Maxime Bernier Calls for Closing the Asylum Loophole

There is a systematic, deliberate dismantling of our border integrity happening right under our noses. The Asylum Loophole has become a backdoor pass to Canada, and our refugee system is a laughingstock.Let me give you the numbers: In 2024, international students filed 20,245 asylum claims, six times more than in 2019. These aren’t genuine refugees. They are people on study permits and temporary work visas who simply don’t want to leave.They know the trick: Claim asylum, get inserted into a backlog of 300,000, and buy yourself 17 months to stay. They protest, they claim it’s unfair, and establishment politicians cave.Look at India, a democratic ally, yet claims have skyrocketed from 375 in 2015 to 17,180 last year. Why? Because they know they can play the system.The Liberals made it easy to be accepted as a refugee. They abandoned security checks. They actively dismantled all the usual controls designed to eliminate fraudsters, human traffickers, and terrorists.Between Jan 2019 and Feb 2023, the Immigration Refugee Board accepted 24,599 asylum claimants without a single government employee meeting them in person. Not one interview. They were processed by a computer and waved right in.The result? 79.8% of all Canadian asylum claims are accepted.In the early 2010s, we rejected 40% and officers did their jobs. Now, with over 100,000 claims per year, we green-light 80%. It makes no sense. Compare that to Sweden (60% rejection) or Ireland (70% rejection). Only Canada is this weak.The policy must be: If you enter on a temporary visa and file a fake asylum claim to extend your stay, your claim is automatically rejected, and you are immediately deported. No delays, no automated approvals, no 80% acceptance.It’s time to end this racket and enforce our borders. — Maxime Bernier