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Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

s. 35 Human or international rights violations

  • PART 1: Immigration to Canada
  • DIVISION 4: Inadmissibility
  • Inadmissibility
  • Criminal

Last verified: June 2026 · Source: justice.gc.ca

The law says

IRPA s. 35
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(1)A permanent resident or a foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of violating human or international rights for

  • (a)committing an act outside Canada that constitutes an offence referred to in sections 4 to 7 of the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act;
  • (b)being a prescribed senior official in the service of a government that, in the opinion of the Minister, engages or has engaged in terrorism, systematic or gross human rights violations, or genocide, a war crime or a crime against humanity within the meaning of subsections 6(3) to (5) of the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act; or
  • (c)[Repealed, 2023, c. 19, s. 5]
  • (c.1)having engaged in conduct that would, in the opinion of the Minister, constitute an offence under section 240.1 of the Criminal Code.
  • (d)[Repealed, 2023, c. 19, s. 5]
  • (e)[Repealed, 2023, c. 19, s. 5]

(2)[Repealed, 2023, c. 19, s. 5]

Sections this one cites

Justice Laws is the authoritative version. If this copy and it ever differ, Justice Laws wins.

Sections numbered under s. 35

Each of these is its own section of the Act, numbered after section 35.

IRPA s. 35.1

Sanctions

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What that means

You cannot come to Canada or stay here if you are personally on Canada's sanctions lists under the Special Economic Measures Act or the Magnitsky law. The same applies if an international body Canada acts with has restricted your travel. Once the sanction is lifted, this ground stops applying.

The law says

(1)A foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of sanctions if

  • (a)their entry into or stay in Canada is restricted under a decision, resolution or measure of an international organization of states or association of states, of which Canada is a member, that imposes sanctions on a person, entity or foreign state, within the meaning of section 2 of the Special Economic Measures Act, against which or whom Canada has imposed or has agreed to impose sanctions in concert with that organization or association;
  • (b)they are currently the subject of an order or regulation made under section 4 of the Special Economic Measures Act; or
  • (c)they are currently the subject of an order or regulation made under section 4 of the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law).

Clarification

(2)For greater certainty, despite section 33, a foreign national whose entry into or stay in Canada is no longer restricted under a decision, resolution or measure referred to in paragraph (1)(a) or who ceases being the subject of an order or regulation referred to in paragraph (1)(b) or (c) is no longer inadmissible under that paragraph.

Guides on this part of the Act

No guide cites this section directly. These guides cite other sections in the same Division of the Act.

Denied Entry to Canada: What to Do NextWhy Canada Visitor Visas Get Refused: Top Reasons ExplainedCan I Enter Canada with a Mental Health or Psychiatric History?

Related sections

IRPA s. 4Minister of Citizenship and ImmigrationIRPA s. 5RegulationsIRPA s. 7International agreementsIRPA s. 34SecurityIRPA s. 35.1Sanctions