In a decision that has caused a great deal of controversy, Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, was presented by the government of Canada in June 2025, which is being touted as a bill to improve border security but has a more sinister purpose: allowing officials to cancel or suspend thousands of immigration applications and permits wholesale.
As of the 17th of September, 2025, the bill is in the second reading stage of the House of Commons, and debates are still going on as of the 16th of September.
Although it has support of the Conservatives, which increases its chances of passing, more than 300 organizations have requested that it be withdrawn because it poses threats to the rights of refugees and the procedural fairness in immigration.
Unless the lawmaking speed weakens, the bill might go to committee shortly, yet it still is long way to become law.
The bill deals with the swollen backlog in Canada in terms of immigration, as over 2.2 million immigration applications are outstanding, of which 892,400 applications are permanent residency and 1,079,300 applications are temporary residency.
Fifty percent of the permanent resident applications and 38 percent of the temporary are out of time with official processing schedules, which places a burden on the system.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree emphasized the need to have the bill arguing that there is a rise in the number of temporary permits issued by authorities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the lack of a tool to stop or cancel an application.
Broader Immigration Powers, But Vague Criteria
According to legal experts, the bill gives government officials broad, undefined power through its so-called public interest clause that could enable them to change an entire policy without any judicial review.
It is called a blank cheque by one Toronto immigration lawyer who has observed that, as far as public interest is concerned, it can be anything. The officials might easily turn on their heels and get around the causes that might be questioned by the courts.
This is something that was echoed in a 2012 decision by the federal government under Stephen Harper, which repealed pre-2008 skilled worker applications, which the federal court affirmed despite being sued.
As it will almost certainly pass, the Immigration Department is expected to prioritize programs according to their backlog volume, processing time, and economic worth.
Cuts could also be done to humanitarian programs that have low financial returns.
Affected Canada immigration programs?
According to the immigration experts, there are a number of risky groups:
Entrepreneurial Pathways: A lawyer in Vancouver identified the start-up visa, whose processing time is 53 months, and the self-employed persons program, which is suspended until 2027, as potential targets.
There are many applicants in Canada of temporary status, she said. Cancellations would make them undocumented, which would be enforced by border agencies.
Low-Skilled Workers: An attorney with offices in Halifax is worried about the excessive effects of migrants in lower-paid activities because they tend to come under temporary permits in order to help their families in other countries.
The added authority of the bill to cancel visas at will on ambiguous grounds would interfere with lives.
This, she said, is akin to a policy that embraces temporary labour but not settlement.
Refugee Sponsorships: According to a Winnipeg lawyer, Sponsorship of refugees through private sponsorships which had been stalled over years in long queues, could be truncated.
He views the bill as a means to reset the system, although there would be a need to have future caps in order to deal with backlogs.
The wide-range of the bill can also facilitate profiling of any person including one with a minor criminal history, relationships with consultants approved, or one with ties to politically sensitive nations.
Some are sounding the alarm of bias that is possible: It might appeal to changing attitudes, including anti-immigration rhetoric or apprehension against students of some nations.
What’s the Next Step in the Passing of Bill C-2
On 17 September 2025, at 8:37 a.m. EDT, Bill C-2 is on the agenda of the House of Commons and may be discussed within the Government Orders block, which begins at approximately 3:00 p.m. EDT.
The following is its next legislative step:
House of Commons Second reading.
At the moment, Bill C-2 is at the second reading stage, where the main principles of the bill are debated among the MPs.
The bill is among Government Orders of September 17, 2025, and may be debated after Statements by Members (2:00 p.m.), Oral Questions (2:15 p.m.), and Routine Proceedings.
Parliamentary schedules however are dynamic and can change over time and therefore, a particular debate or even a vote is never guaranteed on a particular day. Passing of the vote will take it to the next level.
Committee Stage Review
In case the second reading is successful a parliamentary committee (probably on public safety or immigration) will examine the bill clause line by line.
It will involve experts, stakeholders and witnesses in contributing input and amendments can be made to improve the provisions including the unclear public interest provision that has drawn the attention of critics.
Further House Debate and Report Stage.
The committee will make a report back to the House of any amendments. These changes will then be discussed and voted on by MPs at the report stage, as the bill will be refined before being considered by the House again.
Third Reading and Final House Vote.
During the third reading, the amended bill will be discussed by MPs and a final vote is going to be held. When it passes, Bill C-2 moves to the senate where it repeats the same procedure, including first reading, second reading, committee action, report stage and third reading.
Any amendments in the Senate have to be made up with those of the House.
Royal Assent to Become Law
After the approval of both chambers, the Governor General gives his royal assent into making the bill laws.
This process may take weeks or months with continuous debate and resistance against it by more than 300 organisations depending on the priorities of the parliaments.
Follow the Bill C-2 through the House of Commons Bill C-2 progress page.
Canada’s Immigration Reputation at Stake
Canada has always been the land of immigrants, and the obvious residency avenues attract talents as a result of education and employment.
Nevertheless, the policies introduced by the government after the pandemic, allowing students and workers to extend their terms have aggravated delays, transforming an open system into a bottleneck.
Bill C-2 may bring back the efficiency but this comes at the cost of vitiating fairness which would subject applicants to uncertainty.
It focuses more on the immigrants, and this aspect is justified by the supporters as it is economically focused.
In this Ottawa debate, the bill will only be adopted depending on the politics and the conservatives will not oppose it unless it has a strategic interest.
To millions of people watching Canada, it is an indicator of a more difficult period between security and opportunity.
Follow-up on the progress of Bill C-2 and its effect on migration in the world will be updated.
So what do you think, will this enhance the security of the Canadian borders or will they be targeting the vulnerable populations unfairly?
