Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Information for the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship – May 2025

​​On this page

1. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada at a glance
2. Who we are
3. Operational context
4. Legal framework
5. Refugee Protection Division
6. Refugee Appeal Division
7. Immigration Division
8. Immigration Appeal Division
9. Financial and human resources
10. The first 90 days
11. IRB’s Key external stakeholders
12. Biographies of senior officials
13. Organizational structure

1. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada at a glance

2. Who we are

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB)

• Created by an Act of Parliament in 1989. It is Canada’s largest administrative tribunal. Reports to Parliament through the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC);
• As a tribunal, has a degree of institutional independence, unlike a line department such as IRCC. Responsible for making well-reasoned decisions on immigration and refugee matters, efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law;
• Collaborates on strategic issues through a Deputy Minister-level Asylum System Management Board (ASMB) with IRCC and Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) counterparts and through a Memorandum of Understanding.

The Chairperson

• The IRB is led by a Chairperson appointed by the Governor in Council (GIC) to hold office during good behaviour. She is a member of each Division of the Board and is the chief executive officer of the Board. In that capacity, the Chairperson, among other duties:
• supervises and directs the work and staff of the Board.
• assigns cases to Board members and schedules IRB proceedings.
• takes any action that may be necessary to ensure that the Board members carry out their duties efficiently and without undue delay; and
• may issue guidelines in writing to Board members and identify decisions of the Board as jurisprudential guides, to assist members in carrying out their duties.
• The Chairperson is a Deputy Head under other legislation (e.g. Privacy Act and Access to Information Act) and acts as Chief Accounting Officer for the IRB (Financial Administration Act).

The four Divisions

• IRB members (“decision-makers”) make decisions on refugee claims and appeals, inadmissibility, immigration detention, and immigration appeals.
• Supporting the Divisions, the IRB has public service employees in registry services and others who deliver legal, strategic and corporate services.

3. Operational context

The Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB)’s mandate and operations

• IRB plays the crucial role of ensuring that decisions regarding immigration and refugee claims in Canada are made fairly, efficiently, and in accordance with Canadian law and international obligations. As such, the IRB safeguards Canada’s respect for the rule of law and due process for all through its arm’s length, specialized decision-making. It contributes to the integrity of our immigration and refugee system by independently interpreting and applying the law so the public can be confident that decisions are made without bias.
• IRB conducts most hearings virtually, and increasingly manages its inventory of cases nationally, assigning cases to members across the country. This allows for more flexibility and greater efficiency in scheduling.

The IRB’s Role in Asylum

• Hears and decides claims made in Canada as part of the In-Canada Asylum System (ICAS). The ICAS is accessible to persons with the means to gain access to Canada, whether through visa-free access, work, study or visitor visas, smuggling ventures, or access by land under an exception to the Safe Third Country Agreement at the Canada/US border.
• In accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, the IRB ensures that refugee claims are processed fairly and efficiently. The IRB determines if an individual qualifies as a Convention refugee because of a well-founded fear of persecution or as a person in need of protection due to a risk to life or a risk of torture or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.
• Under the principle of non-refoulement, Canada will not remove a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection to a country where they would be at risk of persecution, torture, or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. Exceptions apply in cases of serious criminality, security, violating human or international rights, or organized criminality.

IRB’s Role in Immigration

• At the request of the CBSA or IRCC, the Immigration Division (ID) conducts admissibility hearings and detention reviews regarding foreign nationals or permanent residents. The Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) hears appeals on immigration-related matters, including family class sponsorship, removal orders, residency obligations, and Ministerial appeals of decisions by the ID.

High asylum intake and increased output

• While IRB’s caseload for the Immigration Division, the Immigration Appeal Division and the Refugee Appeal Division has been relatively stable in recent years, the number of asylum claims to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) has seen historically high growth in the last two fiscal years.
• To address the high growth of asylum claims, the IRB has implemented internal reforms to processes, technology, and productivity management to continue to address demand in the face of a drop in funding in fiscal year 2026-27. This effort resulted in a 42% increase in RPD finalizations of claims in 2024-25.

