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Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

s. 77 Referral of certificate

  • PART 1: Immigration to Canada
  • DIVISION 9: Certificates and Protection of Information

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

The law says

IRPA s. 77
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(1)The Minister and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration shall sign a certificate stating that a permanent resident or foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of security, violating human or international rights, serious criminality or organized criminality, and shall refer the certificate to the Federal Court.

Filing of evidence and summary

(2)When the certificate is referred, the Minister shall file with the Court the information and other evidence that is relevant to the ground of inadmissibility stated in the certificate and on which the certificate is based, as well as a summary of information and other evidence that enables the person named in the certificate to be reasonably informed of the case made by the Minister but that does not include anything that, in the Minister’s opinion, would be injurious to international relations, national defence or national security or endanger the safety of any person if disclosed.

Effect of referral

(3)Once the certificate is referred, no proceeding under this Act respecting the person who is named in the certificate — other than proceedings relating to sections 79.1, 82 to 82.31, 112 and 115 — may be commenced or continued until the judge determines whether the certificate is reasonable.

Amendment History (6)
  • 2001, c. 27, s. 77
  • 2002, c. 8, s. 194
  • 2005, c. 10, s. 34
  • 2008, c. 3, s. 4
  • 2015, c. 3, s. 112(F), c. 20, s. 54
  • 2024, c. 16, s. 101

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

Sections numbered under s. 77

Each of these is its own section of the Act, numbered after section 77.

IRPA s. 77.1

Conditions — inadmissibility on grounds of security

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What that means

Sometimes a person named in a security certificate is not arrested. They are still not left alone. Conditions set by regulation are placed on them. Those conditions end only if the person is detained or removed from Canada. They also end if the certificate is withdrawn or found unreasonable, or if the Minister lifts the inadmissibility.

The law says

(1)If a certificate stating that a permanent resident or foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of security is referred to the Federal Court and no warrant for the person’s arrest and detention is issued under section 81, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness shall impose the prescribed conditions on the person who is named in the certificate.

Duration of conditions

(2)The prescribed conditions imposed under subsection (1) cease to apply only when

  • (a)the person is detained;
  • (b)the certificate stating that the person is inadmissible on grounds of security is withdrawn;
  • (c)a final determination is made that the certificate is not reasonable;
  • (d)the Minister makes a declaration under subsection 42.1(1) or (2) in relation to the person; or
  • (e)a removal order is enforced against the person in accordance with the regulations.