Please note that all program and admission-related inquiries are managed exclusively via email. To ensure your inquiry is addressed, please contact immigrationdiploma@queensu.ca or review our FAQ section. Our program’s unstaffed phone number is (613) 533-6937. No live phone calls are accepted via this phone number and an automated message provides general information and our email address for any inquiries. Click here to contact us. Or attend a
This course examines the legal framework for Canada’s refugee and complementary protection programs, including a comprehensive analysis of statutory eligibility provisions and the inclusion and exclusion elements of the refugee definition and related case law.
Students will engage with the rules, policies and procedures of both the Refugee Protection Division and the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. Students will also learn the policies and rules governing refugee sponsorship and resettlement from abroad.
Throughout the emphasis will be on the practical skills needed to represent clients in all phases of refugee status determination procedures. A dedicated module examines the impact of trauma on the legal indicators of credibility and equips students with practical strategies for representing survivors of violence and trauma.
The course situates Canadian refugee law in its global context and encourages a critical appraisal of both Canadian policies and international efforts to regulate and control asylum flows.
* Course summaries are subject to change.