Canada's Bill C-12: How new rules could pause visas and revoke work permits

A Bill before the Canadian Parliament could allow Ottawa to pause or cancel visa categories, tighten asylum rules and impose new conditions on temporary residents

A Bill moving through the Canadian parliament could soon give its governor general wide discretion over immigration applications, documents and temporary residents, marking a shift in how Ottawa manages visa backlogs, fraud concerns and border controls.

 

What is Bill C-12 and where does it stand?

 

Bill C-12, titled Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, passed its third reading in the House of Commons last week and received its first reading in the Senate. The Bill will return to the Senate for further consideration when Parliament reconvenes in February, 2026. It would become law if it clears a third reading in the upper chamber and receives royal assent.

 

 

If adopted in its current form, the Bill would allow the governor general, acting on the advice of Cabinet, to halt the intake of certain immigration applications and to suspend or terminate the processing of applications already in the system.

 

What powers would the government gain?

 

Under the proposed law, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada would be able to act on entire categories of applications rather than deciding files one by one.

 

The measures would cover:

• Permanent resident visas

• Work permits

• Study permits

• Temporary resident visas

• Electronic travel authorisations

• Permanent residence cards

 

The Bill would also allow the government to amend or impose conditions on temporary resident documents, and on temporary residents themselves, including workers, students and visitors. These conditions could be used to enforce compliance with laws beyond the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

 

The legislation does not allow the government to grant permanent residence or to issue or extend work or study permits.

 

Public interest and guardrails

 

The scope of the proposed powers has drawn attention from migrant communities, but amendments adopted during the Commons stage introduced limits on how they could be used.

 

The Bill says these authorities may be exercised only when the governor general believes it is in the “public interest”. That term is defined to include situations involving administrative errors, fraud, public health, public safety or national security.

 

When such powers are used, the immigration minister would be required to table a report in Parliament explaining the rationale, outlining how many applications or documents were affected and describing who was impacted.

 

In cases involving administrative errors or fraud, officials argue that applicants with complete and legitimate files could benefit from faster resolution.

 

Refugee and asylum changes

 

Beyond visas and permits, Bill C-12 includes changes to Canada’s refugee and asylum system. These would give officials the authority to determine that some claims have been abandoned or withdrawn under specified circumstances.

 

Internal government documents cited by CBC News suggest that the new cancellation powers could apply not only during national emergencies, such as wars or pandemics, but also to “country-specific visa holders”. India and Bangladesh were mentioned as examples.

 

If implemented, this would allow Ottawa to revoke or refuse entire visa categories when considered necessary, moving away from the existing case-by-case model.

 

Why India and Bangladesh are referenced

 

Government data cited in the documents point to rising migration pressures from India. Asylum claims by Indian nationals reportedly rose from fewer than 500 a month in mid-2023 to around 2,000 a month by mid-2024. Over the same period, processing times for temporary resident visas from India increased from about 30 days to 54 days.

 

Officials link these trends to concerns around fraud and system integrity, prompting discussion of broader tools to manage risk.

 

How lawyers see the impact

 

Canada-based immigration lawyer Ravi Jain said the Bill could change how temporary applications are handled.

 

“Instead of one-off refusals, entire groups or cohorts might be subject to cancellation rules,” said Jain.

 

He added that applicants from certain regions could face tighter scrutiny if their jurisdictions are seen as higher risk. “While the government insists the powers are not targeting specific nationalities, the documents suggest otherwise,” he wrote in a recent blog post.

 

Human rights concerns

 

Amnesty International criticised the Bill last month, warning that it could bar some people from making refugee claims that receive a full assessment.

 

“If passed, it risks violating international human rights law,” the organisation said.

 

According to Amnesty International, Bill C-12 would:

• Bar people who make a refugee claim more than one year after first entering Canada, even if conditions change in their country of origin

• Make people who cross between ports of entry and claim protection after 14 days ineligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board

• Redirect these claimants to a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment system, which does not guarantee an oral hearing, independent decision-makers, appeal rights or an automatic pause on deportation while decisions are challenged

• Allow the federal government to cancel valid immigration documents, including permanent residence visas and work and study permits, based on broad public interest grounds and without individual assessments

 

The Bill remains before the Senate, with its final shape and timing still to be determined when lawmakers return early next year.