Asylum cases to get faster response

OTTAWA • Asylum seekers who cross illegally into Canada — only to wait many months for their refugee claims to be processed — may find their cases finalized sooner as a result of federal changes.

The arms-length board that handles refugee claims plans to speed up the handling of files from irregular border crossers like those seeking refugee status after crossing into Canada from the United States through unofficial forest paths.

The changes will see dozens more Immigration and Refugee Board staff dedicated exclusively to processing irregular border-crossing claims.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced the changes Friday, saying anyone coming into the country illegally from now on will have their cases finalized within 12 months.

“We believe it will send a very strong message to those who assume that coming to Canada through irregular means will result in them waiting for a long period of time, for years, in Canada and then forming an attachment here. That’s not going to happen,” Hussen said.

The refugee board has been wrestling with a massive influx of files over the last year as a surge of “irregular” migrants — those who cross the border at non-official ports of entry — continue to enter Canada. A response team was set up in 2017 to cope with the increased workload and long wait times. But improvements were swamped by the increase in cases.

The 2018 budget earmarked $74 million over the next two years to allow the refugee board to hire more staff to help process irregular migrant claims. Those joining the Montreal office will focus mainly on Nigerian and Haitian irregular claims, which make up the majority of these cases. This will develop a specialization among board decisionmakers to help increase their productivity, government said Friday.

In order to ensure nonirregular claims do not get pushed into a backlog, files will be allocated proportionally. This means in Montreal, for example, where 60 per cent of cases involve irregular border crossers, staff will ensure 60 per cent of files they finalize will be claims of irregular migrants.

Resources will be juggled between regions to respond to shifts in caseload demands.

Hearing rooms will also be reopened in Ottawa and a dedicated group of appeals division staff will prioritize irregular appeals cases, with a “last-in, first-out” approach that will see newer cases heard sooner.

WE BELIEVE IT WILL SEND A VERY STRONG MESSAGE.