A supposed article from CBC News, the Canadian public broadcaster, reporting on an asylum-seeker who showed who easy it is to abuse the immigration system in Canada circulated online in late November 2025.
Several posts on Facebook, Instagram and X relayed the alleged headline or article. One transcribed the full article and posted a screen capture of it (archived). It began:
Asylum Seeker Admits He Flies Home, Buys New Identity for $100 [Canadian dollars], and Returns for Fresh Benefits: “Why Work When Canada Makes It This Easy?”
TORONTO – Immigration officials were left scrambling today after an asylum seeker openly explained on camera how he’s lived on maximum benefits for six straight years by simply flying home whenever the money dries up, buying a new identity for about $100, and re-entering Canada as a “brand: new refugee.
Some readers seemed to think the article was authentic, though Google searches showed no record of it on the CBC News website or anywhere else, aside from the same apparent screen capture circulating on social media.
Rather, the rumor about the asylum-seeker who flew to his country of origin, bought himself a new identity for 100 Canadian dollars ($70.91) and lived on benefits until they ran out, only to do it all over again originated with @SatireSquadHQ — an X account that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Its bio states:
Babylon Bee energy, 100% Canadian syrup. Posts tagged [red square] = satire. Everything else = real takes, news, or me yelling at clouds. Make he laugh for a follow.
(The Babylon Bee is a satirical website. Snopes has looked into many of its fake stories over the years.)
The fictional article spread as debate intensified in Canada over a bill the government introduced in October 2025 that aimed to tighten asylum rules in an effort to reinforce border protection. While the Conservative Party said it did not go far enough, a coalition of organizations that defend the rights of migrants said it risked creating opportunities for abuse, CBC News reported.
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims about immigration in the past, including the assertion that the U.S. “border czar” Tom Homan had told Fox News seniors and children could replace migrants in farms. The fictional story spread as reports multiplied that Immigration and Customs Enforcement were raiding farms to detain and deport undocumented workers.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
