CIMM – Immigration and Refugee Board Refugee Claims from Afghanistan – February 8, 2023

Key Messages

Since August 2021, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) has been taking measures to expedite all files relating to individuals from Afghanistan.
Of the 272 refugee claims that were pending as of August 2021, 264 have been decided.
Since then, the IRB has received 1,082 new refugee claims and has finalized 945 claims. 91% of these claims have been accepted.
Due to streamlined processes for Afghanistan, these claims remain in our inventory for an average of seven months. This is down significantly from 16.6 months in August 2021 and is shorter than the current overall IRB expected average processing time of 19 months.
Straightforward claims are often processed more quickly, and can take as little as approximately two months, including the required security screening, evidence gathering, and decision-making.
Decisions are made by independent adjudicators, in accordance with the law and based on the facts presented in each individual case.

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, scheduling of files is informed by principles of fairness, efficiency, integrity, and institutional independence.
The IRB has identified Afghanistan claims for triage as part of the Task Force on Less Complex Claims. This means that the IRB is examining these claims, based on country conditions, to see if they can be resolved without a hearing.
Alternatively, claims may require a short hearing to interview claimants on one or two key determinative issues unable to be assessed based on the documents alone. No claim is denied without a hearing.
If there are more complicated questions of credibility or identity, these cases will not be addressed as a less complex claim and will proceed via the regular hearing process.