What is the difference between claiming asylum inside Canada and refugee resettlement from abroad?

Claiming asylum from within Canada applies to people who are already on Canadian soil and ask for protection; their claims, if eligible, are decided by the IRB through a hearing.

Refugee resettlement is a separate stream for people who are outside Canada, typically referred by the UNHCR or a designated referral organisation, or sponsored, and then selected to come to Canada as resettled refugees. The two routes have different eligibility rules, processes and decision-makers, so it is important not to confuse them.