Their share of total refugee claims - 245 of about 55,000 - is small and Canada's acceptance of US refugee claims has historically been low. Asylum-seekers from other countries crossing the land border from the US are sent back under a bilateral agreement with the reasoning that they should apply for asylum in the first "safe" country they arrived in.
Last year 204 people filed refugee claims in Canada with the United States as their country of alleged persecution. Claims from the US also rose during the first Trump administration.
The data does not say why the claims were made. Eight lawyers said they are hearing from more trans Americans wanting to leave.
US President Donald Trump and the US Supreme Court have rolled back trans rights, restricting who can access gender-affirming care, who can serve in the military, who can use what bathroom and who can play in some sports.
To gain asylum, refugees must convince Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board that nowhere in the US is safe for them.
The Board recently added documents from groups such as Human Rights Watch examining the US's treatment of LGBTQ people to its national documentation package detailing country conditions.
A US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said people claiming refugee status in Canada would create room for individuals "facing actual fear and persecution."
