The Manual Update Required for the Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) Validity from Two to Four Years
Summary
The authorities have implemented a procedure for all offices processing in-Canada refugee claims. This procedure involves changing the system default validity date of the Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) from the current two-year default in the system to four years. Officers of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will need to make this change manually in the system. The authorities expect to implement the necessary permanent change to the system in Fall 2018. Until then, officers will need to follow the procedures given in this Operational Bulletin (OB).
The authorities expect officers to issue all claimants currently having Refugee Protection Claimant Documents (RPCDs) with Refugee Protection Claimant Documents (RPCDs) that specify a four-year validity period. As such, the claimants eligible for receiving Refugee Protection Claimant Documents (RPCDs) having a four-year validity period include:
- People whose claims are eligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) or,
- People whose claims are ineligible – in the case of people who might be entitled to apply for Pre-Removal Risk Assessments (PRRAs)
Issue
The authorities have found that the current system default validity period of two years is not viable. It is resulting in an increase in the number of Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) renewal requests. These requests are time consuming to fulfil. In addition, some of these requests invariably led to a plethora of system-related issues. As refugee claim volumes are increasing, the volumes of such requests might register a commensurate increase as well. So, by increasing the default validity period to four years, the authorities are aiming to remedy the situation.
Background
It is worth mentioning that the Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) is a document that identifies the holder as a client of Canada’s refugee protection system. Officers typically issue the Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) to people whose claims are eligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). In addition, officers issue the Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) to people whose claims are ineligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) as well. But, this only applies to individuals who are entitled to apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA).
If applicable, the Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) could indicate that the holder is eligible for coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). Some clients use the Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) to support applications for certain provincial benefits as well.
In 2012, the authorities made reforms to the in-Canada asylum system. Before these reforms came into effect, the authorities heard refugee claims in an average of 18 months. During this time, the officers issued Refugee Protection Claimant Documents (RPCDs) at the time of intake. These Refugee Protection Claimant Documents (RPCDs) typically had a validity span of five years. The authorities established this five-year validity span to ensure that officers would seldom, if at all, receive requests for the renewal of expired Refugee Protection Claimant Documents (RPCDs). However, once the reforms came into effect, the authorities took the decision to reduce the validity period to two years.
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)