Bill C-12: Visa and Permit Cancellation
Bill C-12 - Canada Immigration Law
Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act, has several parts. Part 7 amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) so that Cabinet, called the Governor in Council, can by order cancel, vary or suspend groups of documents, and can stop, suspend or terminate processing of groups of applications, when it considers this to be in the public interest.
The documents named in the Act include PR visas, PR cards, temporary resident visas (TRVs), eTAs, work permits and study permits. It is built for groups of applicants and emergencies, not for ordinary individual files.
| Tool | Who uses it | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| Order on applications (s. 87.301) | Cabinet | Stop accepting certain applications, or suspend or terminate processing of pending ones, including PR visas, TRVs, eTAs, work permits and study permits. |
| Order on documents (s. 87.302) | Cabinet | Cancel, vary or suspend documents, and impose or vary conditions on them or on temporary residents. |
| Cancel, suspend or vary (s. 20.01); end processing (s. 11.3) | An officer | Only "in the prescribed circumstances". |
| Duty to answer and appear (ss. 32.1, 87.304) | On an officer's request | Holders outside Canada can be required, in prescribed circumstances, to answer truthfully, produce documents and attend an examination. People covered by a document order carry the same duty. |
An order that terminates processing must say whether fees are repaid (s. 87.301(3)). Orders that stop intake or suspend processing may also say so (s. 87.301(2)).
The sections of the Act I read do not say how a person affected by an order is notified, whether they can make submissions first, or how they can challenge it, and IRCC's page on these powers does not address those questions. Treat them as unanswered. The circumstances in which an officer may use sections 11.3 and 20.01 are left to regulations, which IRCC's forward regulatory plan lists as "in the early stages of development" (page last modified 7 April 2026).
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Order | P.C. 2026-500, made 27 May 2026 under sections 87.301(1), 87.302(1) and 87.303(2); published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on 13 June 2026 |
| Who it covers | Foreign nationals outside Canada who state in their application that they reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan or Uganda. It is based on residence, not nationality, and does not mention India |
| Applications | Processing of applications for PR visas, TRVs, eTAs, work permits, study permits and temporary resident permits is suspended, for pending and new applications |
| Documents | Issued PR visas, TRVs, eTAs and temporary resident permits are suspended. IRCC says they reactivate automatically when the measures end, and the suspension does not extend expiry dates |
| End date | 27 November 2026 unless ended or repealed earlier, according to IRCC's page, last modified on 28 September 2026 |
| Exemptions | The Minister can exempt individuals case by case |
Cancellation in individual cases did not begin with Bill C-12. Regulations SOR/2025-11 came into force on 31 January 2025 and list when an officer may cancel a document.
| Document | An officer may cancel it if |
|---|---|
| Temporary resident visa | The holder is inadmissible; did not meet, or no longer meets, the issue requirements; was refused another visa, eTA, work permit or study permit; is the subject of a declaration under s. 22.1(1) of IRPA; there are reasonable grounds to believe the holder will not leave Canada at the end of the authorised stay; or the visa was issued through an administrative error |
| eTA | The holder is inadmissible or becomes ineligible, or the eTA was issued through an administrative error |
| Work permit or study permit | The officer is satisfied it was issued through an administrative error |
These documents are also cancelled automatically when the holder becomes a permanent resident or dies. In its regulatory impact statement IRCC described administrative-error cancellations as routine, for example a misspelled surname or a wrong validity period, usually done so that a corrected document can be issued. It also said procedural fairness would be extended to applicants in relevant situations.
This is our reading of the sources above, not an official statement.
For the Ebola measures IRCC said it notifies affected document holders by email, so an old address could mean missed notices
Passport, permit, offer letter and receipts should show the same name and dates
IRCC keeps a special measures page for the Ebola order, and the Act requires every order to be published in the Gazette
The Act makes this a legal duty in prescribed circumstances and for people covered by a document order
For the full explanation, read our blog post Bill C-12 Is Law: Can Canada Now Cancel Your Visa or Study Permit?. For permit basics, see the study permit guide and the work permit guide.
Pages opened and checked on 6 November 2026. Rules can change, so confirm them on the official page before you file.
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