On December 16, 2021, the government of Canada introduced a new program delivery update and exempted Ethiopian nationals whose Immigration and Refugee Board or previous pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) decision was made between
December 17th, 2020, and December 16th, 2021, from the 12-month bar.
Those whose decision was made after December 16th, 2021, will still be subject to the 12-month bar. The Canada Border Services Agency will contact eligible Ethiopian nationals to advise them to apply for a PRRA before removing them from Canada.
Any negative decision by IRB on your refugee application could result in a 12-month ban for a PRRA. This means you would not be able to submit another PRRA until after 12 months from the previous negative decision. If you apply for a PRRA to IRCC and your application is refused, then the 12-month ban applies to you. Negative decisions include rejection, abandonment and withdrawal.
People in Canada, other than those referred to in subsection A115(1), may apply for a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) if they are named in a security certificate described in subsection A77(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), except for certain exceptions described in subsection 112(2) of IRPA.
Once a person is notified (in accordance with section 160 of the IRPR) of their entitlement to apply for a PRRA, the removal order against them is subject to a regulatory stay of removal [R232]. A Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) removals officer notifies the candidate in person and provides the applicant with a PRRA application kit.
The CBSA notifies the person that they are eligible to apply for a PRRA once the person is removal-ready. The notice informs the individual that they have 15 days to apply, plus another 15 days to submit written submissions supporting their application.
There are certain people who cannot apply for Protected persons and Convention refugees. Such people are:
People subject to an authority to proceed under the Extradition Act
Claimants coming from a safe third country
Certain refugee claimants and previous PRRA applicants