The purpose of the
Policy on National Documentation Packages in Refugee Determination Proceedings is to ensure that National Documentation Packages (NDPs) are used as the standard source of country of origin information (COI) evidence by the Immigration Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).
Country of origin and National Documentation Packages
A country from which a person claims asylum is called their “country of origin” and since conditions in a country often change, the
IRB produces regular information about “countries of origin”. The
IRB’s decision makers may consult this information as part of their work.
The
NDPs are lists of public documents that provide information on country conditions. The
IRB produces
NDPs for every country from which refugee claims originate. The
IRB’s Research Directorate is responsible for compiling and updating all
NDPs.
National Documentation Packages as a standard source of country of origin evidence
The relevant
NDP(s) are disclosed to the parties in every refugee claim as the standard source of
COI evidence in refugee determination. More specifically, the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) provides the parties with information as to where the
NDPs can be found on the
IRB’s website, and it is the parties’ responsibility to check the website for the newest version of the relevant
NDP(s) prior to their hearing.
The use of
NDPs does not preclude the disclosure of additional
COI not contained in an
NDP by the Division or a party to a proceeding. Such information must be disclosed on a case-by-case basis, subject to the legal and procedural requirements of each Division.
Selection of documents to be included in an
NDP
The
IRB’s Research Directorate is responsible for developing all
NDPs used by the RPD and the RAD. The development of
NDPs is a process that involves the selection and quality assurance review of publicly available
COI on a given country.
The
IRB’s Research Directorate assesses the inclusion of content for
NDPs based on selection of specific criteria including:
- How up-to-date is the information?
- Who is the author?
- Does the information come from an anonymous source?
- What are/is the qualifications/expertise of the author?
- What is the reputation of the publication/publisher?
- Does the author/publisher display any bias?
- What is the source of the information on which the document is based?
- Has the document been edited?
- Are there partial quotes (possibly misquotes or quotes taken out of context)?
- Is the information consistent with other reliable evidence?
- Are there other publications by the same author?
- Is there any opportunity to interview the author?
- Where does the author's knowledge of the subject matter come from?
- What is the "tone" of the document and is it impartial?
- To what extent is the document based on opinion?
- To what extent is the document based on observable facts?
- For what purpose was the document prepared?
- Are there any alterations apparent on the face of the document?
- Are there any spelling errors in the official document?
- How does the document compare with a known genuine document?
- Have the contents of the document been sworn to be true?
Sending suggestions of documents for an
NDP
Any member of the public may send suggestions of documents for
NDPs to the
IRB. The suggestions must use guidelines as follows:
- Submissions must be received at least one month before the
NDP’s next
scheduled publication date;
- Submissions should be sent with the URL of the document being proposed;
- Copies of document must not be send electronically;
- Media reports are not generally included in
NDPs; and
- Standard
NDP documents are updated on a regular basis.
Document suggestions may be sent via
email.
The
IRB reserves the right to include or not include any suggested documentation. Please also note that suggestions cannot be acknowledged.
Ensuring up-to-date
NDPs
Each
NDP is updated on a regular basis according to the
National Documentation Package update cycle. Each update to an
NDP is based on:
- A review of claim type data;
- A full review of content;
- The outcome of Documentation Selection Committee; and
- The suggestions from stakeholders and the general public.
The
NDPs are also subject to ad-hoc amendments in order to respond to the identification of newly emerging issues such as an exceptional change in country conditions.
The IRB uses
Twitter and
Facebook to seek document suggestions for upcoming NDP updates.
Related links
Questions and feedback
Comments relating to the content of
NDPs or for suggestions relating to documents for possible inclusion in upcoming
NDP updates may be sent via
email.