When you apply for refugee status in Canada, your passport is confiscated, and in return, you are given a refugee identification document with your photo and personal information.
Why is this done?
In Canada, a refugee is someone who needs protection from their home country. When a refugee applies for protection, they declare that they fear their own state, the country of their citizenship.
Canada, in turn, grants them the right to protection on Canadian soil. If a so-called refugee decides to travel to another country, they would need to use their passport. In case of international conflict, natural disasters, or any other emergencies, the asylum seeker could be sent back to their country of citizenship. From Canada’s perspective, this would put their life in danger. To prevent this (and ensure protection), the asylum seeker’s passport is confiscated. Consequently, the refugee cannot travel outside Canada, ensuring they do not put themselves at risk (this is Canada's way of caring).
There is another reason why the Refugee Tribunal takes your valid passport and requests copies of all passports (all pages) you have ever held.
This allows the tribunal to verify your travel history (visas, entry and exit stamps). These records serve as evidence for your refugee claim: where you traveled, when, and sometimes for what purpose. If this information does not match your application, you could be accused of withholding facts to fraudulently obtain refugee status.
Be careful when filling out your application and always double-check the dates.
