Canada’s Removal Machine: What 6 Years of CBSA Data Really Show

In the first half of 2026, Quebec again led with 5,467 removals – more than double the GTA’s 2,674. The pattern suggests a deliberate operational focus, likely linked to irregular crossings at Roxham Road (before its closure) and the province’s large pending caseload.

Curious fact: While Quebec and the GTA process huge volumes, the Prairie and Atlantic regions handle relatively tiny numbers. This isn’t because fewer people without status live there – it reflects where CBSA concentrates removal resources.

Why Are People Being Removed? The Refugee Claimant Wave

The most revealing table in the whole dataset is the breakdown by inadmissibility type. One category dwarfs all others: non-compliance by refugee claimants.

Table 2.1: Enforced removals by inadmissibility type (2020–2025)

In 2025, 83% of all removals were failed refugee claimants. That’s a huge shift from earlier years, when the share was lower. The message is clear: Canada’s removal apparatus is overwhelmingly focused on people who sought asylum, were rejected, and stayed.

Criminality removals, by contrast, remain modest – just 1,066 in 2025, though they have been rising slowly. The public often assumes deportations target serious criminals, but the data shows the system is mainly an asylum-enforcement engine.

Deportation Orders: The Permanent Ban That Keeps Growing

Under Canadian law, there are three types of removal orders. A departure order gives you 30 days to leave; an exclusion order bars return for 1 year (or 5 years for misrepresentation); a deportation order is permanent unless you get written permission to return.

Table 3.1: Removals by order type (2020–2025)

Deportation orders dominated the early part of the decade, dipped, and then surged past 11,000 in 2025. Exclusion orders, meanwhile, jumped during 2023 – likely due to asylum claim rejections that automatically trigger exclusion orders in some cases.

By mid-2026, deportation orders already stood at 6,210, suggesting the permanent-bar tool is being used more aggressively. For individuals, the difference matters enormously: a deportation order can separate families for life unless Canada grants a special authorization.

Escorted vs. Unescorted: Who Gets a One-Way Ticket with an Officer?

About 90% of removals are unescorted – people leave on their own after being told to go. But in roughly 10% of cases, the CBSA puts an officer on the plane.

Table 5.1: Escorted vs. unescorted removals (2020–2025)

Escorted removals more than tripled between 2020 and 2025. The CBSA says it uses a risk matrix to decide who needs an escort – prior criminality, flight risk, or resistance. The rise in escorted removals hints at a harder-to-remove population: people with no travel documents, those who have previously absconded, or those considered a public safety concern.

By Country: Mexico and India Lead, but 2026 Shows a Surprising Shift

Year after year, Mexico and India top the list of citizenship of removed individuals. But look closely at the latest data.

Top 5 nationalities removed in 2025

Now compare with the first half of 2026:

India shot to the top, with more removals in six months than in all of 2023. Mexico dropped sharply – still number two, but the pace changed. Why? The CBSA doesn’t explain directly, but it likely reflects shifting asylum source countries and increased cooperation with certain governments on travel documents. Haiti’s high numbers connect to the humanitarian crisis there, with many claimants failing to establish refugee status.

Meanwhile, the removal-in-progress inventory – people who can be removed once paperwork is sorted – tells us who might dominate future statistics:

That’s over 14,000 Indians and Mexicans who could be removed once travel documents and logistics align. The pipeline is enormous.

The Inventory Time Bomb: Over 572,000 Cases in the CBSA Pipeline

Perhaps the most staggering figure isn’t the number of removals completed – it’s the number of cases sitting in various inventories. As of June 30, 2026, the CBSA tracked 572,203 individuals across four main lists.

Table 6.1: Removal inventories by category

The “not yet actionable” group is the elephant in the room – nearly half a million people whose cases haven’t even entered the removal stream. If even a small fraction of those claims fail, the removal numbers could skyrocket further.

The “Wanted” inventory is also arresting: 33,847 people who were ordered removed and simply vanished. The CBSA is actively looking for them, but with limited resources, that’s a daunting task.

The “removal in progress” inventory alone includes 36,622 failed refugee claimants – a stark preview of who will fill the deportation statistics in the next 12 to 18 months.

What These Numbers Mean for Canada’s Immigration Future

The CBSA’s own data paints a picture of a system under mounting pressure. Removals have surged, driven overwhelmingly by failed asylum claimants. Quebec’s outsized role reflects both geography and policy choices. The inventory numbers, especially the half-million cases not yet actionable, suggest that the current high removal pace may become the new normal.

For individuals, the practical reality is harsh: if you claim asylum in Canada and are rejected, the odds that you will eventually face a removal order are higher than they’ve been in years. And if you receive a deportation order, you’ll likely need an officer on the plane with you – escorted removals are rising fast.

Canada prides itself on a fair immigration system. These statistics are the ledger of who, in the government’s view, didn’t follow the rules – and what happens when the state decides it’s time for you to go.

All data sourced from the Canada Border Services Agency’s official removals program statistics, current as of June 30, 2026. Monthly figures for July–December 2026 were not available at the time of reporting.