Immigration and Refugee Board

Refugee Protection Division, Statistics 2004

 
40,408 claims were finalized
16,005 (40%) were positive
19,180 (47%) were negative
2,809 (7%) were declared abandoned
2,414 (6%) withdrew or were otherwise resolved

The number of claims finalized continued high, though slightly lower than 2003, when 42,477 were finalized.  In 2002, 32,466 were claims finalized.

The number of claims pending at the end of the year continued to decline: 27,290 at the end of 2004, 41,575 at the end of 2003, 52,761 at the end of 2002.  If the IRB continues at the same rate of finalization, it will take just over 8 months to finalize all the claims pending at the end of 2004. (However, the IRB may be facing a reduction in funding which would reduce its capacity).

25,750 claims were referred to the Board in 2004, continuing the recent decline: 31,937 in 2003, 39,498 in 2002, 44,038 in 2001.

The acceptance rate has continued to drop.  For several years it stood at about 47%, then it dropped to 42% in 2003 and further down to 40% in 2004.  The percentage of abandoned and withdrawn has also dropped: from a combined total of 16% in 2003 to 13% in 2004.  The percentage of negative decisions, on the other hand, has gone up: from 42% in 2003 to 47% in 2004.  In 2003, claims decided at a hearing had a 50% chance of being accepted, whereas in 2004, there was only a 45% chance of being accepted.

Regional acceptance rates (as a percentage of total claims finalized) for 2004 were as follows:

Montréal: 41% (in 2003: 42%, in 2002: 43%)
Ottawa/Atlantic: 53% (in 2003: 50%, in 2002: 51%)
Toronto: 40% (in 2003: 43%, in 2002: 50%)
Calgary: 27% (in 2003: 35%, in 2002: 48%)
Vancouver: 24% (in 2003: 28%, in 2002: 30%)

Vancouver continued to have a high abandonment rate of 17% (15% in 2003, 18% in 2002, 21% in 2001).  Toronto’s abandonment rate fell from 11% in 2002 and 2003 to 7% in 2004.

The top 20 countries, by number of decisions finalized, were as follows (with acceptance rate for 2004, followed, for comparison purposes, by rates for 2003 and 2002):

1.    Pakistan    3851    (35%, down from 41% in 2003, 54% in 2002)
2.    Colombia     3259    (81%, same as in 2003)
3.    Mexico     2684    (25%, down from 27% in 2003, 24% in 2002)
4.    China     2403     (52%, down from 61% in 2003, 56% in 2002)
5.    Costa Rica    1809    (3%, up slightly from 2% in 2003, 4% in 2002)
6.    Sri Lanka 1444    (64%, down from 73% in 2003 and 77% in 2002)
7.    India     1241    (27%, down from 29% in 2003, 26% in 2002)
8.    Nigeria     1020     (50%, up from 47% in 2003 and 35% in 2002)
9.    Turkey      1016     (63%, up from 60% in 2003 and 55% in 2002)
10.    Peru     926    (41%, up slightly from 40% in 2003, 32% in 2002)
11.    Guyana     832     (24%, up from 17% in 2003, 18% in 2002)
12.    Philippines    765    (4%, down from 7% in 2003 - not in last year’s top 20)
13.    Venezuela    759    (25%, slightly down from 26% in 2003 - not in last year’s top 20)
14.    Albania     723    (40%, up from 32% in 2003, 40% in 2002)
15.    Brazil        719    (8%, up from 3% in 2003  - not in last year’s top 20)
16.    Israel    592    (23%, down from 26% in 2003, 15% in 2002)
17.    Hungary     591    (11%, up from 8% in 2003, 11% in 2002)
18.    Bangladesh    568    (52%, slightly down from 53% in 2003 - not in last year’s top 20)
19.    Congo, Rép. Dém.    564    (57%, up slightly from 56% in 2003, 62% in 2002)
20.    St Vincent    208    (21%, up slightly from 20% in 2003 - not in last year’s top 20)

 

Compiled by the Canadian Council for Refugees
from data provided by the Immigration and Refugee Board