New Delhi, March 29 -- Canada, on 26 March (local time), passed a new law that makes it harder for some foreign nationals to get an asylum hearing if they have been living in the country for more than a year. A move that critics warn could result in real refugees being sent back to unsafe situations, the Globe and Mail reported.

Bill C-12 is "An Act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures."

Last month, Canada's Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said that changes in the immigration and border bill, also known as Bill C-12, were aimed in part to tackle a surge in misuse of the country's asylum system. ...