5. Give your form to the Board

If you made your refugee claim at a Port of Entry (POE), you must file your Basis of Claim Form (BOC) within 15 days of being found eligible to make a claim. You must take the original completed BOC and one additional copy to the closest registry office.

You can deliver your BOC in person or send it by courier. If there are fewer than 20 pages in total, you can fax it but you must bring the originals to your refugee hearing. If you have a lawyer or legal representative, they can submit your BOC online.

If you want to make your refugee claim from inside Canada, you must take the original completed BOC and one additional copy to an Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) office near you.

Keep a copy of the BOC for yourself and a copy of all documents and translations you submitted with it.

Supporting documents

It can take some time to get all of the documents you need to prove your claim. But you can send documents to the Refugee Board even after you have submitted your BOC form. All documents must be received at least 10 days before the hearing. If your documents are not in English or French, you must include a translation and a translator’s declaration.

It’s very important that all of your supporting documents are consistent with your BOC and information in your immigration file. So it’s very important that your lawyer or legal representative review all supporting documents before you submit anything to the Refugee Board.

Filing an incomplete BOC

If you need more time to complete your BOC, you can ask for an extension of time, but there is no guarantee you will get one. It’s important to get legal help if your BOC is incomplete.

If you can’t complete your BOC in time and you don’t get an extension of time, you can give your incomplete BOC to the Refugee Board with as much information as possible. In a letter, you can explain why you were not able to complete your BOC. Say that you will provide a more detailed BOC as soon as possible.

You must submit your updated BOC at least 10 days before your refugee hearing. If you miss this deadline, there will be a special hearing to decide if your refugee claim is abandoned. If your refugee claim is considered abandoned, it will not be heard. Go to the special hearing with your completed BOC, explain why you missed the deadline, and ask for another refugee hearing. You should get legal help to do this. If the Refugee Board decides your hearing should go ahead, be prepared for it to take place that same day.

Making changes to your BOC

If anything changes after you submit your BOC, or if you notice anything that is not true tell your lawyer or legal representative right away. It’s very important to update your BOC before your hearing so that the Refugee Board has a complete and accurate account of what you fear. And, if any information is missing, not true, or different from other information, the Refugee Board could refuse your claim.

Any changes must be filed at least 10 days before your refugee hearing.