Over a six month period beginning March 2017, the IAD conducted a pilot project in its Central (Toronto) regional office, where counsel had the opportunity to use videoconferencing services such as Skype for appellants, applicants or other witnesses who testified in selected sponsorship or residency obligation appeals.
Apart from testing the technical facilities, the objective of the pilot was to enhance the effectiveness of delivering testimony remotely, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the hearing. The pilot was assessed from the perspective of all the hearing’s participants.
Outcome:
- The videoconferencing feature worked sufficiently in nearly all cases with very few exceptions. The pilot was therefore deemed a success in the central region and as a result, it is now available on a *limited basis in each region. Counsel should contact the registry if they wish to use remote testimony by videoconference in a hearing. The IAD is also exploring the possibility of expanding the use of this technology over the coming months.
*A limited basis means that not all hearing rooms are equipped with the technology, therefore the IAD may not be able to accommodate all requests for videoconferencing.
How to take advantage of this service:
Before the hearing, counsel will need to:
- Contact the regional registry office to request their preferred videoconferencing service
- Provide witness statements for each case as normally required by IAD Rule 37
At the hearing, counsel will need to:
- Come prepared with a calling card in case the videoconferencing service does not work
- Log on to the videoconferencing service using his or her own account on an IAD computer with the pre-installed application
- Connect with the remote participant using the videoconferencing service