Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Consultative Committee

• As an independent tribunal, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is responsible for setting its own strategic priorities and for the development of its operational policies, procedures, and initiatives. With that said, the IRB recognizes that the successful implementation of new policies, procedures, and initiatives that impact stakeholders and those who appear before the Board may benefit from discussions and/or consultations with its stakeholders.
• The IRB's Consultative Committee (IRB CC) is comprised of representatives from key stakeholder organizations (those representing lawyers and immigration consultants, refugee advocacy organizations and provincial legal aid programs) and IRB senior managers. It serves to inform stakeholders of the Board's organizational plans and priorities, as well as to gather their views and consult on new or revised policies, procedures, and initiatives.  
• The IRBCC meetings will serve to discuss and exchange on current and emerging issues of national relevance as they impact stakeholders or persons appearing before the Board. A national interest should be demonstrated before an issue is included on the agenda of an IRBCC meeting.
• Subject matter experts within the IRB or from external organizations, as well as other government departments or agencies, may be invited to meetings to participate or present on issues of common interest to IRBCC members.
• Biannual national meetings will take place in the fall and in the spring of each year and are presided over by the IRB Chairperson (or the Chairperson's delegate, when necessary). These meetings will be used to:
• share information on the IRB's priorities and initiatives;
• encourage forward-thinking discussions on specific topics of concern to the IRB and its stakeholders;
• consult on current-year policies and initiatives and report back on completed consultations, as appropriate; and
• inform IRBCC members of the IRB's planned consultation activities.
• Meetings can also be convened on an ad-hoc basis if necessary.
• The IRB's Outreach and Engagement team (O&E) provides secretarial services for all IRBCC national meetings. The IRB will consult with IRBCC members to determine items for meeting agendas.
• A summary report will be provided to all members following the meeting. When follow-ups are needed on specific issues, the Board will ensure to report back to IRBCC members as necessary.

Regional stakeholder committee meetings

• Regularly scheduled regional stakeholder committee meetings with IRBCC member organizations complement the national committee meetings. The Assistant Deputy Chairpersons (ADCs) in each IRB region (Eastern, Central, and Western) lead their respective committees.
• Regional committees have an important role in addressing unique circumstances that may be present in a particular region.  Regional operational issues are expected to be addressed at the regional level. When such issues are still a concern and have the potential to become national issues, they may be raised with IRB's Outreach and Engagement team. IRBCC is not intended to be an automatic recourse for a regional impasse. Issues that warrant a broader discussion with all stakeholders will be raised by the IRB at national meetings.

Membership

IRB (internal) membership includes:    

• Committee Chair: IRB Chairperson
• Chief of Staff to the IRB Chairperson
• Executive Director
• Head of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer
• Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division
• Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Appeal Division
• Deputy Chairperson, Immigration Division
• Deputy Chairperson, Immigration Appeal Division
• Senior General Counsel, Legal Services
• Chief Innovation and Technology Officer
• Director General, Operations and Regional Services
• Director General, Strategic Directions and Corporate Affairs
• Senior Director, Policy, Engagement and Parliamentary Affairs
• Director, Communications and Access to Information (observer)
• Secretariat: Outreach and Engagement Unit

IRBCC (external) stakeholder members include representatives from:    

• Aide juridique Montréal|Laval (1 member)
• Association québécoise des avocats et avocates en droit de l'immigration (AQAADI) (2 members)
• Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) (2 members)
• Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) (2 members)
• Canadian Bar Association – Immigration Law Section (CBA) (3 members)
• Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) (3 members)
• Legal Aid British Columbia (1 member)
• Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) (1 member)
• Refugee Lawyers Association of Ontario (RLA) (1 member)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office – Canada (UNHCR) (1 member)

The IRBCC last convened virtually on May 29 and 30, 2024 for the Spring 2024 Biannual Meeting. Each of the four IRB Divisions provided an overview of their accomplishments for fiscal year 2023-24 and addressed division-specific update items. Other areas of discussion throughout the meeting included important issues, such as the IRB's Horizon 2026-27 strategic plan, the My Case portal and other technological innovations, and the Code of Conduct for Members of the IRB, among other topics.