Beginning in November 2016, the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) is running an express triage pilot project as an alternative model to the early informal resolution (EIR) process. This pilot will run for approximately six months in its Central (Toronto) and Western (Vancouver) regional offices. The Eastern (Montreal) regional office is not part of this pilot project.
The objective of this pilot is to reduce case management delays in the early stages of the appeal process. To achieve this objective, the pilot will test the hypothesis that it is more effective in certain circumstances for parties to meet face-to-face for an Express Triage Conference rather than transacting business in writing. The IAD will seek to determine through the Express Triage Conference whether the appeal can be resolved or moved through the appeal process more quickly. This pilot will also assess whether these conferences result in more accurate streaming of cases into the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process.
The IAD will identify the appeals to be included in this pilot. Selection criteria will include cases represented by counsel who appear regularly before the IAD. The pilot will involve a minimum of 100 appeals in the Central Region and 35 in the Western Region.
The approach for this pilot was developed in consultation with internal and external stakeholders. Each IAD Assistant Deputy Chairperson (ADC) is responsible for administering the initiative in their respective region with the support of a regional advisory committee consisting of representatives of the immigration bar, immigration consultants and a manager of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Hearings and Appeals Office. The advisory committee's mandate is to provide advice and comments to the respective ADCs regarding the implementation and execution of the pilot.
For more information regarding this initiative, please consult the Questions and Answers.