4. Legal framework

Legal framework for immigration and asylum adjudication

• The mandate and structure of the IRB are set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). This is supplemented by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and the rules of the Board.
• The IRPA mandates the IRB to adjudicate in-Canada refugee protection, immigration detention, family sponsorship appeals, and serious inadmissibility, among others.
• The matters before the IRB can involve complex legal issues which may engage fundamental rights protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter), including the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.
• For example, refugee determination examines if a person will face a risk of persecution, cruel and unusual treatment or punishment, torture or a risk to their life if they return to their country of nationality, while detention reviews engage the liberty interests of the immigration detainee.
• The IRPA entrusts the IRB, an administrative tribunal, to make decisions in these matters. It operates at arm’s length from the government to ensure a high degree of institutional adjudicative independence. IRB members (decision makers) possess a high level of expertise to deliver quality, efficient decision making.
• The jurisprudence has consistently held that, due to the important nature of the rights being adjudicated by the IRB, the IRB must ensure that the parties who come before it are afforded a high level of procedural fairness.
• IRB members are bound to follow relevant jurisprudence. The Federal Court issues hundreds of decisions each year on matters within the IRB’s jurisdiction. Several matters within the IRB’s jurisdiction have also been the subject of Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada decisions.
• The IRPA authorizes the Chairperson, with the approval of the Governor in Council, to make rules of practice and procedure. The Chairperson has made Rules for each of the four Divisions to structure the decision- making process and ensure procedural fairness.
• The IRPA also authorizes the Chairperson to issue guidelines and jurisprudential guides to assist members in carrying out their duties. The Chairperson has issued guidelines and jurisprudential guides on several topics, including gender considerations, detention, accessibility, and complex legal issues such as exclusion under the Refugee Convention.

5. Refugee Protection Division

Mandate

• Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) determines whether a claimant meets the definition of a refugee under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention (i.e. due to a well-founded fear of persecution by reason of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion) or is a person in need of protection (i.e. because they face torture, a risk to life or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment).

Maintaining integrity

• Cases do not proceed to hearing or decision without having first received confirmation that Front-End Security Screening (FESS) has been completed by the Canada Border Services Agency.
• While hearings are often non-adversarial, the Minister (IRCC or Public Safety) may intervene in any hearing, including when there are security concerns or to present relevant information that may be contrary to the claim.
• If, in the review of the file, the RPD identifies potential issues of security or integrity, the Minister (IRCC or Public Safety) is notified and provided with the opportunity to review and intervene in the claim.
• The RPD also hears Minister’s applications to cease or vacate refugee status.

Intake and output

• In fiscal year 2024-2025, the RPD has finalized over 78,700 cases, surpassing its funded target of 60,000.
• During the same period the RPD received 173,000 asylum claim referrals: an increase of 10% over last fiscal year.
• As of March 31, 2025, the IRB has an inventory of 175,800 claims that are ready to be heard. In addition, a further 105,500 claims are incomplete due to a pending security screening and/or other outstanding requirement.
• For the past five years, the acceptance rate at the RPD is on average 63%, with fluctuations over time due to volume of intake by country and type of claims received.

Processing time

• As of the end of fiscal year 2024-2025, the average processing time for a decision was 19 months.

6. Refugee Appeal Division

Mandate

• The Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) considers appeals against decisions of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) to allow or reject claims for refugee protection.
• RAD may accept new evidence in limited circumstances and rarely requires an oral hearing.
• RAD must decide whether to confirm the RPD decision or to substitute its own decision in place of the RPD decision. It may also decide to send the case back to the RPD for redetermination, giving directions to the RPD that RAD considers appropriate.

Maintaining integrity

• The Minister (IRCC or Public Safety) may appeal a refugee protection decision or intervene in an appeal. Minister’s appeals make up 2% of appeals received.

Intake and output

• In fiscal year 2024-2025, RAD finalized 9,400 appeals.
• 28% of appeals decided were allowed, while 70% were dismissed, and 2% were withdrawn or administratively closed.
• In fiscal year 2024-2025, approximately 770 applications for leave contesting RAD decisions were submitted to the Federal Court.
• For the same period, the Federal Court granted approximately 460 applications for leave and overturned approximately 120 RAD decisions, representing 2% of the decisions rendered at RAD this fiscal year.

Processing time

• As of the end of the fiscal year 2024-2025, the average processing time for a decision from the time the appeal was filed was 4 months and decreasing.

7. Immigration Division

Mandate

• The Immigration Division (ID) conducts hearings on immigration-related matters. These include:
• Admissibility hearings: Where the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) believes that a permanent resident or foreign national is inadmissible to, and removable from Canada on enumerated grounds, including security; human rights or international violations; criminality; and misrepresentation.
• Detention reviews: When CBSA detains a permanent resident or a foreign national who is inadmissible to Canada, the law places the onus on the Minister to demonstrate that there are reasons for continued detention. Grounds for detention include that the person is a danger to the public; is unlikely to appear for immigration processes; and where a foreign national is unable to establish their identity.

