Legacy Claimants: Legacy Backlog and Asylum System

legacy claimants: All legacy claimants are being asked to immediately contact the board and make any needed updates to their applications, so the board can start scheduling their hearings for September, according to Toronto Star. Those who are ready have been asked to fill out an intention to proceed form online. There are about 5,500 so-called legacy claims filed before December 15, 2012, when the former Conservative government overhauled the asylum system by introducing statutory timelines to hear new claims and expedite removals of failed claimants leaving the old cases on the back burner. We understand how difficult it is for the people to have been waiting for a minimum of four years in the legacy backlog, said Mario Dion, chair of the refugee board. This spring the board launched a legacy task force and dedicated 3 million yearly to address the legacy backlog by hiring more than 20 retired refugee judges to focus on these drawn-out cases, the majority of them filed in 2011 and 2012. Their lives and well-being are at stake and we are committed to start scheduling these cases as soon as possible. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.