Asylum for Americans In Canada - Again

We’re still awaiting the results from Kaitlyn Berg’s family to see how her asylum case is going to pan out. The odds aren’t in her favor.

You need to be proactive now, go get your passports. You cannot expect to show up in Canada and be granted asylum, especially with relations between Canada and America.

The STCA is a bilateral treaty between Canada and the United States. It requires asylum seekers to request protection in the first safe country they arrive in—either the U.S. or Canada—unless they qualify for specific exceptions.

In practice, this means that:

• An asylum seeker who first arrives in the U.S. cannot then go to Canada to make an asylum claim at a land port of entry (and vice versa).

• The agreement applies only to official land border crossings—not to airports, sea entries, or irregular border crossings (a point that has sparked considerable debate).

Purpose of the Agreement

The core idea behind the STCA is to prevent "asylum shopping" and to share responsibility for refugee protection between the two nations. It aims to:

• Streamline asylum processes.

• Reduce the burden on any single country’s asylum system.

• Ensure that asylum seekers are not bouncing between jurisdictions in search of a perceived better outcome.

Very few U.S. citizens are granted asylum in Canada. For example, between 2013 and 2022, only a small handful of claims by Americans were approved, often under highly specific circumstances (e.g., domestic violence, transgender rights issues, etc.).

What You’ll Need

• Strong documentation of the threats or persecution you face.

• Legal representation (highly recommended).

• A compelling case that Canada is your only safe haven.