Asylum seekers to Canada have reached a record high and will cost Canadian taxpayers billions of dollars each year to house and accommodate them.

Deputy Chair of the Refugee Protection Division, Roula Eatrides, said it currently takes 14 months for a case to be processed with the division. However, she said that the division was funded for 60,000 cases this year, but intake has risen to over 200,000 claims, resulting in a wait time of 44 months.