Changes to Refugee Applicant Documents in Canada 2025

🔔 On April 22, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced an important change regarding documents for refugee claimants:

✅ As of March 25, 2025, the Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) has been replaced by the Refugee Protection Identity Document (RPID) better to reflect its purpose as an official identity document.

📌 Key features of the RPID:

• Bilingual (English and French).

• Valid for 6 years from the date of issuance.

• No longer displays information regarding the eligibility decision or the holder’s sex or gender.

• Change in issuance timing: instead of being issued at the referral stage (like the RPCD), the RPID is now issued when the claim is promoted to the formal stage.

📝 Please note:

• Existing RPCDs remain valid until their expiry date.

• Once the RPCD expires, claimants can request to be issued an RPID as a replacement.