Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'm not exactly sure what she's referring to, but 0.5% of our caseload is comparatively small and should have a minimal impact on the overall delays, yes.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Bill C-11will have a huge impact on refugee times at the RPD. In fact, we were discussing it yesterday at our chairs' management board. As I indicated earlier, the current average wait time for a hearing is about 22.5 months. As you know, under Bill C-11 we will have to conduct an initial interview within 15 days of the claim being referred to us.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'll quickly answer. For our deputy chair position and for assistant deputy chairs, it was an external competition that was open to all permanent residents of Canada and Canadians anywhere in the world. The competition is closed, and we're in the selection process. The member position and the coordinating member positions are currently open.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  An influx of refugee claimants wouldn't have an immediate impact on the immigration appeal division, because that would be handled by our refugee protection division. However, once people are granted refugee status, they become permanent residents in Canada and at that point are able to sponsor family members to join them.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Mr. Rubinoff might want to come in on this in a minute. It's my understanding that currently a visa application, particularly a sponsorship appeal, can be denied on a particular ground. That can come to the IAD. The IAD reviews it, hears the additional evidence, and overturns the original decision.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  We do not see, as part of our responsibilities as an independent administrative tribunal, telling CIC that this is a lesson we think they should learn. We expect that CIC would pick that up from our decisions. On the other piece, I would echo what Ms. Ross said. At an appeal level, just because the appeal level overturns the first decision--

Citizenship and Immigration committee  That would have been over the last four or five years. It was the same phenomenon, as the committee is aware, that we had at the refugee protection division. Both the IAD and the refugee protection division are Governor in Council appointees. That period of time when we were experiencing a lack of members in the RPD was the same period of time that we were experiencing a lack of members in the IAD.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I believe a chart was provided to the committee ahead of time in which we provided the average processing times for appeals by fiscal year. In this case it was by calendar year. For example, in 2005 our average processing time for sponsorship appeals was 8.4 months, and it has grown now to 11.2 months.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  As the mix changes, that can also have an impact.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Given the volume of files that we have, we would probably need to almost double the size of the organization in order to clear out the backlog. In the current financial climate, we recognize that's not likely to happen.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I would like to add that if the alternative dispute resolution hits a snag or is not successful, a hearing is always possible in the end. At least the parties will have had the opportunity, and that stage, to hear the information from both sides. This can be helpful, in circumscribing the problem, when the appellant is allowed a full hearing in the appropriate format.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It is the Board that calls the parties to a meeting...

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Indeed. It is the evaluation done by an official from the Board that determines if the case could be resolved through alternative dispute resolution measures. In such situations, the different parties are called in and it is the official who presides, and not a member of the division.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It is much less, it costs an awful lot less. Indeed, we do not take up the time of a division member, but that of an official who earns a little less than a division member.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'm just going by memory. The report on plans and priorities definitely does not go into that level of detail, and I believe that our departmental performance report does not go into that level of detail. Both of those, of course, are documents tabled in Parliament.