The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (or IRB; French: La Commission de l'immigration et du statut de réfugié du Canada, CISR), established in 1989 by an Act of Parliament, is an independent administrative tribunal that is responsible for making decisions on immigration and refugee matters.
As one of their responsibilities, the IRB decides on applications for refugee protection made by individuals.
Matters concerning the IRB are governed under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
These immigration matters are related to: sponsorships, removal orders, residency obligations or appeals made by (on behalf of) the Minister.
A convention refugee is an individual who has a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.