Eligibility Interview

Eligibility interview with CBSA at a port of entry

If you make your refugee claim at a port of entry CBSA is responsible for checking your eligibility. Your eligibility interview may happen right away at the port of entry.

Sometimes you may be asked to come back for your eligibility interview on another day. If this happens, CBSA will give you an Acknowledgement of Claim letter. This shows you have started your refugee claim. It is very important to return for your eligibility interview on the date you are asked!

A CBSA officer might also tell you to complete your application on the IRCC Portal from inside Canada. After you submit your application you will receive instructions for attending an eligibility interview with IRCC at a later date.

At your eligibility interview, if the CBSA officer decides you are allowed to make a refugee claim they will give you a:

• Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD). This proves who you are and that you are a refugee claimant. With an RPCD, you can get medical services through the Interim Federal Health Program and other services and benefits in Canada. This form has your Unique Client Identifier (UCI) number on it.
• Confirmation of Referral letter. This shows that CBSA has sent your file to the IRB-RPD for processing. The IRB-RPD will give you a hearing date once they review your file.
• Medical Report form. This tells you about the Immigration Medical Exam (IME) you must have completed within the next 30 days.
• Claimant’s Kit. This has:
  • certified copies of the identity and travel documents that CBSA took from you,
  • a Claimant’s Guide, 
  • copies of the forms you completed (if any),
  • instructions to complete the application forms if you did not fill them out in person, and 
  • information from your interview. CBSA also sends these notes to the IRB-RPD.
• Basis of Claim Form (BOC) (one for each family member). You must fill in and send your BOC Form to the IRB within 45 days. (The form might say 15 days but this is no longer true.) 
• Removal order. This is given to all refugee claimants. It is only enforced if your claim is refused.

Eligibility interview with IRCC in-land

If you make your refugee claim inland, you submit your application forms and BOC through the IRCC Portal. After this, you will receive a date for your eligibility interview from IRCC. 

At the eligibility interview an IRCC officer will:

• Look at your application forms and all the information from the IRCC Portal and ask you questions about the information you gave.
• Check the names, dates, places of birth, and contact information of your family members.
• Ask questions to decide if you can make a claim.

At your eligibility interview, the IRCC officer may decide you are allowed to make a refugee claim. The officer will then give you a:

• Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD). This proves who you are and that you are a refugee claimant. With an RPCD, you can get medical services through the Interim Federal Health Program and other services and benefits in Canada. This form has your Unique Client Identifier (UCI) number on it.
• Confirmation of Referral letter. This shows that CBSA has sent your file to the IRB-RPD for processing. The IRB-RPD will give you a hearing date once they review your file.
• Claimant’s Kit. This has:
  • the certified copies of the identity and travel documents that IRCC took from you,
  • a Claimant’s Guide, 
  • information from your interview. IRCC also sends these notes to the IRB-RPD.
• Basis of Claim Form (BOC) (one for each family member). You must fill in and send your BOC Form to the IRB within 45 days. (The form might say 15 days but this is no longer true.) 
• Removal order. This is given to all refugee claimants. It is only enforced if your claim is refused.

The IRCC officer will explain the next steps in the claim process. 

After a successful eligibility interview, you will wait for your refugee hearing with the IRB-RPD. Start thinking about what evidence you can get to support your claim.

Who may not be eligible to make a refugee claim

At your eligibility interview, the CBSA or IRCC officer may decide you cannot make a refugee claim in Canada. You may not be eligible if:

• You are a Convention refugee in another country that you can go to.
• You made a refugee claim in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand.
• You were already told by Canada that you cannot make a refugee claim.
• You made a refugee claim in Canada that was withdrawn, abandoned, or rejected.
• You have been identified as dangerous or a criminal, or you have broken human rights laws.
• You were already given status in Canada as a protected person.
• You were ordered by Canada to leave the country.
• At a United States-Canada land border, you could not enter because of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA).

If you are not eligible to make a refugee claim, you will be given a removal order with instructions to leave Canada. Ask a legal representative if there are other ways for you to stay in Canada.