Canadian Refugee Procedure/153 - Chairperson and other members

IRPA Section 153

Section 153 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act reads:

Chairperson and other members
153 (1) The Chairperson and members of the Refugee Appeal Division and Immigration Appeal Division
(a) are appointed to the Board by the Governor in Council, to hold office during good behaviour for a term not exceeding seven years, subject to removal by the Governor in Council at any time for cause, to serve in a regional or district office of the Board;
(b) [Repealed, 2010, c. 8, s. 18]
(c) are eligible for reappointment in the same or another capacity;
(d) shall receive the remuneration that may be fixed by the Governor in Council;
(e) are entitled to be paid reasonable travel and living expenses incurred while absent in the course of their duties, in the case of a full-time member, from their ordinary place of work or, in the case of a part-time member, while absent from their ordinary place of residence;
(f) are deemed to be employed in the public service for the purposes of the Public Service Superannuation Act and in the federal public administration for the purposes of the Government Employees Compensation Act and any regulations made under section 9 of the Aeronautics Act;
(g) may not accept or hold any office or employment or carry on any activity inconsistent with their duties and functions under this Act; and
(h) if appointed as full-time members, must devote the whole of their time to the performance of their duties under this Act.
(1.1) [Repealed, 2012, c. 17, s. 84]

Deputy Chairperson and Assistant Deputy Chairpersons
(2) One Deputy Chairperson for each Division referred to in subsection (1) and not more than 10 Assistant Deputy Chairpersons are to be designated by the Governor in Council from among the full-time members of those Divisions.

Full-time and part-time appointments
(3) The Chairperson and the Deputy Chairpersons and Assistant Deputy Chairpersons of the Divisions referred to in subsection (1) are appointed on a full-time basis and the other members are appointed on a full-time or part-time basis.

Qualification
(4) The Deputy Chairperson of the Immigration Appeal Division and a majority of the Assistant Deputy Chairpersons of that Division and at least 10 per cent of the members of the Divisions referred to in subsection (1) must be members of at least five years standing at the bar of a province or notaries of at least five years standing at the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

One Deputy Chairperson for each Division is to be designated

The IRB states that each Division is headed by a Deputy Chair who manages the members of the Appeal Division and Refugee Division respectively. The Deputy Chairs set and oversee performance and productivity standards for members and provide leadership in the conduct of hearings and in ensuring philosophical and operational consistency.