Canada’s New Immigration Bill C-2: Suspension or Cancellation of Applications and Documents
In a decision that has caused a great deal of controversy, Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, was presented by the government of Canada in June 2025, which is being touted as a bill to improve border security but has a more sinister purpose: allowing officials to cancel or suspend thousands of immigration applications and permits wholesale.
As of the 17th of September, 2025, the bill is in the second reading stage of the House of Commons, and debates are still going on as of the 16th of September.
Although it has support of the Conservatives, which increases its chances of passing, more than 300 organizations have requested that it be withdrawn because it poses threats to the rights of refugees and the procedural fairness in immigration.
Unless the lawmaking speed weakens, the bill might go to committee shortly, yet it still is long way to become law.
The bill deals with the swollen backlog in Canada in terms of immigration, as over 2.2 million immigration applications are outstanding, of which 892,400 applications are permanent residency and 1,079,300 applications are temporary residency.
Fifty percent of the permanent resident applications and 38 percent of the temporary are out of time with official processing schedules, which places a burden on the system.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree emphasized the need to have the bill arguing that there is a rise in the number of temporary permits issued by authorities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the lack of a tool to stop or cancel an application.
Broader Immigration Powers, But Vague Criteria
According to legal experts, the bill gives government officials broad, undefined power through its so-called public interest clause that could enable them to change an entire policy without any judicial review.
It is called a blank cheque by one Toronto immigration lawyer who has observed that, as far as public interest is concerned, it can be anything. The officials might easily turn on their heels and get around the causes that might be questioned by the courts.
This is something that was echoed in a 2012 decision by the federal government under Stephen Harper, which repealed pre-2008 skilled worker applications, which the federal court affirmed despite being sued.
As it will almost certainly pass, the Immigration Department is expected to prioritize programs according to their backlog volume, processing time, and economic worth.
Cuts could also be done to humanitarian programs that have low financial returns.
Affected Canada immigration programs?
According to the immigration experts, there are a number of risky groups:
Entrepreneurial Pathways: A lawyer in Vancouver identified the start-up visa, whose processing time is 53 months, and the self-employed persons program, which is suspended until 2027, as potential targets.
There are many applicants in Canada of temporary status, she said. Cancellations would make them undocumented, which would be enforced by border agencies.
Low-Skilled Workers: An attorney with offices in Halifax is worried about the excessive effects of migrants in lower-paid activities because they tend to come under temporary permits in order to help their families in other countries.
The added authority of the bill to cancel visas at will on ambiguous grounds would interfere with lives.
This, she said, is akin to a policy that embraces temporary labour but not settlement.
Refugee Sponsorships: According to a Winnipeg lawyer, Sponsorship of refugees through private sponsorships which had been stalled over years in long queues, could be truncated.
He views the bill as a means to reset the system, although there would be a need to have future caps in order to deal with backlogs.
The wide-range of the bill can also facilitate profiling of any person including one with a minor criminal history, relationships with consultants approved, or one with ties to politically sensitive nations.
Some are sounding the alarm of bias that is possible: It might appeal to changing attitudes, including anti-immigration rhetoric or apprehension against students of some nations.
What’s the Next Step in the Passing of Bill C-2
On 17 September 2025, at 8:37 a.m. EDT, Bill C-2 is on the agenda of the House of Commons and may be discussed within the Government Orders block, which begins at approximately 3:00 p.m. EDT.
The following is its next legislative step:
House of Commons Second reading.
At the moment, Bill C-2 is at the second reading stage, where the main principles of the bill are debated among the MPs.
The bill is among Government Orders of September 17, 2025, and may be debated after Statements by Members (2:00 p.m.), Oral Questions (2:15 p.m.), and Routine Proceedings.
Parliamentary schedules however are dynamic and can change over time and therefore, a particular debate or even a vote is never guaranteed on a particular day. Passing of the vote will take it to the next level.
Committee Stage Review
In case the second reading is successful a parliamentary committee (probably on public safety or immigration) will examine the bill clause line by line.
It will involve experts, stakeholders and witnesses in contributing input and amendments can be made to improve the provisions including the unclear public interest provision that has drawn the attention of critics.
Further House Debate and Report Stage.
The committee will make a report back to the House of any amendments. These changes will then be discussed and voted on by MPs at the report stage, as the bill will be refined before being considered by the House again.
Third Reading and Final House Vote.
During the third reading, the amended bill will be discussed by MPs and a final vote is going to be held. When it passes, Bill C-2 moves to the senate where it repeats the same procedure, including first reading, second reading, committee action, report stage and third reading.
Any amendments in the Senate have to be made up with those of the House.
Royal Assent to Become Law
After the approval of both chambers, the Governor General gives his royal assent into making the bill laws.
This process may take weeks or months with continuous debate and resistance against it by more than 300 organisations depending on the priorities of the parliaments.
Follow the Bill C-2 through the House of Commons Bill C-2 progress page.
Canada’s Immigration Reputation at Stake
Canada has always been the land of immigrants, and the obvious residency avenues attract talents as a result of education and employment.
Nevertheless, the policies introduced by the government after the pandemic, allowing students and workers to extend their terms have aggravated delays, transforming an open system into a bottleneck.
Bill C-2 may bring back the efficiency but this comes at the cost of vitiating fairness which would subject applicants to uncertainty.
It focuses more on the immigrants, and this aspect is justified by the supporters as it is economically focused.
In this Ottawa debate, the bill will only be adopted depending on the politics and the conservatives will not oppose it unless it has a strategic interest.
To millions of people watching Canada, it is an indicator of a more difficult period between security and opportunity.
Follow-up on the progress of Bill C-2 and its effect on migration in the world will be updated.
So what do you think, will this enhance the security of the Canadian borders or will they be targeting the vulnerable populations unfairly?
Author: Shubham
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