Maintaining integrity

• CBSA refers reports for admissibility hearings and makes requests for detention reviews to the ID based on its own enforcement priorities and operations.
• In its scheduling, the Division prioritizes detention reviews to ensure compliance with statutory time limits. Admissibility hearings are scheduled based on operational capacity, fairness and in consideration of established scheduling priorities.

Intake and decisions

• In fiscal year 2024-2025, ID finalized approximately 8,300 detention reviews, and 2,100 admissibility hearings. ID operates at full capacity.

Processing time

• At the end of fiscal year 2024-2025, the processing time for admissibility hearings was four months on average.
• Detention reviews are scheduled at 48 hours or as soon as possible afterwards, then at 7 days and then every 30 days thereafter until the person is removed from Canada or released.
• During fiscal year 2024-25, 98% of detention reviews were concluded within legislative time limits. No minors were held in detention this fiscal year.

8. Immigration Appeal Division

Mandate

• The Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) hears appeals on immigration-related matters. These are adversarial hearings, and the Minister is represented in every case. These include:
• Sponsorship appeals: Appeals of family class sponsorship applications refused by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
• Removal order appeals: Appeals of removal orders issued by the ID or by the Minister to permanent residents, protected persons, and holders of permanent resident visas.
• Residency obligation appeals: Appeals by permanent residents outside of Canada who have been found by IRCC not to have fulfilled their residency obligation.
• Minister’s appeals: Appeals by the Minister of Public Safety of decisions where ID found a person not inadmissible.

Maintaining integrity

• Canada Border Services Agency hearings officers represent both the Minister of IRCC and Public Safety in all immigration appeals.

Intake and decisions

• In fiscal year 2024-2025, IAD decided approximately 4,000 cases, surpassing its target of at least 3,000 finalizations.

Processing times

• As of the end of the fiscal year 2024-2025, the average processing time for a decision was five months from the date the appeal was filed.

9. Financial and human resources

• IRB budget for fiscal year 2025-26 is $345.4M. IRB employees are located in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.
• To maintain operational stability, IRB will need to retain its 2024-25 funding level. However, starting in 2026-27, a significant funding decrease is expected, which will lead to a reduction in finalizations that cannot be fully offset by productivity gains.
• The IRB employs highly-trained professionals as adjudicators coming from diverse professional backgrounds. They are supported by legal staff and a broad group of registry and corporate supports with strong functional knowledge and skill.

10. The first 90 days

During the first 90 days, the main issue for the IRB that requires consideration is stabilized funding

• The IRB is looking to maintain its current funding levels to continue addressing the high volume of inventory at the Refugee Protection Division (RPD).
• In Budget 2024, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) received surge funding to meet record high intake, ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████
• Innovation and efficiency measures allowed the IRB to finalize 78,700 RPD cases in fiscal year 2024-25, while being funded for only 60,000. The IRB is planning for up to 85,000 RPD finalizations in fiscal year 2025-26, ████████████████████████████████████████

Updates to IRB Rules

IRB’s regulatory framework (“Rules”) require updating to reflect current practice and to support our initiatives to establish consistent and streamlined procedures as part of a broader effort to enhance efficiency and productivity. IRB is seeking to bring forward formal consultations on Rules through a regulatory process in late 2025 for all four IRB divisions.

The review will be comprehensive in breadth and will align with current jurisprudence. The main objectives of the Rules update are to enable a digital tribunal, clarify disclosure requirements, address issues impacting scheduling, and increase efficiency and procedural fairness. It is expected that a package will be ready for Minister approval in Fall 2025.

IRB’s Key external stakeholders

Professional associations

Organizations representing lawyers and immigration consultants are a key constituency for the IRB. They communicate IRB initiatives, procedures, and expectations to their members, and provide valuable input as the IRB develops and implements new initiatives. These associations include:

• Association québécoise des avocats et avocates en droit de l’immigration;
• Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants;
• Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers;
• Canadian Bar Association;
• College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants;
• Refugee Lawyers Association of Ontario.

