2. Learn about exceptions to the STCA

If the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) applies to you when you try to enter Canada, you might still be able to make a refugee claim if you meet an exception to the STCA and you have not already made a refugee claim in the United States (U.S.).

There are 4 exceptions:

• you have an eligible family member in Canada,
• you're an unaccompanied minor under the age of 18,
• you're a document holder, for example, you have a valid Canadian visa, or a work or study permit, and
• you've been charged with or convicted of a crime for which you could get the death penalty in the U.S. or another country.

Even if you meet one of these exceptions, you still need to show that you meet all the other requirements to make a refugee claim.

Family member exception

To qualify for the family member exception to the STCA, your family member who's in Canada must be your:

• spouse including common-law and same-sex spouses, if the marriage was legal where it took place and would be legal in Canada,
• child or grandchild,
• parent or grandparent,
• brother or sister,
• aunt or uncle,
• niece or nephew, or
• legal guardian if you're under 18 years old.

Only the family members in this list qualify for the exemption.

Your family member must also be:

• a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
• someone who's over 18 years old and has a valid Canadian work permit or study permit
• someone who has received protected person status
• someone who's over 18 years old, has made a refugee claim that has been found eligible, and is waiting for their hearing before the Refugee Board, or
• a foreign national whose removal order has been stayed on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds .

Your family member is not expected to support you financially in Canada.

When you make your claim in Canada, your family member must also be in Canada. For example, they can't be on vacation outside of Canada when you arrive.

To prove that you meet the family member exception, bring with you:

• documents that prove your relationship to your family member, for example, your marriage certificate, birth certificate, or an affidavit from the relative
• documents that prove the family member fits one of the categories above, for example, their permanent resident card , protected person status, valid refugee protection claimant document, passport, or valid work permit

If your documents are not in English or French, you must also get:

• an English or French translation of the document, and
• a statement or affidavit written and signed by the translator.

It's a good idea to have your family member come to your interview. The CBSA officer might want to ask them questions about their identity and their relationship to you.

The CBSA officer might decide that you don't meet a family member exception if you or your family member gives information that's:

• different from other information in your immigration file, or
• not true.

If this happens, CBSA will take you back to the U.S.

And even if you're eligible to make a claim, any information that you give at your interview that's different from other information in your immigration file or not true can have a negative impact on your refugee claim.

No exception

If you don't meet one of these exceptions to the STCA, a CBSA officer will take you back to the U.S. Then a U.S. Custom and Border Patrol official will decide if you should be released or detained.