A refugee is a person who has fled their own country because they are at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution there, unable to return, and are in need of protection.
Canada has two refugee protection programs to help meet this need: In-Canada Asylum Program - for people making refugee protection claims from within Canada Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program - for people who need protection from outside Canada

People arriving at a Canadian point of entry or who are already in Canada can apply for refugee protection by making a refugee claim to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). The IRB is an independent administrative tribunal that decides if the claimant qualifies for refugee protection. The IRB will hear a case and make a decision according to two protection categories.

People who are seeking entry to Canada from the United States usually cannot make a refugee claim because of the Canada-US Safe Country Agreement. If the IRB finds that a person meets the criteria of one of these categories, they will receive “protected person” status. Then they can apply for permanent residence. If the case is rejected, they may be able to appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD).

The Refugee Resettlement Program helps refugees who are outside of Canada and their country of origin, and who are in need of protection. People must be referred, either by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a designated referral organization, or a private sponsorship group; they may need to have a refugee status document. Refugees are resettled in Canada through different resettlement programs, including the Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) Program and the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program.

For More Information:
‍Canada's Refugee System - Information about the structure of Canada's refugee system. From Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
‍WelcomeOntario.ca - This is a refugee assistance information website created to bring together trustworthy information for those helping refugees settle in Ontario.
‍Immigration and Refugee Board - An independent tribunal that is responsible for hearing refugee claims and appeals.
‍The Asylum System in Canada - A visual summary of how the asylum system works in Canada. From the UNHCR.

The Canadian government has maintained a strong commitment to processing immigration applications to the best of its ability. The department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues to welcome new immigration applications and is processing as many of them as it can so that immigrants can come to Canada during and after the pandemic. Express Entry draws continue to occur approximately every two weeks with candidates all over the world receiving permanent residence invitations.