Pre-Removal Risk Assessment
Updated October 2026. This guide explains how a PRRA application in Canada works, including eligibility, risk evidence, submission requirements and its relationship to removal proceedings.
What is a PRRA?
A Pre-Removal Risk Assessment is an IRCC process used in certain removal cases to assess whether return would expose a person to persecution, torture, risk to life, or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. A person cannot simply apply whenever they choose. CBSA determines eligibility and provides the PRRA notification process.
Who may be eligible
PRRA can arise after a refugee claim is rejected or ineligible, or in another removal context where the statutory requirements are met. Current IRCC guidance states that a person cannot apply for a PRRA if the refugee claim was ineligible because of the STCA, if the person is already a protected person in Canada, if recognized as a Convention refugee by a country to which they can return, or if subject to extradition.
The 12-month waiting period
In most cases a person must wait 12 months after the last negative IRB refugee decision, negative PRRA decision, abandonment or withdrawal, or specified Federal Court outcome. Country-specific exemptions can be designated when conditions change suddenly. Eligibility must be confirmed when CBSA initiates removal.
Evidence after a previous refusal
Where a refugee claim or earlier PRRA was rejected, IRPA restricts the evidence that can be presented. The applicant generally must rely on evidence that arose after the rejection, was not reasonably available, or could not reasonably have been expected to have been presented earlier. A PRRA is not simply a second RPD hearing.
Stay of removal
A first PRRA offered in the ordinary removal process can carry a regulatory stay when submitted within the prescribed time. Important exceptions apply. A subsequent PRRA, a late application, or other specified circumstances may not provide the same automatic stay. The CBSA notification package and dates must be reviewed carefully.
PRRA processing time
Processing time is separate from the filing deadline in your PRRA notification. A general estimate cannot tell you when your case will be decided or whether removal is stayed. Keep the notice and proof of delivery together, and follow IRCC’s current application instructions.
PRRA hearings
Most PRRAs are decided in writing. A hearing may be convened in circumstances provided by law, including certain credibility issues. Written submissions should connect the qualifying evidence directly to the statutory risk tests.
Work authorization and health coverage
IRCC provides specific rules concerning work permits and Interim Federal Health Program coverage for eligible PRRA applicants. Eligibility can differ for first, subsequent or late PRRAs, so current instructions and the person’s documents should be checked.
A positive PRRA decision
A positive PRRA normally results in protected person status, although different consequences can apply to persons described by specified inadmissibility provisions. Review the decision and the next application steps for the particular case.
PRRA and an active CBSA removal process
PRRA often arises while CBSA is taking steps to enforce a removal order. The PRRA notice, application deadline, written-submission deadline and any scheduled CBSA reporting or removal date should be reviewed together. See Removal Orders & Deportation and CBSA Direction to Report. Where inadmissibility allegations are also in issue, review the separate procedures for a section 44 report and an admissibility hearing; those procedures are not the PRRA process.
PRRA compared with a removal deferral request
A PRRA is a statutory risk-assessment process. A removal deferral request asks CBSA to postpone enforcement temporarily in the circumstances of an individual case. They are different remedies, with different legal tests and consequences. A deferral request does not replace a PRRA, and filing a request does not by itself guarantee that removal will be postponed.
Have you received a PRRA notification?
Prepare the notification, the date and method of delivery, previous refugee or PRRA reasons, and any CBSA reporting or removal notice for review. Flag the earliest deadline when contacting our office.
Request a PRRA consultation · Call 647-909-7777 · Message on WhatsApp
Preparing a PRRA record
- Review the complete refugee, immigration and enforcement history.
- Identify what evidence is genuinely new or was previously unavailable where IRPA restrictions apply.
- Use current, reliable country-condition evidence and connect it to the applicant’s personal risk.
- Address prior credibility or evidentiary findings where they remain relevant.
- Explain clearly how the evidence engages the applicable statutory risk test.
- Track the dates in the CBSA or IRCC notification package carefully.
After a negative PRRA
A negative decision can place the person back in an active removal process. Any available challenge and the effect on removal should be assessed immediately. Federal Court judicial review through Fourth Dimension Immigration is handled by FDI’s in-house lawyer authorized to practise before the Court, and commencing judicial review does not by itself guarantee that removal will be stayed.
Call 647-909-7777 · Message on WhatsApp · Request a consultation
PRRA Guides
- What evidence can be submitted in a PRRA?
- Does filing a PRRA stop removal?
- PRRA refused in Canada: what happens next?
- PRRA vs refugee claim: key differences
Official resources
This page provides general legal information, not advice for an individual case. Laws, policies and procedural directions can change. Confirm the requirements and deadlines that apply to your matter.
Refugee law, procedures, country conditions and available remedies can change. Information on this page is general and is not a substitute for advice based on the complete record.