Reviewed 28 July 2026
The first 72 hours after a Bill C-12 ineligibility letter
What the letter means, what the 15-day clock covers, and the three things to do before anything else.
An ineligibility determination under Bill C-12 is a decision of a federal official. For in-Canada decisions, an application for leave and judicial review must generally be filed within 15 days of notification, counted in days, not months.
First: keep the letter and any procedural fairness letter that preceded it. Photograph the date you received it. Second: diary the 15th day. Third: call counsel with the dates you entered Canada and made your claim. If a removal date exists, say so before anything else.
Filing does not automatically stay removal. A stay is a separate motion. Leave is decided on paper. Most immigration leave applications are refused. A straight assessment of whether the file is worth bringing is the purpose of the first consultation.
General information, not legal advice. All insights