Illegal Border Crossings Now Cost More Than Average Canadian Family's Income

Based on an internal memo from July 28, 2025, the Canadian government's cost to house and feed each individual entering through an unauthorized land border crossing to claim asylum is $81,760 per year. This figure, disclosed in an official parliamentary response, now exceeds the median after-tax income for a Canadian family, which was approximately $68,400 in 2022 according to Statistics Canada.

Tax Burden Perspective

To put this in perspective, the financial implications are significant:

• 🧑‍💼 A Canadian family pays an average of $18,000–$25,000 in taxes annually, depending on province and income
• ➡️ It would take roughly 3 to 5 tax-paying families working a full year to cover the public cost of one unauthorized border crosser annually
• 💸 Each illegal crossing costs more than a full-time working family's entire annual earnings — even before factoring in the taxes they pay

Context and Implications

This data indicates a substantial fiscal burden on Canadian taxpayers. The $81,760 annual cost encompasses housing, food, and basic support services provided to individuals who cross the border illegally and subsequently claim asylum. This figure does not include additional costs such as legal proceedings, healthcare, or administrative overhead.

The comparison to median family income provides a stark perspective on the relative scale of these expenditures. When a single unauthorized border crossing costs more than what an average Canadian family earns in a year after taxes, it raises important questions about resource allocation and immigration policy priorities.