Pending refugee protection claims in Canada drop to lowest level of 2026 as finalizations outpace new intake

The total number of pending refugee protection claims before the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) fell to 259,085 by the end of August 2026, marking a continuous decline from a peak exceeding 300,000 cases in late 2025. Official monthly statistics provided by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) show that intake of new claims remained low at 2,898 in August 2026, down sharply from 13,235 claims reported in August 2024. Meanwhile, RPD finalizations reached 11,590 cases in August, following a peak of 13,072 decisions processed in June 2026. Conversely, pending appeals before the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) rose to 6,199 in August 2026 as appeal filings continued to exceed finalizations.

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