Canada Gives Rejected Ugandan Asylum Seekers Fresh Chance to Avoid Deportation

KAMPALA — Canada has opened a new pathway for some Ugandan asylum seekers whose refugee claims were previously rejected, allowing them to seek protection from deportation on grounds that returning home could expose them to persecution, torture or other serious harm.

In a notice issued on June 19, Canada’s immigration department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), announced that certain Ugandan nationals and former residents of Uganda will be exempted from the usual 12-month waiting period required before applying for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA).

The policy change is expected to benefit Ugandans already living in Canada whose asylum applications have failed in the past year, giving them another opportunity to argue that conditions in Uganda have deteriorated sufficiently to make their return unsafe.

A PRRA is an assessment conducted beforedeportation to determine whether an individual would face risks such as persecution, torture, threats to life, or cruel and unusual treatment if removed from Canada.

Under the new measures, Ugandan nationals and former residents who received a final negative decision on an asylum claim, a previous PRRA application, or a related Federal Court case between June 20, 2025, and June 19, 2026, may immediately apply for a new assessment.

IRCC said the decision was prompted by developments in Uganda’s political and security environment.

“Due to the evolving security and political situation in Uganda, including recent concerns about serious human rights violations, some Ugandan nationals and former residents of Uganda may face increased risks if required to return to the country,” the department said.

While Canada did not identify specific incidents, the announcement comes amid heightened political tensions in Uganda.

In recent months, opposition figures including Erias Lukwago have been arrested and charged with treason-related offences, while veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his aide Obed Lutale remain in detention.

National Unity Platform activists, including Edward Ssebuufu, as well as several former MPs and opposition supporters, have also faced arrest and prosecution in cases that have drawn concern from human rights organizations.

Canadian authorities stressed that the move is unrelated to immigration measures introduced in response to the Ebola outbreak and is based solely on an assessment of conditions in Uganda.

The exemption does not guarantee protection from removal or permanent residence.

Instead, immigration officers will assess each application on its own merits using evidence provided by the applicant and other available information.

Normally, failed refugee claimants must wait 12 months before applying for a PRRA.

Canada can waive that requirement when there is evidence of a significant change in conditions in a person’s country of origin.

The latest move could therefore provide a critical lifeline for dozens of Ugandans facing deportation from Canada, particularly those who argue that recent political developments, arrests of opposition figures and allegations of human rights abuses have increased the risks associated with returning home.

However, Canada clarified that Ugandans who receive a final negative refugee or PRRA decision after June 19, 2026, will remain subject to the standard 12-month waiting period because current conditions in Uganda would already have been considered during the assessment of their cases.

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