Immigration and Refugee Board Statistics, January to September 2007

9,675 claims were finalized
4,417 (46%) were accepted
3,596 (37%) were rejected
446 (5%) were declared abandoned
1,201 (12%) withdrew or were otherwise resolved

Claims finalized, monthly average:
Jan-Sept 2007: 1,075 claims
2006: 1,652
2005: 2,268

Note that in 2005 the monthly average was more than twice as many as in
2007.

The number of claims pending of course continues to increase:

32,414 end September 2007
23,476 end 2006
20,552 end 2005

If the IRB continues at the current rate of finalization, it will take over 30 months to finalize all the claims pending at the end of September 2007.

55% of the pending cases are in the Central Region, 37% Eastern Region, 8% Western Region.

18,617 claims were referred to the Board from January to September 2007 (nearly twice as many as the number of claims finalized).

The number of cases referred shows a continuing increase since the dramatically low numbers after implementation of safe third at the end 2004:

18,617 Jan-Sept 2007: year end equivalent = 24,823
22,873 in 2006
20,786 in 2005
25,750 in 2004

At 46%, the acceptance rate remains steady (47% in 2006).

Regional acceptance rates (as a percentage of claims finalized) for Jan.- September 2007 were as follows:

Eastern Region: 38%
Central Region: 50%
Western Region: 40%

The Eastern Region has a lot of withdrawals (17%) and few abandonments (2%) compared to the Central Region with 10% withdrawals and 6% abandonments.

The acceptance rates in January.-September 2007, for the top 20 countries, by number of decisions finalized, were as follows:

Mexico 12% (28% in 2006)
China 65% (49% in 2006)
Colombia 79% (77% in 2006)
Sri Lanka 86% (73% in 2006)
Pakistan 50% (46% in 2006)
India 13% (35% in 2006)
Nigeria 41% (40% in 2006)
Zimbabwe 65% (65% in 2006)
Congo, DR (ex-Zaire) 67% (63% in 2006)
Haiti 54% (53% in 2006)
Burundi 89% (82% in 2006)*
USA 3% (3% in 2006)
Ethiopia 82% (71% in 2006)*
Albania 53% (52% in 2006)
Israel 21% (18% in 2006)
Saint Vincent 31% (36% in 2006)
El Salvador 43% (% in 2006)
Turkey 33% (43% in 2006)
Afghanistan 65% (82% in 2006)*
Peru 54% (29% in 2006)*

* not in last year’s top 20 countries finalized.

Of the cases pending end September 2007, Mexicans represent 25%, Haitians 9%, and Chinese and Colombians each 7%.

Of the Mexicans, the largest number are in the Eastern Region (51% of claims finalized, 59% of claims pending). They also have a slightly higher acceptance rate in the Eastern Region than the Central Region (14% compared to 9%), but the rate is highest in the Western Region (19%).

Some countries with high regional variations in acceptance rates (and large enough numbers determined to be reasonably significant):

Colombia: 61% Eastern, 84% Central
Sri Lanka: 63% Eastern, 92% Central
DRC: 77% Eastern, 65% Central

These statistics are prepared by CCR for its members from data provided by IRB. Please refer any media inquiries about statistics to the IRB.