PRRA (Pre-Removal Risk Assessment): Who Qualifies and How to Prepare

A Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) is an application available to many people who are facing removal from Canada. It asks one central question: would this person face persecution, torture, a risk to their life, or cruel and unusual treatment if returned to their home country?

Who can apply

Most people receive a PRRA offer from the Canada Border Services Agency before removal. Timing rules matter: many applicants who had a refugee claim decided recently are subject to a waiting period before they can apply, and deadlines after receiving the offer are short and strictly enforced.

New evidence is the key

For former refugee claimants, a PRRA is not a second refugee hearing. Officers generally only consider evidence that arose after the refugee decision, or that was not reasonably available before it. This is where many self-prepared applications fail — they repeat the original story instead of documenting what is new: changed country conditions, new threats, new personal circumstances, or newly available proof.

What strong submissions look like

A persuasive PRRA connects your personal evidence to current, credible country-condition documentation, and explains clearly why the risk is personal to you — not just general conditions everyone in the country faces. Organization matters: officers decide most PRRAs on paper, so the written submission is your hearing.

PRRA timelines are unforgiving and the stakes are high. If you have received a PRRA offer or believe removal is coming, get advice immediately — book a consultation and bring every document you have.