The Immigration and Refugee Board decides some of the highest-stakes questions in Canadian law. Knowing which of its four divisions holds your matter is where a good outcome begins.
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is the country’s largest independent administrative tribunal. It is not one body with one process. It is four divisions, each with its own role, its own rules, and its own deadlines. The first practical question in any IRB matter is simple: which division decides this, and how long do I have?
The RPD decides claims for refugee protection. If you claim at a port of entry, your Basis of Claim form is due within 15 days, and most claims are decided after an oral hearing where credibility and country-condition evidence are tested. The record you build at the RPD shapes any appeal that follows.
The RAD hears appeals from RPD refusals. The notice of appeal is generally due within 15 days of the written reasons, and the appellant’s record within 45 days. The RAD usually decides on the written record, without a hearing, so the quality of that record is decisive.
The ID conducts two very different but equally serious proceedings. Admissibility hearings decide whether a person is inadmissible to Canada, for criminality, misrepresentation or other grounds. Detention reviews decide whether a person should remain in immigration detention. Detention is reviewed on a strict schedule: within 48 hours, again within the next seven days, and then at least every 30 days until release or removal. Here, time and liberty are both on the line.
The IAD hears immigration appeals: refused family and spousal sponsorships, certain removal orders, and residency-obligation decisions, for example where a permanent resident is found not to have met the physical-presence requirement. A right of appeal to the IAD is valuable, and in criminal cases it can be lost where a sentence of six months or more is imposed, which is why early advice matters.
This article is general legal information and is not legal advice. For your own situation, please book a consultation.
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Book a Consultation移民及难民局裁决的，是加拿大法律中最攸关命运的一些问题。弄清你的事项归属哪个庭，正是好结果的起点。
加拿大移民及难民局(IRB)是全国最大的独立行政裁判机构。它不是"一个机构、一套流程"，而是四个庭，各有各的职责、规则与时限。任何IRB事项的第一个实务问题都很简单：这件事由哪个庭裁决，我还有多少时间？
RPD裁决难民保护申请。若你在入境口岸提出申请，申请依据表(BOC)须在15天内递交；大多数申请在一次口头听证后裁决，听证会检验可信性与来源国状况证据。你在RPD搭建的案卷，会影响其后的任何上诉。
RAD审理对RPD拒绝的上诉。上诉通知书一般须在书面理由后15天内递交，上诉人案卷须在45天内完善。RAD通常基于书面案卷、不开庭裁决，因此案卷质量具有决定性。
ID进行两类截然不同、却同样严肃的程序。可受理性聆讯(admissibility hearing)裁定一个人是否因刑事、误导性陈述或其他理由而不可受理；羁押复核(detention review)裁定一个人是否应继续被移民羁押。羁押按严格的时间表复核：48小时内一次、随后的七天内再一次，之后至少每30天一次，直至获释或被遣返。在这里，时间与人身自由同时悬于一线。
IAD审理移民上诉：被拒的家庭及配偶担保、某些遣返令，以及居住义务决定（例如永久居民被认定未满足实际居住要求时）。向IAD上诉的权利很宝贵，而在刑事案件中，一旦被判处六个月或以上刑期，这项权利可能丧失，这正是尽早获得意见的原因。
本文为一般法律信息，不构成法律意见。针对您的具体情况，请预约咨询。