Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) 12-Month Bar Exemption for Iranian Nationals

Validated finding · five-country-2010-20260922-v118-evidence-presentation-fix

CountryCanada

Operative dateDecember 19, 2025

CategoryAsylum / removal protection

Policy toolStatutory bar waiver / administrative guideline

Affected groupRejected asylum seekers and individuals facing removal

Policy effect

Exempts nationals of Iran from the statutory 12-month waiting bar to apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) or secondary PRRA if they received a final negative asylum decision from the IRB, Federal Court, or a previous PRRA refusal between December 20, 2024, and December 19, 2025. Phase scope: Applies to negative asylum and PRRA decisions rendered between December 20, 2024, and December 19, 2025.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

Citizenship Canada (IRCC) closely monitors country conditions from a protection perspective and has noted the [current situation in Iran](https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/iran). After hostilities between Israel and Iran escalated in June 2025, human rights conditions have deteriorated. As a result, some Iranian nationals could face risk if they are required to return to their country. Iranian nationals who received a negative final decision on their asylum (refugee) claim from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada or the Federal Court between December 20, 2024, and December 19, 2025, may now be eligible to apply for a [pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA)](https://canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/protection/refusal-options/pre-removal-risk-assessment.html), as IRCC has provided an exemption to the 12-month waiting period. If IRCC refused someone’s PRRA during that period, they may now be eligible to apply for a secondary PRRA. An accepted PRRA application prevents people from being removed back to a country where they have demonstrated they face risks like persecution, torture or other harm. In normal circumstances, people must wait 12 months after …

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship CanadaImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Notice, 'Changes to the pre-removal risk assessment for Iran', December 19, 2025.Open official source

Retrieved from https://canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/changes-pre-removal-risk-assessment-iran.html

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Automated source validation is not independent human legal review. The finding should not be treated as legal advice. Record fcp5-1372e1b6d8985bbe7af9. Something wrong? Flag this record.

Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) 12-Month Bar Exemption for Iranian Nationals

Policy effect

Official source excerpt

Review method

Other Canada changes operative in 2025