Presentation # 1 – UNHCR Canada

Topics covered: 

• Global situation for asylum-seekers and COVID-19;
• Current issues of interest to UNHCR (Globally and in Canada);
• What is happening in Canada at our borders (updates on processes and stats).

Speaker: 

Azadeh Tamjeedi, Acting Senior Legal Officer / Head of Protection Unit – UNHCR Canada

Azadeh Tamjeedi is the Acting Senior Legal Officer at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Canada. She has worked with UNHCR since 2017 and is currently based in Ottawa. During her time with UNHCR she also worked at the office in Vancouver for two years. In 2018, Azadeh completed an emergency deployment to Boa Vista, Brazil to assist with the large number of Venezuelans arriving in the country. Prior to working with UNHCR, Azadeh worked as a lawyer at the Centre Francophone de Toronto where she represented asylum-seekers before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) and the Federal Court of Canada. As a law student, she specialized in social justice issues and gained valuable advocacy experience at the Parkdale Legal Clinic in the area of poverty law. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Honours History and Political Science from McGill University and a Juris Doctorate degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. Azadeh was called to the Ontario bar in 2011.

Presentation Video >>

Powerpoint Deck>>

Presentation #2 – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB)

Topics covered:

• RPD Practice Notices in response to the Pandemic;
• File Review Process and the expansion of the Task Force on Less Complex Claims (TFLCC);
• Remote Hearings on MS Teams;
• In-person hearings at the RPD (including the protocol and safety measures);
• Gender Related Task Force (GRTF);
• Update on Western Region RPD Operations, including stats.

Speaker:

Negar Azmudeh, Assistant Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division (RPD), Western Region – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB)

Negar Azmudeh was a practicing lawyer before she was appointed as a member of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) in 2008. Since then, Negar has held various positions at the Immigration and Refugee Board, including as a member of the RPD and the Immigration Division, a Legal Advisor and a Coordinating Member. She is currently acting as the Assistant Deputy Chairperson in the Western Region.

Presentation Video >>

Powerpoint Deck>>

 Resources shared by speakers:

IRCC information re eligibility interviews  – click here>>

UNHCR webpage on COVID-19 Updates – click here>>

IRCC Supplementary Immigration Levels – click here>>

Safe Third Country – Updates / Information from CCR – click here>>

Criteria from IRCC – Pathway to Permanent Residency for Asylum Claimants working in front line position during Covid-19 – click here>>