Deported From Canada: Can You Come Back?
The removal order sets the terms. A deportation order means you need an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC) to come back, with no end date (IRPR s.226). An exclusion order bars you for 1 year, or 5 years for misrepresentation. Obey a departure order within 30 days and confirm it with CBSA, and you usually need no ARC. An officer decides each ARC application.
$492.50
IRCC’s Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC) processing fee, in CAD
30 days
To leave Canada and confirm your departure with CBSA under a departure order
1 year
The standard bar after an exclusion order is enforced
5 years
The bar after an exclusion order issued for misrepresentation
IRCC says the ARC fee is not refunded, whatever the decision. The Fee Calculator shows it.
What are the three types of removal orders?
IRPR s.223 sets out three types of removal orders: departure orders, exclusion orders and deportation orders. Each carries different conditions and different consequences for future entry to Canada. The type depends on the grounds and circumstances of your removal, and it is decided by an officer or the Immigration and Refugee Board, not chosen by you.
| Order | Section | Coming back |
|---|---|---|
| Departure order | IRPR s.224 | Leave and confirm your departure with CBSA within 30 days of the order becoming enforceable. No ARC is then needed if you hold a Certificate of Departure. |
| Exclusion order | IRPR s.225 | Barred for 1 year after removal is enforced, or 5 years for misrepresentation (IRPR s.225(3)). An ARC is needed during the bar. |
| Deportation order | IRPR s.226 | An ARC is needed at any time after removal (IRPR s.226(1)). There is no automatic expiry date. |
What happens if a departure order is not followed?
IRCC says that if you leave within the 30 days and hold a Certificate of Departure showing the date, you can return subject to normal examination at the port of entry, without an ARC. The 30-day clock can be paused, for example if you are detained or your removal is stayed.
What still applies once an exclusion bar ends?
Once the exclusion period has fully passed, you may apply to return to Canada through normal immigration channels. You do not need an ARC simply because an exclusion order was once in place, provided you hold a Certificate of Departure showing the date you left. IRCC says a person without one needs an ARC.
You still have to be admissible under current rules. If the original problem, such as criminality, is unresolved, it can block you on its own.
Does a deportation order ever expire?
There is no automatic expiry date. Under IRPA s.52(1), once any removal order has been enforced the person generally cannot return to Canada unless authorized. For a deportation order that authorization is required at any time after removal (IRPR s.226(1)), however many years have passed.
A deportation order can be issued for serious criminality, security grounds, human or international rights violations, organized criminality, and other grounds. A departure order that is not complied with also converts into a deportation order.
One narrow exception exists. IRPA s.42(1)(a) makes you inadmissible because your accompanying family member is inadmissible, and s.42(1)(b) because you are the accompanying family member of an inadmissible person. Where the deportation order was made on the basis of s.42(1)(b), IRPR s.226(2) exempts you from the requirement to obtain an authorization to return.
The rule
IRPA s.52(1) provides that once a removal order has been enforced, the person shall not return to Canada unless authorized by an officer or in other prescribed circumstances.
How do you apply for an Authorization to Return to Canada?
An ARC is a discretionary decision: an application can be refused, and an officer weighs your full history. Attempting to enter Canada in breach of IRPA s.52(1) can expose you to enforcement consequences.
Confirm you need an ARC
Your removal documents name the type of order. IRCC says an ARC is needed after a deportation order, during the bar of an exclusion order, after a departure order that was not followed within 30 days, and where there is no Certificate of Departure. The order must first have been enforced.
Apply with a temporary or permanent residence application
IRCC’s how-to-apply page names no separate ARC form. The request goes in at the same time as an application for a visitor visa, a study or work permit, or permanent residence. A person who needs an eTA applies for it first and sends the ARC documents when IRCC asks, and a person who needs neither contacts the nearest visa office before coming to Canada.
Pay the ARC fee
The ARC processing fee is $492.50 CAD on IRCC’s fee list, and proof of payment goes in with the application. IRCC says the fee is not refunded whatever the decision. If CBSA paid to remove you, the removal costs must also be paid before an ARC is issued, and IRCC asks for them only if it approves the application.
