from individuals “facing actual fear and persecution.”
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