2025 to 2026 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 immigration and refugee 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 this work 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 the Chairperson's Guideline 9: Proceedings Before the IRB Involving Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC). GBA Plus is used during the development, monitoring and review of these policy instruments. These instruments and tools were applied by the decision-makers in each of the four divisions where relevant throughout the fiscal year. The Gender Related Task Force (GRTF), a dedicated and specialized team of decision-makers that is assigned gender-related refugee claims, continued to hear and decide claims based on evidence and the specific merits of each claim, and in accordance with the law.

In fiscal year 2025 to 2026, the IRB continued to work towards updating its Rules of Practice, which set out practices and procedures for how each of the IRB's four divisions hears and decides its cases. The IRB is revising these rules to make it easier to navigate and understand the adjudicative process, to modernize its operations and to integrate measures stemming from the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act. GBA Plus was integrated as part of the regulatory development process.

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

In fiscal year 2025 to 2026, the IRB had the equivalent of a 0.25 full-time equivalent dedicated to GBA Plus. This included a designated GBA Plus Champion, as well as a GBA Plus Focal Point, who was responsible for developing content for corporate reports, reviewing the Board's GBA Plus content included in IRCC and 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: Board members have adjudicative independence, deciding cases individually. The IRB applies a GBA Plus lens through its relevant Chairperson's guidelines on gender and SOGIESC considerations. The specialized GRTF ensures trauma-informed, respectful, and consistent decisions on gender-related refugee claims, while developing and sharing best practices across the Refugee Protection Division.

Program goals for Internal Services: To become more inclusive and reduce systemic bias by understanding the diverse needs of employees and those appearing before the IRB. The Board is partially guided in these goals by its Accessibility Plan 2026 to 2028, which aims to identify, remove and prevent barriers in the workplace and for those appearing before the IRB.

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 other 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, by gender and age group, for fiscal year 2025 to 2026.

Key program impacts on gender and diversity

Not available​.

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