Canadian Refugee Claims processing times

In an effort to improve public relations, Immigration Minister Jason Kenny has finally begun refilling vacant positions in the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB).  The Minister has just appointed 12 people to sit on the vacant board in an effort to reduce some of the congestion facing the IRB regarding refugee claims, immigration appeals, admissibility hearings, and detention reviews.

Shorter wait times will help Canadian refugee claims and immigration appeals go more smoothly

What this translates into is hopefully a much faster turnaround for these cases. This is especially important for people attempting to remain in Canada where their safety and security may be at issue, or for people being held on immigration detention waiting for their day in court for refugee claims in Canada and immigration appeal hearings. At the Immigration and Refugee Board in Toronto, we are involved in many immigration hearings and are frustrated, with our clients, by the long wait times.

While these changes will likely come slowly, and the IRB is still only at 90% capacity, many of the new appointees come from a background of immigration, and will be able to sift through applications much faster to find those deserving of approval. Hopefully these developments will have a positive net effect for all of our immigration clients served at our Toronto and Hamilton offices.

President & CEO

Michael Niren

Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.