4. Get legal help to complete your BOC
Question & Answer
What is a Basis of Claim form?Filling in the Basis of Claim Form (BOC) can be complicated. It might be hard to explain how your experiences meet the definition of Convention Refugee or . You might not be sure what to include in your BOC.
It’s a good idea to get legal help to complete your BOC.
You can give your lawyer or legal representative notes or a draft explanation of what happened to you and what you’re afraid of. Writing things down can help you to remember the order of events. But your representative will also interview you for details to show that you meet the definition of Convention Refugee or person in need of protection. They will use an interpreter if you need one.
Your representative will write the final version of your BOC. They should review it with you to make sure that it’s accurate. It’s important that you tell your representative about any errors or information that is not true.
If you gave information that is not true on any of your forms or at your eligibility interview, or if there are differences with your identification or something in your immigration file, your representative can help you explain this in your BOC. It’s better to give an explanation ahead of time than to wait for your refugee hearing.
If you completed your BOC on your own, a lawyer or legal representative can still review it and suggest changes before your hearing. The representative can explain why the changes are important. If you need to make any changes to a BOC you’ve already filed with the Refugee Board, it’s best to get legal help. You must file your changes at least 10 days before your refugee hearing.
