Can I make a second refugee claim in Canada if my first one was already decided?

Generally, no. Once a refugee claim has been finally decided — rejected, withdrawn, or found abandoned — a person is generally barred from making a new refugee claim in Canada based on the same or similar facts, and a new claim will typically be found ineligible at the eligibility interview stage rather than referred to a hearing. This bar exists to prevent repeat claims from being used to delay removal indefinitely.

This doesn't necessarily leave someone with no options at all. Depending on the situation, a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment before removal, or a humanitarian and compassionate application for permanent residence, may still be available, though both apply different and generally harder legal tests than a fresh refugee claim would, and neither is available in every circumstance, such as immediately after a very recent negative decision.

Because the rules about what counts as a "new" claim, and what alternatives remain available, depend heavily on the specific history of the prior claim and how it ended, anyone in this situation should get legal advice about what is actually still open to them, rather than assuming either that nothing can be done or that a new claim can simply be filed.