More than 20,000 asylum seekers crossed the border from the US in 2017 over fears of being deported by the Trump administration.
And Canada fears numbers will only increase as Donald Trump gets tougher on immigration and asylum.
Canadian Immigration and Refugee Minister Ahmed Hussen, who himself is a former refugee from Somalia, said: “It’s not a new phenomenon, but there was a sharp increase in the number of illegal entries last year.
“Canada’s immigration and asylum policy is pretty straight-forward: our country is open to immigration, but not to illegal immigration. Our rules must be respected.
“People who choose to cross the border illegally are making a dangerous choice because they won’t be handed a border pass and their chances of obtaining refugee status will be greatly reduced.
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“Selling your house and quitting your job to cross the border illegally is a bad idea, because your fate is just as uncertain in Canada as it is in the US. For example, only eight per cent of Haitians who entered Canada from the US illegally last year were granted asylum status.
“The risk illegal immigrants take is enormous, because if their asylum application is rejected they will be sent back to their home country.”
Hardline Republican Donald Trump took power in January 2017 with a goal of slashing refugee admissions, a decision in line with his anti-immigration rhetoric that was a focal point of his 2016 election campaign.
In addition, the US Department of Homeland Security recently announced an end to ‘temporary protected status’ (TPS) for immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan.
The programme, established by Congress in 1990, provides temporary reprieve for immigrants whose home countries face disaster or conflict.
Mr Hussen told asylum seekers they would not have a better life in Canada compared to the US.
Speaking in French daily Le Monde, he said: “Canada is open to immigration, yes, but there are rules to abide to.
“We have here in Canada an excellent [immigration] system which enables us to give refugees the protection they need. In that regard, we fulfil our international obligations towards the United Nations.
“That said, refugee status is only granted to people who have a well-founded fear of persecution and who truly need Canada’s protection.”