Operational Bulletin 487 – December 14, 2012

Replacement of the Protected Person Status Document  

Summary

With effect from January 01, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) would no longer issue the Protected Person Status Document (PPSD).

Issue

The authorities need to provide protected persons with a document that indicates their status. This is in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

As of December 17, 2012, protected persons can present the following documents as proof of their status:

• A decision letter (Notice of Decision) from the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) or,
• A Verification of Status document from the CIC

Protected persons can also use these documents for applying for a refugee travel document from Passport Canada (PPTC). Passport Canada (PPTC) would be able to validate these documents by referring to the existing validation portal with the CIC.

Background

The authorities issue formal letters or documents to all protected persons in Canada. These letters or documents indicate the status of these protected persons.

In Canada, the Refugee Protection Division and the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) issue Notices of Decision to individuals who are:

• Convention refugees or,
• Persons in need of protection

Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) officers issue decision letters to individuals. However, they only issue these letters once the individuals have received a positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) decision.

The Elimination of the Protected Person Status Document (PPSD)

The CIC will no longer accept applications for Protected Person Status Documents (PPSDs). This is effective from December 17, 2012. They have also removed the application kit from the CIC website.

The CIC plans to process all applications for Protected Person Status Documents (PPSDs) received prior to December 17, 2012, by December 31, 2012. Thereafter, the CIC will cease issuing Protected Person Status Documents (PPSDs) after December 31, 2012. Protected Person Status Documents (PPSDs) issued on or before December 31, 2012, will remain valid until their expiry date.

In addition, situations could arise where the CIC receives applications for Protected Person Status Documents (PPSDs) on or after December 17, 2012. In these circumstances, the CIC would return the application along with an explanatory letter.

The Verification of the Status Document Issued with Positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA)

The Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) officers issue decision letters to individuals. However, they only issue these letters once the individuals have received a positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) decision.

The Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) officers will also start issuing a Verification of Status document along with the decision letter. This will be applicable from December 17, 2012.

Therefore, consider a situation where an individual received a positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) decision prior to December 17, 2012. This individual can now apply for a Verification of Status document from the CIC. However, the individual would do this only if the person wanted to apply to Passport Canada (PPTC) for a refugee travel document.

The application for a Verification of Status document is available online. In addition, there is no fee for this application. This remains free of cost in case the individual is not currently:

• A permanent resident or,
• A Canadian citizen

The Protected Persons Recognised by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB)

Based on the documents the protected persons possess, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) will recognise certain protected persons. These protected persons would now be able to provide their Notice of Decision to Passport Canada (PPTC) as proof of their status. In case a protected person loses the Notice of Decision, the individual would need to contact the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) for obtaining a replacement.

These individuals can also apply for a Verification of Status document from the CIC. The application for a Verification of Status document is available online. In addition, there is no fee for this application. This remains free of cost in case the individual is not currently:

• A permanent resident or,
• A Canadian citizen

The Positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) Decisions Rendered as of December 17, 2012

Senior Immigration Officers making a positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) decision would need to produce a:

• Decision letter and,
• Verification of Status document

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) would deliver these documents to the client. The delivery would take place as per the usual process. Officers can produce Verification of Status documents in the Global Case Management System (GCMS).  They would need to refer to the training workbook for finding instructions on how they would be able to produce a Verification of Status document. This process is effective as of December 17, 2012.

The Positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) Decisions Rendered Prior to December 17, 2012

Some protected persons might want to apply for a Verification of Status document from the Query Response Centre. They would do so if they wished to apply for a refugee travel document. However, to apply for this, they would need to ensure that they received a positive Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) decision prior to December 17, 2012.

These individuals can also apply for a Verification of Status document from the CIC. The application for a Verification of Status document is available online. In addition, there is no fee for this application. This remains free of cost in case the individual is not currently:

• A permanent resident or,
• A Canadian citizen

The permanent resident card displays the immigration category. This is sufficient for proving that the cardholder is a protected person. Therefore, the protected person could use the permanent resident card for obtaining a refugee travel document. This is especially so when the protected person’s category is “CR”.

The Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Validation Portal

The CIC and the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) determine individuals as being protected persons. These individuals need to demonstrate their status to Passport Canada (PPTC). Therefore, the CIC is taking steps to modernise the manner in which these individuals can demonstrate their status to Passport Canada (PPTC).

Passport Canada (PPTC) will use the existing Validation Portal it has with the CIC. Passport Canada (PPTC) will use this portal for determining the validity of the:

• Notice of Decision document or,
• Verification of Status document

The CIC Validation Portal would provide certain information to the staff of Passport Canada (PPTC), when they check the validity of the documents on the CIC Validation Portal, in case the portal:

• Advises Passport Canada (PPTC) that the letter or document is valid and,
• Confirms that the decision was positive

The information provided by the CIC Validation Portal would typically include:

• Detailed biographic information
• Details on the country of persecution
• Details on whether the authorities have designated the individual as an irregular arrival and,
• A photo (in some special circumstances)

A manual validation process is also in place for assisting Passport Canada (PPTC). Officers of Passport Canada (PPTC) would use this manual process in case they come across issues with the validation process.

In certain cases, the authorities might direct the individual elsewhere. They would do so to obtain a confirmation of the determination of the individual. They would typically direct the individual to the:

• Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) for the Notice of Decision or,
• CIC for the Verification of Status document

This process is only applicable for protected persons. That too for protected persons, who have not yet become citizens of Canada.

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)