Provincial legal aid programs

Effective representation by legal counsel helps to ensure that application deadlines are met, parties are well prepared, and proceedings advance efficiently. In this context, the IRB has collaborative and positive working relations with legal aid programs in key jurisdictions. The IRB Consultative Committee includes legal aid representation from Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.

Canadian Council for Refugees

The IRB has a long standing, positive and collaborative working relationship with the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), a national non-profit umbrella organization representing more than 180 groups across Canada involved in the settlement, sponsorship, and protection of refugees and immigrants.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The IRB has a history of close collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spanning over the past three decades. This relationship is multi-faceted, encompassing consultation on IRB policy and operational initiatives; information and data sharing; and cooperation in the delivery of international capacity building. This includes the context of current and past efforts to strengthen refugee determination systems in Mexico, Costa Rica and elsewhere in Latin America. As well, the UNHCR has certain rights under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, for example the right to observe IRB proceedings involving a refugee claimant or a protected person, and the right to intervene in an appeal conducted by a three-member panel of the Refugee Appeal Division, in line with its responsibility for supervising the application of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

11. Contact list

12. Biographies of Senior Officials and Organization Chart

 

Manon Brassard – Chairperson

Manon Brassard was appointed Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) effective July 23, 2023. Prior to her appointment, she held the position of President of the Canada Economic Development Agency for Quebec Regions from 2016. She has a Bachelor of Laws from the Université of Laval and was called to the Bar of Quebec in 1984. From 2010 until 2016, she held the positions of Assistant Deputy Minister at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and at the Treasury Board Secretariat, after serving in a number of executive roles in various public sector organizations. She began her public service career with the Board in 1989, where she served in a number of roles, including Senior Legal Adviser and Director General of the Policy, Planning and Research Branch.

 

Roula Eatrides – Deputy Chairperson of the Refugee Protection Division

Roula Eatrides was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Refugee Protection Division in September 2019. She joined the IRB in 2018 as Deputy Chairperson of the Immigration Division. She is a member of the Ontario Bar and holds an undergraduate degree in Economics, a Bachelor of Laws Degree and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

 

Suzanne Gilbert – Deputy Chairperson of the Refugee Appeal Division

Suzanne Gilbert was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Refugee Appeal Division in September 2024. Prior to this appointment she had held the position of Deputy Chair of the Immigration Appeal Division since April 2019. From 2006 to 2016, she held a number of positions, including Chair and Associate Chair for the Social Justice Tribunals Ontario with the Child and Family Services Review Board and Custody Review Board.

 

Greg Kipling – Deputy Chairperson of the Immigration Division

Greg Kipling was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Immigration Division in October 2019. Prior to this appointment he was Director General for Policy, Planning Corporate Affairs at the IRB. He holds Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Toronto and Carleton University as well as a Master of Arts degree from Carleton University.

 

Caroline Labranche – Deputy Chairperson Immigration Appeal Division

Caroline Labranche was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Immigration Appeal Division in January 2025. She has been with the IRB since 2016 as a member of the IAD, as Assistant Deputy Chair of the IAD - Eastern Region, and Acting Deputy Chairperson in June 2024. She holds a Bachelor of Teaching English as a Second Language, a Bachelor of Laws and was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1994.

 

Roger Ermuth – Executive Director

Roger Ermuth joined the IRB in October 2021. Prior to his appointment, he was an Assistant Comptroller General with the Office of the Comptroller General. He is a Fellow of Chartered Professional Accounts (FCPA-FCMA). He also has an MBA from the University of Ottawa, a graduate certificate from Harvard University and a BComm from Carleton University.

 

Hongchao Wang – Head of Corporate Services/Chief Financial Officer

Hongchao Wang started with the IRB in May 2024. Prior to her appointment, she was Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Director General Financial Operations with Health Canada. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). She holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Ottawa.

 

Julie Wellington – Senior General Counsel

Julie Wellington was appointed Senior General Counsel of the IRB Legal Services in May 2021. Previously, she served as Director and General Counsel at Justice Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Legal Services. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B. Comm) and a Bachelor of Laws Degree (L.L.B) from the University of Ottawa.

 

Stephanie Shatilla – Ombudsperson

Stephanie Shatilla became the Ombudsperson of the IRB on January 8, 2024. She first joined the IRB in 2018 as the Assistant Deputy Chairperson of the Refugee Protection Division in Central Region, then worked as the Executive Lead in the Workplace Wellness Directorate and later as the Senior Director of the Healthy Workplace Directorate in the Human Resources Branch.

13. Organization structure