Frequently asked questions:
The refugee system

Refugee Appeal Division

Are there other reasons not to have an appeal division?

Yes. Implementing the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) would have reversed recent progress to reduce processing times for refugee claimants. It is estimated that the RAD would have added five months to the processing time for refused claimants. (More than 31,000 failed claimants would have been eligible for an appeal under the RAD in 2005.)

Adding another method of appeal would also involve significant additional costs for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Immigrant and Refugee Board and the Canada Border Services Agency. It would also increase costs in provincial legal aid and social assistance budgets.

Genuine refugees would be affected as well, because if the system had a very high workload, it would take longer for those in real need of protection to receive refugee status.