Canada gives Ugandans facing deportation a second chance to stay
Cites deteriorating human rights situation in Uganda
Canadian authorities have given some Uganda asylum seekers facing imminent deportation a second chance to apply for protected person status in Canada due to the deteriorating human rights situation in Uganda.
In a statement issued on June 19, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stated that Ugandan nationals and former residents of Uganda whose asylum applications had been rejected in the period between June 20, 2025, and June 19, 2026, may now be eligible to apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA).
A PRRA determines whether someone would face risks such as persecution, torture or serious harm if removed from Canada.
Normally, people must wait 12 months after receiving a negative decision before they can apply for a PRRA. However, IRCC can lift this waiting period when there’s a sudden and significant change in conditions in someone’s country of origin. That’s what Canadian authorities have done for the affected Ugandans. They are now exempt from the typical 12-month deferral and can apply for PRRAs immediately if they meet all other requirements.
Those whose PRRA applications are successful will be granted protected person status, allowing them to remain in Canada indefinitely and to apply for permanent residence (PR) under the Convention Refugees and Persons in Need of Protection class.
“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. As a result, the Government of Canada is temporarily exempting some people from the usual waiting period to apply for a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA)” says a statement released by IRCC.
Human rights violations in Uganda reached a new high after the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) 2023. As 76Crimes has reported, known and presumed members of the LGBTQI+ community came under attack like never before. Violence, threats of violence, illegal detentions, evictions, torture and forced anal examination became rampant, forcing many LGBTQI+ Ugandans to flee not just their homes but their country as well.
The situation got worse after the recent elections, forcing the leading opposition politician Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine to flee to the United States.
Many LGBTQI+ Ugandans fleeing persecution have knocked on the doors of Canada for asylum. A few, like Steven Kabuye, have been successfully resettled in Canada. But many LGBTQI+ Ugandan remain trapped in hiding and in refugee camps in the region still fighting to exist and searching for safety and prosperity.
On the morning of January 3, 2024, Kabuye was walking to work when two men on a motorcycle attacked him. They stabbed him in the stomach shouting, ‘Die, you homosexual,’ and left him for dead. Kabuye survived, and with help from human rights defenders, he found a new and safe home in Canada.
“Instead of being protected by the police, I was treated like a criminal. While I lay in the hospital, the authorities sought to charge me with treason. My home was raided, and the colleague who rushed me to hospital, Eugene Ntambi, was himself arrested and tortured. I survived, thanks to God and the swift action of fellow activists. I am deeply grateful to be here safely in Canada today. I owe my life to the unwavering solidarity of fellow human rights defenders, organizations like Rainbow Railroad and the people of Canada, who stood by me at the most dangerous moment,” Kabuye told members of the Canadian parliamentary Subcommittee on International Human Rights in March.
Although some analysts say it is not doing enough, Canada has been lauded by many for accommodating LGBTQI+ asylum seekers from Africa at a time when other western countries are tightening their immigration laws.
