You have submitted your refugee claim online, and IRCC has given you a date to come in. It is the step that decides whether your claim goes to a hearing at all, and it starts the clock on your work permit.
This post walks through that appointment for claims made from inside Canada: what to bring, what the officer asks, what you leave with, and when the work permit arrives.
Before the appointment
Once IRCC confirms your online claim is complete, you receive an Acknowledgment of Claim letter. Keep it safe: it is your proof that you have made a claim until your identity document is issued.
You also receive instructions for an immigration medical exam and a Medical Report form (IMM 1017E). Book the exam with a panel physician as soon as you can. The Interim Federal Health Program covers one immigration medical exam and the tests that go with it, and your work permit cannot be issued until IRCC has the results.
For the appointment itself, bring the original passport and travel documents for you and every family member included in the claim, plus any other identification you have. Before you go, reread the Basis of Claim form you submitted. The officer will ask about the same events, and your answers should match what you wrote.
What happens at the appointment
An IRCC officer interviews you to decide whether your claim is eligible to be sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). Expect questions about your identity and background, your family, how and when you came to Canada, and the danger you face in your home country. If you are not comfortable in English or French, ask IRCC about an interpreter before the day.
The officer is not deciding whether you are a refugee. That is the IRB’s job, at a later hearing. The interview asks a narrower question: is there a legal reason the claim cannot go forward at all? Reasons include an earlier claim in Canada or in another country, a removal order, certain inadmissibility findings, and the time limits now in force. Claims made more than one year after first entering Canada (for people who entered after June 24, 2020), or more than 14 days after crossing the Canada-US land border between official ports of entry, are generally ineligible.
IRCC also takes fingerprints from everyone over 14 and photographs each family member. Your original passport and travel documents are kept by IRCC until there is a final decision on your claim, and you receive certified copies.
What you leave with
If the officer finds your claim eligible, you receive:
- a confirmation of referral letter, showing your claim has been sent to the IRB; and
- a Refugee Protection Identity Document (RPID), which confirms who you are and that you have made a claim. People who claimed earlier may hold the older Refugee Protection Claimant Document.
You also get IRCC’s information booklet for refugee claimants and a pamphlet on the Interim Federal Health Program. Keep the RPID and the referral letter together: you will need them for health coverage and to register children in school.
If the claim is found ineligible, you receive a refusal letter instead, and your file is passed to the Canada Border Services Agency. It starts the removal process, including a check of whether you can apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment. An ineligibility decision can be challenged by judicial review at the Federal Court, but the deadline is 15 days, so get advice right away.
When the work permit arrives
You do not need a separate work permit application. If you answered “Yes” to the work permit question in your online claim, IRCC creates the application for you, and there is no fee when the claim is eligible.
The permit is issued only once two things are in place: your claim has been found eligible, and IRCC has your medical exam results. IRCC’s service standard is to issue the permit within 30 days of both. The medical exam is a common source of delay: a late booking, a missed follow-up test, or results that have not yet reached IRCC’s system. Book it as soon as the instructions arrive.
It is an open work permit, so you can work for most employers. Once you have it, apply for a Social Insurance Number. If you did not ask for a work permit in your claim, you can still apply later with a copy of your RPID and proof of your medical exam.
The government has proposed regulations that would change parts of this sequence, including a deadline to submit a complete application after a claim is found eligible, with work permits tied to meeting it and completing the medical exam. At the time of writing, these were proposals and not yet in force. If you are reading this later, check the current rules before relying on the steps above.
Your answers become part of your file
Everything you say at the appointment is written down. The IRB member who hears your claim will read those notes alongside your Basis of Claim form, and differences between the two are one of the most common reasons a claimant’s credibility is questioned. Answer what you know, say so when you do not know or remember, and tell the officer if you do not understand a question or the interpretation.
For the rest of the process, from the hearing to the decision, see our post on what happens after you submit a refugee claim in Canada.
Talk to us before the appointment
If your IRCC appointment is coming up, or your claim has been found ineligible, book a consultation with Kabir & Alam Lawyers. If you are not sure where to start, tell us about your matter and we will reply by email with the next step. You can also read more about our refugee law practice.
This post is general information about Canadian immigration law and is not legal advice. Every case turns on its own facts. Speak with a lawyer about your situation before making decisions.