OTTAWA — A backlog of "legacy" refugee claims filed by applicants who have been waiting over seven years to find out if they can remain in Canada will soon be cleared, as Ottawa now turns its attention to an even bigger backlog of fresh asylum claims. Andrew Francis Wallace via Getty Images Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said the people whose refugee claims were part of a "legacy" backlog can now "stop their lives being held in limbo." Thanks to the efforts of a special task force struck to deal specifically with legacy cases, only a handful remain. The task force worked closely with the legal community and other stakeholders to schedule and hear legacy claims as quickly and efficiently as possible, Hussen added. But even as immigration officials celebrate the elimination of this backlog, another even larger inventory of refugee claims looms at the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), where asylum-seekers go to have their claims heard by an arms-length tribunal.

Source: Huffington Post April 30, 2019 10:41 UTC