Program directory · Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Refugee Protection Decisions
- Department
- Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
- Program code
- BGC01 (IRB)
- Core responsibility
- Adjudication of immigration and refugee cases
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
Render quality decisions and resolve cases in a timely manner regarding refugee protection claims made by persons in Canada and applications by the Minister to vacate or cease a refugee protection claim
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refugee Protection Decisions | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $846M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Employees (FTEs) 778, against 621 in 2018-19 (+25%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Indicators added: Percentage of cases finalized within 24 months | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of cases pending beyond time standards | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators added: The percentage of cases that meet high quality standards | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2020-21 | Indicators dropped: % of decisions overturned by the Federal Court; The average score of proceedings measured on a 1-3 scale for being respectful and focused, and of decisions that are clear, concise and complete | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Employees (FTEs) 1,094, against 881 in 2020-21 (+24%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Spending $126M, against $97.7M in 2020-21 (+29%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators added: Less than XX% of inventory pending over 3 years | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of cases finalized within 24 months | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators added: Annual volume of Refugee Protection cases finalized; Average wait time for decisions on Refugee Protection; Percentage of Refugee Protection decisions overturned by the Federal Court; The percentage of Refugee Protection cases that meet or exceed the quality standard; Time within which 80% of Refugee Protection cases are finalized | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators dropped: Annual finalizations; Less than XX% of inventory pending over 3 years; The percentage of cases that meet high quality standards | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Annual finalizations
Expected result: Volume of finalizations
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 26,000 | 2019 | 34,786 | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 33,000 | 2020 | 42,888 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 50,000 | 2021 | 29,692 Target for annual finalizations identified prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was not met. Disruptions to operations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the temporary suspension of in-person hearings in order to protect the safety of staff and those appearing before the Board was the key contributing factor. Mid-year revised operational targets were met as a result of a shift to a remote hear… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 50,000 | 2022 | 48,041 In 2021–22, the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) achieved 96% of its funded capacity target. While the RPD fell short of its target due to pandemic-related disruptions, finalizations for that period were 12% more than the previous year and the inventory was reduced by 23%. | Not met |
| 2022-23 | 45,000 – 50,000 | 2023 | 48,201 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 50,000 | 2024 | 55,267 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 60,000 | 2025 | 78,723 | Met |
Less than XX% of inventory pending over 3 years
Expected result: Timely Decisions rendered
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≤ 5% | 2023 | 7% Continued efforts towards a balanced first-in, first-out approach have permitted a decrease of this percentage from 16% in fiscal year 2021 to 2022 to 7% in 2022 to 2023. The Refugee Protection Division is expected to meet this target before the end of fiscal year 2023 to 2024. | Not met |
| 2023-24 | ≤ 5% | 2024 | 1% | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≤ 5% | 2025 | 1% | Met |
The percentage of cases that meet high quality standards
Expected result: Cases are resolved through proceedings that are focused and respectful and decisions that are transparent, intelligible, and justified.
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 75% | 2021 | 91% | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 75% | 2022 | — Actual results are not available for 2021–22. The focus of the quality review shifted following the move from in-person hearings to virtual hearings and included an Access to Justice Review of Virtual Hearings which concluded that a strong majority of stakeholders had an overall positive experience with virtual hearings. The Board is further evolving its virtual hearings processes based on the re… | No result reported |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 80% | 2024 | 97.5% | Met |
Percentage of cases finalized within 24 months
Expected result: Timely Decisions rendered
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 50% | 2020 | 53% | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 50% | 2021 | 21% Target for timely decisions was not met. Disruptions to operations related to the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with a case management strategy that focused on the oldest cases in the Refugee Protection Division’s inventory were key contributing factors. | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 50% | 2022 | 43% In 2021–22, the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) fell short by 7% of its target, as a result of the prioritization of the oldest claims in inventory to uphold fundamental rights and ensure procedural fairness. In doing so, the RPD finalized just over 48,000 claims, the most claims ever finalized in one year in the history of the IRB. This resulted in a 23% decrease in the RPD’s inventory. | Not met |
% of decisions overturned by the Federal Court
Expected result: Fair and timely adjudication of immigration and refugee cases
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≤ 1% | 2019 | 0.5% Few RPD cases are now eligible for judicial review. This number reflects a small, unrepresentative sample of cases. | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≤ 1% | 2020 | 0% REMOVED, NO LONGER AN INDICATOR FOR THIS PROGRAM AS APPROVED BY TBS | Met |
The average score of proceedings measured on a 1-3 scale for being respectful and focused, and of decisions that are clear, concise and complete
Expected result: Cases are resolved through proceedings that are focused and respectful and decisions that are transparent and intelligible
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 2 – 3 | 2019 | 0 deferred to 2019-20 | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Annual volume of Refugee Protection cases finalized
Expected result: Finalizations of Refugee Protection Division cases
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 90,000 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Average wait time for decisions on Refugee Protection
Expected result: Timely Refugee Protection Decisions rendered
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 30 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Percentage of Refugee Protection decisions overturned by the Federal Court
Expected result: Fair and timely adjudication of Refugee Protection Division cases
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 1% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Time within which 80% of Refugee Protection cases are finalized
Expected result: Timely Refugee Protection Decisions rendered
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 42 | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
The percentage of Refugee Protection cases that meet or exceed the quality standard
Expected result: Refugee Protection Division cases are resolved through quality proceedings and decisions
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 80% | 2028 | — | Planned |
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $46.6M | $66.1M |
| 2019-20 | $67.7M | $81M |
| 2020-21 | $120M | $97.7M |
| 2021-22 | $135M | $126M |
| 2022-23 | $137M | $134M |
| 2023-24 | $167M | $164M |
| 2024-25 | $161M | $178M |
| 2025-26 | $173M | — |
| 2026-27 | $171M | — |
| 2027-28 | $176M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $159M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 435 | 621 |
| 2019-20 | 682 | 778 |
| 2020-21 | 880 | 881 |
| 2021-22 | 946 | 1,094 |
| 2022-23 | 974 | 1,189 |
| 2023-24 | 1,260 | 1,368 |
| 2024-25 | 1,298 | 1,468 |
| 2025-26 | 1,315 | — |
| 2026-27 | 1,400 | — |
| 2027-28 | 1,439* | — |
| 2028-29 | 1,287* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $46,647,630 | $46,647,630 | $46,754,966 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $67,662,446 | $55,473,441 | $45,126,660 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $120,074,075 | $47,860,616 | $45,583,975 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $134,612,979 | $121,425,272 | $77,205,689 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $137,339,047 | $77,300,638 | $47,050,638 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $167,056,082 | $155,973,930 | $121,902,409 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $160,979,283 | $126,572,775 | $124,935,939 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $172,932,742 | $153,386,824 | $153,386,824 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $171,163,377 | $176,285,452 | $159,082,049 | ||||||||
| Actual | $66,072,604 | $81,035,696 | $97,670,418 | $125,561,208 | $134,122,948 | $163,697,503 | $178,200,096 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
