March 29, 2022

Important Updates From The Immigration and Refugee Board

Posted by Athena Portokalidis - Bellissimo Law Group PC

In the last several weeks, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) has implemented two important new measures impacting pending matters.

The first is specific to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), and allows refugee claimants to volunteer to have their refugee claim scheduled on short notice.[1] Normally, refugee claims are scheduled two to four months in advance, with older claims typically heard first. As explained on the IRB website, the RPD occasionally has hearing slots becoming available on short notice, sometimes only a few weeks in advance, in the event of a postponement, for example. The RPD’s “short-notice hearings list” allows claimants who have submitted all documents for their claim, to be added to the list by contacting the RPD through the My Case Portal or by email.[2]

Earlier this month, the IRB also announced that, as a result of the events unfolding in Ukraine, files for individuals from Ukraine that are pending as of 1 March 2022, will be prioritized, including claims and appeals before the RPD and Refugee Appeal Division, and sponsorship appeals before the Immigration Appeal Division.[3] While it does not appear that claimants or appellants to whom this applies will be required to contact the IRB for their files to be prioritized accordingly, the IRB welcomes individuals with pending matters who believe their matters should be prioritized under the new measure to contact the IRB Registry.[4] The IRB also assures that this measure should not impact the processing of files from other countries.

If you require legal advice specific to your matter, feel free to schedule a consultation with one of our team members.

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