Are there any types of appeals that are excluded from the initiative?
Proceedings involving confidentiality orders will not be included in the initiative and no proceeding made confidential or partially confidential by legislation (publication ban or other) will be included. Please continue to use regular mail or fax for such information. If you have any questions about what cannot be sent to the IAD or another party by email, please contact the Western Region Regional Office by telephone at 604-666-5946 or 1-866-787-7472.
Will I be required to use email?
The initiative is premised on voluntary participation by the parties, meaning that you can choose whether or not you wish to use email in the proceedings. When you opt into using email, it is your responsibility to check your inbox and junk mail folders regularly for correspondence from the IAD. It is also your responsibility to keep your email address current and to inform the IAD and the CBSA if your email address changes.
What must I do if I want to communicate by email?
You must agree to use email as the primary means of communication between the parties and the Division. To do so, you must complete and sign the
Appellant Consent to Communicate by Email form. Appellants will receive this consent form by mail when they receive a letter from the IAD acknowledging receipt of their appeal.
If you have or plan to retain counsel or a representative, they must also sign the
Counsel Consent to Communicate by Email form. If you have counsel or a representative that has already submitted the consent form to the IAD, they do not need to resubmit their form. This form authorizes the Division and the Minister’s Counsel to communicate with you by email for the purposes of processing your appeal.
Do the IAD Rules still apply if email is used to communicate with the IAD?
Yes. When corresponding by email you must continue to comply with the IAD Rules. For example, all IAD Rules relating to documents still apply, such as the rules around the disclosure of documents by a party. In addition to the IAD Rules, you must also comply with other requirements when communicating by email. These requirements are outlined in the next question.
Are there any requirements I must comply with when submitting documents by email to the IAD?
When you submit documents to the IAD by email, your email and its attachments must comply with the following requirements:
- Your email must be sent to both the IAD and to the Minister’s Office.
- Your IAD File No. and UCI must be included in the subject line of your email.
- Any documents you attach must be in Portable Document Format (PDF) format and the total file size cannot exceed 10MB.
- Any documents you attach must comply with IAD Rules (8.5” x 11” paper, consecutively numbered pages, table of contents).
- Coloured documents are accepted, however, the IAD will only print them in black and white (grey-scale) for the case file. If colour versions are required at a proceeding, you should have your own copies available.
You will receive an email acknowledgement from the IAD that your email was received. Keep this email for your records. When you opt into using email, it is your responsibility to check your inbox and junk mail folders regularly for correspondence from the IAD. It is also your responsibility to keep your email address current and to inform the IAD and the CBSA if your email address changes.
What happens if my documents do not comply with the requirement?
Documents and information sent to the IAD via email that do not comply with the above mentioned requirements will not be accepted and will be returned to you. Additionally, if your email exceeds the size limits listed above, it will not be received by the IAD.
If I submit a document by email, do I have to send a printed copy?
No, once a document is received by email, it is considered to have been received by the IAD and will be printed and placed on your appeal file. You will receive an email acknowledgement from the IAD that your email was received. Keep this email for your records.
Will I still receive documents by mail from the IAD?
If you and your counsel or representative (if applicable) submitted a consent form to communicate by email, the IAD will then use the email address(es) provided as the primary means of communicating with you, your counsel and the Minister’s counsel. The IAD will not send you a document by regular mail if it was already sent to you by email.
Will I receive emails or regular mail from the CBSA?
At this time, if you and your counsel or representative (if applicable) submitted a consent form to communicate by email, this allows you to send emails to CBSA. CBSA will acknowledge receipt of your email with an automatic email reply, however it will continue to send documents to the parties using regular mail. Please continue to notify
both the IAD and CBSA of any changes to your address.
What information cannot be sent by email?
Appeal files that contain confidential information, that may be subject to a publication ban, or that are considered private proceedings are excluded from this initiative and email cannot be used as a means of communicating information. Please continue to use regular mail or fax for such information. If you have any questions about what cannot be sent to the IAD or another party by email, please contact the Western Region Regional Office by telephone at 604-666-5946 or 1-866-787-7472.
What if I no longer want to use email?
If you no longer want the IAD to communicate with you by email, please send a letter to the IAD Registry Office and CBSA in Western Region indicating that you no longer wish to be part of the email initiative. The IAD will then revert to the use of regular mail.
If I use email, will my appeal be dealt with faster?
The objective of the email initiative is to find more efficient ways to communicate. For instance, email communications could lead to efficiencies in parts of the appeal process where there is a transfer of documents. Following the end of the initiative, the IAD will evaluate whether appeals can be resolved or moved through the process more quickly with the use of email communication.
Will email communication also be offered in the Eastern and Central regions?
The IAD is starting with an email initiative in the Western Region only. The IAD will assess its effectiveness and determine next steps, including considering implementation in its other regional offices.
Who can I contact if I have questions regarding this initiative?
Enquiries about this initiative may be directed to the Western Region Regional Office by telephone at 604-666-5946 or 1-866-787-7472.