The pre-referral abandonment process
If you do not meet a requirement or deadline set by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), your refugee claim may be sent to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) for an abandonment process before it is referred for a hearing.
Learn more about the
pre-referral abandonment process.
The refugee claim application includes questions from the Refugee Protection Division (RPD). Your answers help explain why you need refugee protection. This will form the basis of your refugee claim and is referred to as your
Basis of Claim (BOC) information.
Important: If your refugee claim was referred to the RPD
before November 3, 2026, you submitted a Basis of Claim (BOC) form.
As of
November 3, 2026, you must submit your BOC information using the IRCC portal as part of your refugee claim application.
On this page
What should be included in your BOC information
The Basis of Claim (BOC) information is where you provide your personal information and explain why you cannot return to your country and why you’re asking for the protection of Canada. This includes:
- who you are
- who you fear in your country and why
- if you have been seriously harmed or persecuted in your country, how and why it has happened
- why you cannot return to your country
The RPD will consider the information you provide in your BOC information to decide your case.
Make sure you:
- understand the question before you answer
- answer all questions completely and truthfully
Include documents that support your claim
If you have documents that support your BOC information, include them when you submit your refugee claim application in the IRCC portal.
If some documents were taken or copied by IRCC or the CBSA when you met with them, they will send copies to the RPD.
Applying with family members
If you’re submitting an application with family members, you can use or rely on information from other members of your group when describing the basis of your claim.
For example, you or a person in your family can say that their BOC is the same as what was entered on another person’s responses.
Each claimant must declare the information they provide or rely on is true, complete and correct. The online application will provide you with directions on how to do this.
For children under 18 years old
The parent, legal guardian or the person designated to represent the child is responsible for making the application. This includes completing all required fields for each child under 18 years old.
Why is this information important
Your claim will be decided by a member of the RPD. The member will decide if you need refugee protection. The member will consider:
- what you wrote in your BOC information and refugee protection application form
- what you say at your hearing
- other evidence you send or produce at your hearing
At your hearing, the member will ask you questions about the information in your refugee claim application.
Signing your application
You must sign a consent and declaration form stating that the information you provided in your refugee protection application is complete, true, and correct. It must be uploaded into the IRCC portal when you complete your application.
Important: The parent, legal guardian, or representative of a minor claimant (claimant who is under 18 years old) must sign the declaration on the minor claimant’s behalf.
What happens after you submit your application
After you submit your application, IRCC or the CBSA will review it to make sure it is complete and includes all the required information and documents. If more information is needed, you will receive a notice through the IRCC portal.
The notice will give you a
due date to reply.
It is important that you meet this time limit. If you do not send the required information by the due date, your claim will be sent to the RPD for a
pre-referral abandonment process.
If the RPD decides that you have abandoned your claim, your removal order will take effect, and you may have to leave Canada. You will not be able to make another refugee claim.
Make changes to the BOC information in your refugee claim application
If you need to make changes to your BOC information or submit additional supporting documents
before your claim is referred to the RPD, use the
IRCC web form and select
“Update your application.”
Include a document explaining the changes you are making to your BOC information and list any documents you are adding.
Important: If your claim has already been referred to the RPD, see
Collect your evidence for information on how to update or correct your BOC information.
When your claim is referred to the RPD for a hearing
When your application is complete, an officer at IRCC or the CBSA will review the information you provided. They have up to 365 days to complete this process.
If your claim is eligible, it will be referred to the RPD. They will send you a
confirmation of referral. This document includes important information about the refugee claim hearing process.
Important: You may submit evidence to the RPD only
after receiving the
confirmation of referral. The RPD only creates a file for you when that document is sent. Any questions or documents sent to the IRB before that will be returned, as no file will exist for you.
Start collecting evidence
Start collecting evidence as soon as you can. You must submit your supporting personal documents to the RPD within
soon after your claim is referred.
To learn more about deadlines for sending your personal evidence, see
Collect your evidence to support your claim for more information.