Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA)
Parliament of Canada
Long title An Act respecting immigration to Canada and the granting of refugee protection to persons who are displaced, persecuted or in danger
Citation	S.C. 2001, c. 27
Assented to	1 November 2001
Commenced	28 June 2002
Administered by	IRCC CBSA
White paper	Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
Legislative history
Bill title	Bill C-11
First reading	21 February 2001[1]
Second reading	27 February 2001
Third reading	13 June 2001
Committee report	Report 1 - Bill C-11, An Act respecting immigration to Canada...
First reading	14 June 2001
Second reading	27 September 2001
Committee report	Report 2 - Hands Across the Border: Working Together at Our Shared Border and Abroad to Ensure, Security and Efficiency
Repeals
Immigration Act, 1976
Status: Current legislation

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The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) (French: Loi sur l’immigration et la protection des réfugiés, LIPR)^[2] is an Act of the Parliament of Canada, administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), that replaced the Immigration Act, 1976 in 2002 as the primary federal legislation regulating immigration to Canada.^[3] The "Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations" (IRPR)^[4] specify how provisions of IRPA are to be applied.

Coming into force on 28 June 2002, the Act created a high-level framework detailing the goals and guidelines the Canadian government has set with regard to immigration to Canada by foreign residents. The Act also sprouted controversy regarding the government's failure to implement a component of the legislation that would have established a Refugee Appeal Division as part of Canada's immigration system.

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, who oversees agencies such as the CBSA, is responsible for administrating the Act as it relates to examinations at ports of entry (POEs); enforcement, including arrests, detentions, removals, and policy establishment; and inadmissibility on the grounds of security, organized criminality, or violation of international rights (incl. human rights). The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, who oversees the IRCC, is responsible for governing the Act overall.

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is an independent administrative tribunal that is responsible for making well-reasoned decisions of immigration and refugee matters, efficiently, fairly, and in accordance with the law.