The Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) is a division of Canada’s largest tribunal, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. The IAD hears appeals from immigration matters such as refused sponsorship applications and removal orders.
The IAD hears cases De Novo which means that the tribunal provides the appellant with a new hearing and allows the appellant to introduce evidence which was not necessarily before the immigration officer who refused the case.
The IAD, like other IRB tribunals is not bound by strict rules of evidence and may hear any evidence it considers to be credible and trustworthy.
In certain circumstances the IAD possesses authority to allow appeals on the basis of humanitarian and compassionate considerations. In addition the appeal tribunal may impose its own decision in place of the visa officer. The authority for such remedies is therefore broader than the powers granted to the judges of the Federal Court in Judicial Review matters.