The Canadian federal government has given some nationals and former residents of Israel and Palestine another opportunity to seek protection in Canada.
On September 29, 2026, Canada introduced a temporary measure allowing certain affected individuals to apply for permanent immigration status as protected persons, even if their earlier asylum claims had been refused.
Who Can Apply Again?
The measure applies to nationals and former residents of Israel or Palestine who received a final negative decision on an asylum claim or a previous pre-removal risk assessment between September 28, 2025 and September 29, 2026.
It also covers people whose cases received a final negative decision from the Federal Court during the same period.
Eligible individuals may apply for a pre-removal risk assessment by following the application instructions provided by the Canadian government.
Before this change, many affected individuals would have faced removal from Canada because of the standard waiting period for another pre-removal risk assessment.
Under the usual rules, a person generally cannot submit another pre-removal risk assessment application for 12 months after receiving a negative decision on a protection claim.
New Applications After September 29
The special opportunity does not apply to people who receive a negative decision after September 29, 2026.
The government stated that decisions made after this date will already consider the current conditions in Israel and Palestine. As a result, those applicants will not receive the same second opportunity under this measure.
For a person facing removal from Canada, a pre-removal risk assessment can be an important final opportunity to seek protection.
A successful assessment can provide protected person status to someone who could otherwise be removed to a country where they may face persecution, torture or a serious risk to their life.
What Happens After A Negative Decision?
If a pre-removal risk assessment application is refused, the individual generally has to leave Canada.
In most cases, there is no further opportunity to delay a removal order after receiving a negative decision on the assessment.
A person can generally apply for a pre-removal risk assessment only when they are subject to an enforceable removal order and have been informed by the Canada Border Services Agency that they can apply.
Individuals who receive protected person status may, in many cases, later apply for permanent residence in Canada.
The new measure gives eligible Israeli and Palestinian nationals and former residents an additional opportunity to seek protection based on the conditions affecting their country of return.
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