Boutique Canadian Immigration Consulting. Focused on IRB Matters

Based in Brantford, Ontario, Medley Global Immigration is a boutique immigration consulting practice focused on Canadian Immigration, Appeals and Refugee matters before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Whether you are making a refugee claim, filing an appeal, preparing for a detention review or admissibility hearing, appealing a removal order, or seeking guidance on a visa matter, Medley Global Immigration works to simplify the process and represent you with clarity, integrity, and care.

Why Choose Medley Global?


✅ One of the few consultancies authorized to represent you before the IRB

✅ A focused practice, not a one-size-fits-all shop

✅ Business insight meets immigration expertise

✅ Honest guidance, every step of the way

Frequently asked questions

What is the Basis of Claim form?

The Basis of Claim form is one of the most important documents in your refugee claim. It is for you to tell your identity, what you fear in your home country, why and how have you been harmed or persecuted and why is it unsafe or dangerous for you to return to your home country.

The Refugee Protection Division member will decide your claim based on what you write in the Basis of Claim form, what you say at your hearing and what evidence you present. The RPD member may ask your questions on things you write in your BOC or anything else not included in your form.

You must provide a separate form for each family member. You must complete this form for all Adults (18 and over) and Children (7 to 17 years). For Children (6 or younger), complete only 'who you are' section.

What is the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB)?

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is Canada’s largest independent administrative tribunal, created to resolve immigration and refugee cases fairly, efficiently, and in accordance with the law. It is not part of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), though it works closely with both; its independence is central to its quasi‑judicial role.

What the IRB does?
The IRB’s core mandate is to make well‑reasoned decisions on immigration and refugee matters, including:

  • Determining who qualifies for refugee protection among people who make claims in Canada.
  • Holding admissibility hearings for foreign nationals or permanent residents alleged to be inadmissible to (or removable from) Canada.
  • Reviewing reasons for detention of people held for immigration reasons.
  • Hearing appeals on certain immigration decisions, such as family sponsorship refusals, some removal orders, and residency‑obligation decisions.

Structure: The IRB operates through four divisions, each with a distinct role:

  • Refugee Protection Division (RPD): Hears and decides refugee protection claims made inside Canada.
  • Refugee Appeal Division (RAD): Decides appeals from RPD decisions to allow or reject refugee claims.
  • Immigration Division (ID): Conducts admissibility hearings and detention reviews for foreign nationals.
  • Immigration Appeal Division (IAD): Hears appeals on immigration matters such as refused family sponsorships, certain removal orders, and residency‑obligation decisions; it can also hear appeals by the Minister from ID admissibility decisions.

Only the RPD (for refugee claims) and the ID (for admissibility hearings) make first‑instance decisions; the RAD and IAD mainly review decisions made by the government or by the IRB itself.

I entered Canada 5 months ago on a visitor visa. Can I claim refugee protection?

Yes, you can generally make a refugee claim in Canada if you entered on a visitor visa and have been here for 5 months, as long as you cannot return to your home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution. It is important that you are not subject to a removal order and your claim is not otherwise ineligible.

Your claim will be found ineligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) if, for example, you:

  • Already have protected person status in Canada, or have been recognized as a Convention refugee by another country you can return to.
  • Have already made an asylum claim in Canada that was rejected, abandoned, withdrawn, or found ineligible.
  • Made an asylum claim in another country
  • Are inadmissible on serious security, criminality, or human‑rights grounds.
  • Are subject to a removal order.
  • Entered Canada from the United States along the land border (Safe Third Country Agreement rules).
  • There is also a specific time‑limit rule: if you entered Canada after June 24, 2020, your claim is ineligible if you make it more than one year after your entry. Since you entered 5 months ago, you are within that one‑year window.

How you would make the claim?

People already in Canada typically submit an inland asylum claim online through the IRCC portal. The officers then determine eligibility to refer the claim to the IRB’s Refugee Protection Division. Visitor status itself does not block you from claiming; many asylum claimants initially arrive as visitors, students, or workers.
I entered Canada as a student in 2023, and now in 2026, I want to apply for refugee protection? Am I eligible?

Based on the current rules, if you first entered Canada as a student in 2023 (after June 24, 2020) and you try to make a refugee claim in 2026, your claim will be found deemed ineligible to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board because it is being made more than one year after your first entry.

Under section 101(1)(b.1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), a refugee claim is ineligible if:

The claimant entered Canada after June 24, 2020, and The claim is made more than one year after the day of their entry.

Unaccompanied minors are exempt from 'one-year' rule.
What is a Section 44 report?

A Section 44 report is issued under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) when an officer believes a permanent resident or foreign national in Canada may be inadmissible. It sets out the facts and goes to a Minister for review.

There are two possible paths for what happens next. The case is referred to the Immigration Division for an admissibility hearing, or in some cases (eg residency obligation breaches), the Minister can issue a removal order directly; no hearing required. If the Immigration Division confirms inadmissibility, a removal order follows: deportation, exclusion, or departure order, depending on the grounds.

The part people miss: A Section 44 report ≠ removal. It is the start of a process, not the end of one. What happens next depends on why the report was written and which ground of inadmissibility applies.

Note: Permanent residents generally have a right to appeal a removal order to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), but that right isn't automatic. It can be restricted or lost, for example, in certain serious criminality cases.