2024 to 2025 Departmental Results Report: Gender-based Analysis Plus

​Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus governance and capacity

Governance

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB or the Board) is an independent administrative tribunal responsible for making well‑reasoned decisions on immigration and refugee matters, efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law.

The Board is not responsible for developing public policy relating to refugee and immigration matters, as this falls under the mandates of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). However, when consulted by the government on the impact that proposed government policies may have on the IRB's work, the Board includes Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) considerations in its input, as appropriate. The IRB is assisted in such matters by a dedicated GBA Plus Champion and a dedicated focal point.

Capacity

The ​IRB can establish adjudicative instruments and procedural tools to complement the guidance provided by the Board's enabling legislation, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, that are intended for use by IRB decision-makers (members) and support personnel. This includes the Chairperson's Guideline 4: Gender Considerations in Proceedings Before the Immigration and Refugee Board and Chairperson's Guideline 9: Proceedings Before the IRB Involving Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics. GBA Plus is used during the development, monitoring and review of these internal policy instruments. These instruments and tools were applied by the decision-makers in each of the four divisions where relevant throughout the fiscal year.

During the year, work was also conducted toward developing enhanced national training, resources and procedures for Registry staff for matters related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics.

A review of the Immigration Division Rules, which establish the practices and required procedures of the Immigration Division for admissibility hearings and detention reviews, continued during the fiscal year and reviews of the Refugee Protection Division Rules and Refugee Appeal Division Rules have begun. GBA Plus is integrated as part of these regulatory development processes.  

Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus

In fiscal year 2024 to 2025, the IRB had the equivalent of a 0.25 full-time equivalent dedicated to GBA Plus. This included a designated focal point who was responsible for developing content for corporate reports, reviewing the Board's GBA Plus content included in IRCC or CBSA Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions, and attending GBA Plus interdepartmental committee meetings.

Section 2: Gender and diversity impacts, by program

Core responsibility: Adjudication of immigration and refugee cases

Program name:

• Admissibility and Detention Decisions
• Immigration Appeal Decisions
• Refugee Appeal Decisions
• Refugee Protection Decisions
• Internal Services

Program goals

Program goals for Admissibility and Detention Decisions, Immigration Appeal Decisions, Refugee Appeal Decisions, and Refugee Protection Decisions: The Board has adjudicative independence and makes decisions on a case-by-case basis. The Board does apply a GBA Plus lens to its programs as per the Chairperson's Guideline 4: Gender Considerations in Proceedings Before the Immigration and Refugee Board, the Chairperson's Guideline 8: Accessibility to IRB Proceedings — Procedural Accommodations and Substantive Considerations, and the Chairperson's Guideline 9: Proceedings Before the IRB Involving Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics. Notably, the Gender-Related Task Force in the Refugee Protection Division is a dedicated team with specialized training to hear and decide gender-related refugee protection claims. It ensures the respectful, trauma-informed and consistent adjudication of such claims. It also identifies, implements and refines best practices for adjudicating gender-related claims and shares those best practices for adjudication broadly across the Division.

Program goals for Internal Services: The IRB's internal services goal is to become more inclusive and to reduce systemic bias by understanding the diverse needs of all employees, including members, and those appearing before the Board, regardless of sex, gender or identity. The Board continued to be partially guided in this goal through its Accessibility Plan 2023 to 2025, which aims to identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility.

Target population

• Admissibility and Detention Decisions: foreign nationals and permanent residents
• Immigration Appeal Decisions: immigration appellants (does not include the Minister for the purpose of GBA Plus)
• Refugee Appeal Decisions: refugee appellants (does not include the Minister for the purpose of GBA Plus)
• Refugee Protection Decisions: refugee protection claimants
• Internal Services: Board members and IRB personnel

Distribution of benefits

The IRB is responsible for making well-reasoned decisions on immigration and refugee matters, efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law. All individuals appearing before the Board receive a fair and impartial decision, regardless of their age, gender or identity factors. Decisions are made by independent decision-makers who consider all the facts and circumstances of each case, as supported by evidence, in accordance with the law. The information below relates to the distribution of case finalizations in relation to gender and age group in fiscal year 2024 to 2025.

GBA Plus data collection plan

The IRB's case management system records a limited amount of information, including the gender, age and country of origin of persons appearing before it, as well as the application of the Chairperson's Guidelines 4 and 9. This information allows the Board to analyze its client base in a gender-disaggregated and age-stratified way.

Scales

Gender scale

• First group: predominantly men (80% or more men)
• Second group: 60% to 79% men
• Third group: broadly gender-balanced
• Fourth group: 60% to 79% women
• Fifth group: predominantly women (80% or more women)

Income level scale

• First group: strongly benefits low income individuals (strongly progressive)
• Second group: somewhat benefits low income individuals (somewhat progressive)
• Third group: no significant distributional impacts
• Fourth group: somewhat benefits high income individuals (somewhat regressive)
• Fifth group: strongly benefits high income individuals (strongly regressive)

Age group scale

• First group: primarily benefits youth, children or future generations
• Second group: no significant intergenerational impacts or impacts on generations between youths and seniors
• Third group: primarily benefits seniors or the baby boom generation