$492.50 CAD
Include the letter and supporting documents
IRCC requires a letter, in English or French, explaining in detail why you should be allowed to return. If a departure order became a deportation order because you did not leave within 30 days, the letter explains why. Documents in another language need a certified translation.
Await the decision
IRCC’s ARC pages give no processing time. For a person who needs a visa, IRCC processes the ARC once it finds them eligible for temporary residence, and it writes if it needs an interview or more documents. IRCC says there is no guarantee it will issue an ARC.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Document ChecklistTypical documents by application type
- Fee CalculatorCurrent government fees, itemized
- Rehabilitation CalculatorDeemed rehabilitation and eligibility dates (IRPA s.36)
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
What is a removal order in Canada?
A removal order is a legal order that requires a person to leave Canada. IRPR s.223 sets out three types: the departure order, the exclusion order and the deportation order. Each one sets different terms for coming back. Once a removal order has been enforced, IRPA s.52(1) says the person shall not return to Canada unless authorized by an officer or in other prescribed circumstances. An officer or the Immigration and Refugee Board decides which order applies.
What is the difference between a removal order and a deportation order?
A deportation order is one kind of removal order, and the most serious one. "Removal order" is the umbrella term in IRPR s.223 for three orders: departure, exclusion and deportation. In everyday speech, "deported" often means any forced removal. In law, only a deportation order requires an Authorization to Return to Canada at any time after removal (IRPR s.226(1)).
How long are you barred from Canada after deportation?
A deportation order has no end date. Once it has been enforced, you need written permission, an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC), before any return, however many years have passed (IRPR s.226(1)). Time alone does not lift it. How long it has been since the order was issued, and the chance you will repeat the behaviour behind it, still count when an officer weighs an ARC application.
How long does an exclusion order bar you from Canada?
A standard exclusion order bars you for 1 year after it is enforced (IRPR s.225(1)). An exclusion order issued for misrepresentation bars you for 5 years (IRPR s.225(3)). During the bar you generally need an Authorization to Return to Canada. Once the bar has passed, you can apply through normal channels without an ARC if you hold a Certificate of Departure. You must still be admissible, so an unresolved ground such as criminality can block entry on its own.
How is a departure order different from a deportation order?
A departure order lets you return later without an ARC if you leave Canada and confirm your departure with CBSA within 30 days (IRPR s.224). A deportation order requires an Authorization to Return to Canada at any time after removal (IRPR s.226). If you miss the 30-day deadline, or never confirm your departure, the departure order becomes a deportation order (IRPR s.224(2)). One deadline can decide which order you end up with.
How do you remove a deportation order?
Once it has been enforced, a deportation order stays in effect, and the way back is an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC) under IRPA s.52(1). IRCC asks for a letter explaining why you should be allowed to return and proof of the ARC fee of $492.50 CAD, sent with a temporary or permanent residence application. IRCC says the inadmissibility itself has to be resolved before it issues an ARC. An officer decides each ARC application.
What are the reasons for deportation from Canada?
A deportation order can be issued for serious criminality, security grounds, human or international rights violations, organized criminality and other grounds of inadmissibility. A departure order that is not obeyed within 30 days also becomes a deportation order (IRPR s.224(2)). A report under IRPA s.44 is the step that can lead to a removal order; our Section 44 Reports guide explains it. An officer or the Immigration and Refugee Board decides each case.
What happens if I enter Canada with a deportation order and no ARC?
Returning without authorization breaks IRPA s.52(1), which says a person whose removal order was enforced shall not return unless authorized. CBSA says a new deportation order may be issued, and IRPR s.228(1)(c)(ii) provides for one. Contravening the Act is also an offence under IRPA s.124. Confirm your order type before you travel. The Admissibility Explorer shows how other grounds may apply to you.
Part of:Criminal record
- Can You Enter Canada with a DUI?
- US Criminal Record & Canada: Complete Master Guide
- Criminal Inadmissibility Canada: Complete Guide to IRPA Section 36
The textbook on this subject
Volume 1: Entering Canada $79
Six IRPA inadmissibility grounds (s.36 and s.38 to s.42), explained with the official text cited.
Follow on Facebook to hear when the library opens (opens in a new tab)Official sources
This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.