Ontario Court of Justice

Ontario Court of Justice


Welcome to the Ontario Court of Justice's guide to Canadian immigration and legal services inc.! Whether you're a newcomer looking to make Ontario your home or seeking guidance on immigration processes, we're here to help. Our aim is to provide you with valuable information and resources to make your immigration journey as smooth as possible.

Under Canada’s immigration law, you can ask the Federal Court of Canada to review immigration decisions.

There are deadlines to apply for a review. For example, if the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) rejects your claim for refugee protection, you must file an application for a Federal Court review within 15 days of the IRB decision. If you want to apply for a review, you may want to get legal advice as soon as possible.

A review by the Federal Court is a 2-stage process:

  • Leave stage
  • Judicial review stage

01Leave


In the first stage, called the leave stage, the Court reviews the documents about your case. You must show the Court that the decision was not fair or reasonable , or that there was an error.
If the Court gives leave, it means it agrees to examine the decision in depth.

02Judicial review


The second stage is called the judicial review. At this stage, you (with or without a lawyer) can attend an oral hearing before the Court and explain why you believe the original IRB decision was wrong.