Over 500 Roxham Road asylum seekers settled in Atlantic Canada, vast majority in Quebec

Atlantic Canada has so far welcomed 504 asylum seekers who entered Canada using the former Roxham Road irregular border crossing in Quebec. LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Graham Hughes

Atlantic Canada has so far welcomed 504 asylum seekers who entered Canada using the former Roxham Road irregular border crossing in Quebec.

New Brunswick says 242 of these claimants were staying in the province. Nova Scotia welcomed 164 of these people, while 94 others are in Newfoundland and Labrador, and four in Prince Edward Island.

Newfoundland lawyer Michele Grant, who specializes in immigration, pointed out in an interview last Friday that it's a huge challenge for these people to settle legally, especially as there are no permanent federal immigration employees in the province to help them.

The 94 refugee claimants in Newfoundland and Labrador come from 17 different countries and collectively speak more than 11 languages.

Tens of thousands of asylum seekers from the U.S. crossed Roxham Road into Canada, until the route was closed on March 25, after the two countries reached an agreement to close the persistent loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement.

The vast majority of the asylum seekers settled in Quebec.

This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on July 5, 2023.