Fact check: Do new immigrants to Canada receive $140 per day in housing assistance

1. Summary of the results

The claim that new immigrants to Canada receive $140 per day in housing assistance is misleading and lacks crucial context. The available evidence shows that the $140 figure refers to accommodation costs, but not as direct payments to immigrants.

According to the analyses, refugees and asylum claimants (not all new immigrants) receive temporary accommodation where taxpayers pay approximately $140 per night per room for accommodation costs, plus $84 per day per claimant for food ^{[1] [2]}. Importantly, this $140 is the cost per room, not per individual, and represents what the government pays to service providers for temporary housing, not cash given directly to immigrants ^[1].

The duration of this support is typically short-term, lasting around 1-3 weeks ^[1]. One source specifically notes that taxpayers pay $224 per day total to accommodate asylum claimants who cross into Canada illegally, which includes both the $140 room cost and $84 food allowance ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement omits several critical distinctions:

• Target population: The $140 figure applies specifically to refugees and asylum claimants, not all "new immigrants" to Canada ^{[1] [2]}
• Nature of payment: This represents government payments to accommodation providers, not direct cash assistance to individuals ^[1]
• Duration: The support is temporary, typically lasting only 1-3 weeks, not ongoing assistance ^[1]
• Per-room vs. per-person: The $140 is calculated per room, which may house multiple people ^[1]

The analyses reveal that no sources found evidence of general new immigrants receiving $140 per day in housing assistance through regular immigration programs ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}. Instead, government housing initiatives focus on broader affordability measures like the Canada Housing Benefit and First-Time Home Buyers' GST Rebate ^{[6] [7]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement contains several elements that could constitute misinformation:

• Overgeneralization: Using "new immigrants" instead of the specific category of refugees/asylum claimants creates a false impression about Canada's immigration support system
• Misrepresentation of payment structure: Presenting the figure as if immigrants receive $140 directly, when it actually represents accommodation costs paid by government to service providers
• Omission of temporal context: Failing to mention this is short-term emergency accommodation, not ongoing housing assistance

This type of framing benefits those seeking to inflame anti-immigration sentiment by making temporary refugee support appear as generous ongoing benefits for all immigrants. The misleading presentation could be used by political actors or media outlets to generate controversy around immigration policy without providing the full context of Canada's refugee protection obligations.

The Canadian Press specifically identified similar claims as misleading in their fact-checking analysis ^[1], suggesting this may be part of a broader pattern of misinformation about refugee support costs in Canada.