Federal Court and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander: In August, a judge ruled that the division of the Immigration and Refugee Board IRB , which began hearing cases in 2013, has been using too narrow a scope to conduct its work. Federal Court allows more latitude for refugee appeals , according to CBC. Now the federal government is opposing that broadening of the appeal division role. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander is appealing a Federal Court decision that rejects the way the Canadian government new Refugee Appeal Division evaluates refugee claims. In a case involving three failed refugee claimants from Kosovo , Judge Michael Phelan ruled the appeal division has been checking only the reasonableness of decisions by the board to declare whether individuals are refugees the equivalent of a judicial review. Phelan said the division instead should exercise its full powers as an appeal body to reconsider the facts of a case and substitute a new decision if it disagrees with the appeal division. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.