Refugee Protection Division Hearings
Starting September 23, 2019, RPD hearing preparation authorizations for most claims will again be available after a claim has been referred to the IRB and when lawyers need to begin preparation work.
Learn more
You can request funding to prepare for and attend a client’s Refugee Protection Division (RPD) hearing quickly and easily via Legal Aid Online.
Guide for submitting client documents to LAO for merit assessment.
Please upload a copy of your client’s Basis of Claim (BOC) form as soon it is filed, along with a copy of any Notice to Appear and/or Confirmation of Referral form.
Your request will be assessed by LAO subject matter experts for:
- legal merit and likelihood of success and
- whether or not to amend the BOC certificate to authorize funding for nine hours of legal services leading up to the RPD hearing.
Two Hour Authorizations for Subsequent Sitting Preparation and Written Submissions
LAO pays up to two hours to cover the cost of preparation for each subsequent sitting at the RPD, and up to two hours for the preparation of written submissions.
Counsel can request a tariff authorization for two hours by completing and uploading the following form via Legal Aid Online.
Payment will be processed for eligible accounts meeting these criteria:
- dockets capture time spent preparing for subsequent RPD sitting(s) or written submissions, and
- counsel has sent a copy of the Notice to Appear for subsequent sitting(s) or a copy of written submissions to LAO via Legal Aid Online.
Note: Before you bill the account, please check Legal Aid Online to make sure that the authorization has been added to your certificate.
Discretionary increases
If the amount of time to prepare for RPD hearings exceeds the tariff available to you, you may request discretion by completing the following form and attaching it to your account.
LAO considers ministerial intervention a discretionary factor. Counsel should identify “ministerial intervention” in the discretion request criteria so that requests for discretionary increase based on ministerial intervention can be processed accordingly.