Where you claim changes everything. From abroad, a refugee claim is really a visa application and follows the Part 1 rules. Inside Canada, you have to claim in person to an officer, and you cannot claim at all once a removal order is against you. Claiming somewhere other than a port of entry means filing your documents and the basis of your claim within the Board's time limits.
(1)A claim for refugee protection may be made in or outside Canada.
(2)A claim for refugee protection made by a person outside Canada must be made by making an application for a visa as a Convention refugee or a person in similar circumstances, and is governed by Part 1.
(3)A claim for refugee protection made by a person inside Canada must be made in person to an officer, must not be made by a person who is subject to a removal order, and is governed by this Part.
(3.1)A person who makes a claim for refugee protection inside Canada other than at a port of entry must provide the officer, within the time limits provided for in the regulations, with the documents and information — including in respect of the basis for the claim — required by the rules of the Board, in accordance with those rules.
(4)An application to become a permanent resident made by a protected person is governed by Part 1.