175 FIFA Club World Cup visitors file asylum claims in Canada, IRCC says

A number of foreign visitors who travelled to Canada during the FIFA Club World Cup have filed asylum claims after arriving in the country, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

IRCC said that as of July 20, a total of 175 people had submitted refugee protection claims after indicating on their visitor visa applications that they were travelling to Canada for the FIFA Club World Cup. The department said the number could increase as additional claims are processed.

Canada issued approximately 26,000 visitor visas for the 13 tournament matches held in Toronto and Vancouver during June and July. According to IRCC, the largest number of asylum claimants were from Ghana, with 25 claims. Ghana's national team played a match in Toronto on June 17. The department also reported 15 claims each from citizens of Egypt and Colombia, and 10 from Senegal.

IRCC data also shows asylum claims were filed by nationals of Pakistan, Kenya, China, Bangladesh and Nigeria, even though those countries did not have teams participating in the tournament. The department did not specify how many of the claimants were football players or members of team support staff.

Before the tournament, IRCC said it had increased scrutiny of visitor visa applications to help prevent misuse of the immigration system. The department confirmed that some visa applications were refused as part of that screening process.