Any foreign national with genuine fears for their safety and life or who face real risks of cruel treatment or punishment from which their government is unwilling to or cannot protect them can qualify for refugee protection in Canada.

That said, qualification for refugee protection is not straightforward. The threat for which you are seeking refugee protection must be well-founded. To add to that, without assistance from a Canadian immigration lawyer, the Immigration and Refugee Protection law can be difficult to interpret. 

Establishing persecution as a basis for refugee protection 

Persecution for the purposes of refugee protection has to be traced to your race, nationality, religion, political opinion, or a social identity you cannot change, like your gender or sexual orientation. 

The onus is on you to prove your life or safety would be in danger if you were forced to go back to your country of origin. You have to be clear with what type of persecution you are facing, which could be torture, death threats, or prolonged detention without trial.

Importantly, you have to show that there is no internal flight alternative – a place in your country where you could live in reasonable safety and free from the claimed persecution. Again, the persecution claim should not be founded on the fear of a legal penalty for a crime one committed in their country.

A refugee protection lawyer will help you gather the relevant facts and evidence to bolster your case for refugee protection.