Refugee Claim Process | Micah House Hamilton Ontario

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Claim Process

Refugee Claim Process

Below is a simplified image of the refugee process in Canada.

A refugee claim is either made at a border (port of entry) or at an Immigration office (inland). Eligibility of making a claim will be assessed. If the requirements are met, refugee claim identification and a claim package will be given.

This package include a Personal Information Form (PIF) which must be completed and return within 28 days of filing of the claim or the claim will be discarded. It is best to have a lawyer assist to fill out this form.

After completion of the form, there will be a period of waiting for a hearing date to be set. The hearing will include the claimant, their lawyer, and the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) judge. The waiting period for a hearing date is around 10 months.

refugee_claim_process

After a successful hearing, a claimant can apply for permanent residence and Canadian citizenship. If the original claim is rejected, there are other options which are not listed here. A lawyer or legal aid clinic can explain these options.

Myths About Refugees

MYTH: Canada respects the rights of all refugees and immigrants living in Canada.

Canadians are rightly proud of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and our human rights commitments, but our record is not spotless. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly criticized Canada for its slowness in reuniting refugee families.

MYTH: Canada has more difficulty intergrating newcomers today than a century ago. Immigrants are now more diverse.

Fears about immigrant integration are not new. Generation after generation, people have worried about whether the most recent immigrants will integrate as well as previous immigrants.

MYTH: Refugee claimants pose threats to Canada's security.

Refugee claimants are not threats to security – they are seeking security and protection from threats to their own lives.

MYTH: Canada does more than its share to assist refugees and asylum seekers when compared to other countries.

On the contrary, international law recognizes that refugees often have no choice but to enter a country of asylum illegally.

MYTH: Real refugees are those who wait in refugee camps overseas. Those who make a claim in Canada jump the line and are not as deserving.

Refugees are people who have been forced from their homes by human rights abuses. All refugees have a right to protection, wherever they are.