Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Supplement: the border agency passed questions 1 and 3 of the letter of 28 August to the Department.
The letter ·
Re: A municipality refused social assistance for want of a federal document that only the CBSA can issue — 3 questions for the Government of Canada — Danilo Dzyuban
Hello,
My letter of 28 August 2026 reached this office directly the same day. On 3 September 2026 the Office of the Prime Minister forwarded it to the Minister of Public Safety. It also sent a copy to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. On 28 September 2026 the Canada Border Services Agency answered for the Minister of Public Safety. Its letter, signed by the Vice-President of the Intelligence and Enforcement Branch, is attached.
The Agency sends 2 of the 3 questions to this department. It writes that my comments "regarding pre-removal risk assessments and how an individual's immigration status is communicated to provincial governments in the determination of social assistance eligibility would be more appropriately addressed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada."
The same letter states that nationals of Ukraine without serious inadmissibility "benefit from a stay of removal, and the CBSA will not pursue removal arrangements". The department's own presentation "Canadian Asylum System Overview", supplied to the social assistance staff of the City of Ottawa, calls the Pre-Removal Risk Assessment "a process embedded in the removal process". The City of Ottawa refused me assistance for not producing that assessment.
Answer in writing by 13 October 2026, on 2 points.
First, state whether the Government of Canada advises provinces or municipalities that a person whose refugee claim was found ineligible can obtain a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment on request. If it does not, state that in writing to the provinces.
Second, name the federal office accountable for the interface between federal immigration status information and provincial social assistance eligibility, where that information reaches a municipal caseworker.
An answer not given by that date goes before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, with this correspondence.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban
Attachments: CBSA-reply-2026-09-28-for-the-Minister-of-Public-Safety.pdf
The answer ·
La version française suit
Thank you for your email addressed to the Office of the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Please note that all comments and questions are taken seriously. Correspondence volumes are very high, and while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) cannot respond to every message, we do consider all comments received.
Many questions can be quickly answered by visiting our Website<https://www.canada.ca/en/services/immigration-citizenship.html>; and online Help Centre<https://ircc.canada.ca/english/helpcentre/index-featured-can.asp>;, or by referring to the information linked below. If you are writing about a topic not listed below, the service standard for a response to correspondence addressed to the Office of the Minister is six weeks, if a reply is warranted.
Special Measures
* Please visit IRCC’s Website for information about Canada’s immigration response to situations abroad<https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/special-measures.html>;, or to contact the Department if you are in a crisis situation<https://secure.cic.gc.ca/ClientContact/en/Crisis>;.
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* Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) application refusals<https://ircc.canada.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=422&top=16>; and corresponding eligibility and admissibility considerations<https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents/visitors/eligibility-admissibility-considerations.html>;.
* Physical Presence Calculator for citizenship eligibility<https://eservices.cic.gc.ca/rescalc/resCalcStartNew.do>;.
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IMPORTANT:
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Information about passport applications is available through the Passport Program Website<https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports.html?utm_source=slash-passport_passeport&utm_medium=short-url-en&utm_campaign=passport>; or through Service Canada.* If you are contacting us about your passport application, you can:
* Check passport and travel document processing times and service standards<https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/processing-times.html>;;
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