On September 10, 2018, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) will begin hearing claims for refugee protection in Ottawa. As of this date, a team of Refugee Protection Division (RPD) members, who are based in Ottawa, will begin presiding over claims for refugee protection in hearing rooms located in downtown Ottawa.
Refugee protection claims from claimants based in the National Capital Region (NCR) that are ready to be scheduled for a hearing will be automatically identified by the RPD and scheduled in Ottawa. A Notice to Appear will then be sent to claimants and their counsel confirming the time, date and location of the hearing. While the focus will be on scheduling claims from claimants based in the NCR (claimants and counsel, or just claimants), some claims in other cities may also be heard by members in Ottawa through the use of videoconference technology.
Claimants who relocate are required to keep their contact information up to date. If this information changes, claimants must immediately provide the IRB and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and/or the Canada Border Services Agency with the changes in writing. Failure to do so could result in the claim being considered abandoned.
Source: IRCC