Operational Bulletins 108 – September 16, 2009

Hinton v. Her Majesty the Queen – Notice to Class Members

Background

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is presently defending a class action lawsuit in the Federal Court of Canada called Hinton, which deals with a variety of service fees under the former Immigration Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The class action alleges that the Canadian government has made a profit on these fees, contrary to the restraints of the Financial Administration Act.

Instructions

CIC offices may receive inquiries about the Hinton class notice, which by order of the Federal Court of Canada, has been posted on both the CIC Internet site at www.cic.gc.ca and at www.visalitigation.com, the website of class counsel. The Notice provides important information on the lawsuit to potential class members, explains what the lawsuit is about, who is a member of the class, what their legal rights and options are, and who to contact for more information about the lawsuit.

CIC staff do NOT have to answer any questions about this lawsuit, including questions about the Notice to the Class, even though the Notice is posted on CIC’s website.

All questions about the Notice should be directed to the Class Counsel in Canada. Their contact information is shown in the Notice. Where it is convenient to reply in writing to avoid further correspondence or to respond to queries at reception windows, the only reply provided should be:

“We are not in a position to answer your question. You should direct your inquiries to the Class Counsel in Canada listed in the notice which you can read on their website: www.visalitigation.com.”

Media inquiries should be referred to the Media Relations Unit at 613-952-1650 or
IRCC.COMMMediaRelations-RelationsmediasCOMM.IRCC@cic.gc.ca.