Use My Case to follow a refugee protection or refugee appeal case: who can register, how each role signs in, and how documents and notices move.
Applies in: CA
My Case is the secure online portal for communicating with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). My Case user guide describes it as the place to register, submit documents, and stay informed about important updates from the Board, and How to submit documents electronically or by fax to the RPD and the RAD adds that a registered user can check the status of a claim or appeal there. This guide walks through the portal steps only. It is not legal advice, and it does not decide whether a claim or appeal will succeed. Where a step turns on a deadline, a filing rule, or a choice between the portal and another channel, the division's rules and practice notices govern, and counsel or the Board is the place to settle it.
One split shapes everything that follows. Counsel and designated representatives are expected to use My Case for electronic document submission to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) and the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD), as of October 30, 2025, on the wording of the instructions page. A self-represented claimant or appellant uses My Case only once invited, and may use email until then. People with cases before the other two divisions cannot use My Case at all yet. Reading the guide as if every person before the Board gets the same access overstates what the portal offers, and acting on that reading can cost a filing. Start by finding your own position in section 1, then follow only the registration route for your role.
My Case covers RPD and RAD cases. My Case user guide states that it is not yet available to people who have an admissibility hearing or a detention review with the Immigration Division, or an appeal with the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), naming sponsorship appeals, removal order appeals, and residency obligation appeals as examples. If your case sits in either of those divisions, stop here. No registration route in the guide applies to you, and no invitation will arrive. Check the division handling your case for how it accepts documents, and keep the channel it directs you to.
For RPD and RAD cases, the invitation decides when a claimant or appellant can start. My Case user guide states that a refugee claimant or appellant must have received an invitation to register from the RPD or the RAD, that the invitation arrives by mail to the address the Board has on file when the Board is ready to invite them, and that they must not contact the Board to request one. How to submit documents electronically or by fax to the RPD and the RAD adds that invitations go out gradually, so not all claimants or appellants receive one at the same time, and that a person without an invitation must continue to send and receive documents by email, mail, courier, or in person. A mailed invitation that never arrives is usually an address problem, not a queue problem. Confirm the Board holds your current mailing address before assuming you were skipped.
A person with a designated representative follows a different invitation rule. My Case user guide states that it is the designated representative's responsibility to decide if the person they represent should have a My Case account, that the RPD or the RAD will not send that person an invitation, and that a designated representative who decides the person should have access invites them through their own My Case account. If you have a designated representative, ask them, not the Board, whether you will get access. Their decision, and the invitation they send, is the route in.
Registration depends on role, and each role is defined briefly in the guide under Who can register. My Case user guide divides counsel into paid and unpaid. Paid counsel could be a lawyer, an Ontario paralegal, an immigration consultant, or a Quebec notary, and must be a member in good standing of the bar of a province or territory, the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. Unpaid counsel, also called a representative without a fee, can be almost anyone, such as a friend, relative, or member of the community, and the person appearing before the Board completes a form authorizing them to represent them. Checking that a paid representative belongs to one of those bodies is a separate step from registering, and it matters: only a person in good standing in one of them may charge a fee for this work.
A designated representative is a distinct role with its own duties, not a synonym for counsel. My Case user guide points readers to the Board's designated representatives information for the full description of the role, and gives designated representatives the same expected-use position as counsel for RPD and RAD electronic filing. A delegate is narrower still. My Case user guide states that a delegate needs an invitation from paid counsel registered on the portal, cannot register independently, and works under a delegation that only paid counsel can grant. Counsel who also acts as a designated representative uses one account for all files and can filter cases by role, on the guide's wording. Picking the wrong role at registration wastes the one route that fits, so settle the role first and register second.
This route starts with a code, not with the sign-in page. My Case user guide states that a claimant, appellant, or person responding to a Minister's appeal or application receives a registration code when the Board is ready to invite them, and enters that code with an email address used only by them. Start the process in the preferred official language, English or French, because the guide warns that changing languages after the first step may produce error messages. The guide gives no way to register without the code, and no way to request one. If you have no code, section 1 is where you still are.
Email confirmation is the next gate, and it is time-sensitive. My Case user guide states that once the code and email address are entered, My Case sends an automated email with a time-sensitive link to continue, that the email may take up to 10 minutes to arrive, that a missing email should be looked for in the spam folder, and that a retry means re-entering the registration code with the same email address or trying a different one. If all attempts fail, the guide states the person will no longer be able to register. Act on the email the same day it arrives, and keep the address you used: the link in that email is unique to you, and the guide states you cannot register by signing in from the My Case home page.
After signing in through the link, accept the terms and conditions, then prove identity. My Case user guide states that identity questions follow, and that the Refugee Protection Identity Document or Refugee Protection Claimant Document, correspondence from the Board about the file, and the Basis of Claim form should be at hand before answering. Thirty minutes is the limit: the guide states a person who does not answer within 30 minutes is signed out, and must return through the home page, choose Sign in, pick the sign-in option chosen earlier, and enter the same credentials to continue where they left off. Answering incorrectly too many times ends access to the account or to registration altogether, on the guide's wording. Gather the three documents before starting, and do not guess at answers the file can settle.
Counsel and designated representatives register once, however many cases follow. My Case user guide states that a person who previously registered but now has a new case before the Board does not need to register again. The process runs in eight moves on the guide's account: go to Register for My Case and follow the instructions for the role, complete the registration form emailed to you and send it back, confirm identity in a virtual meeting using Microsoft Teams with a My Case officer guiding the next steps, select the registration link sent by email, sign in, enter the invitation code the officer gave you, confirm a phone number to receive an access code by text, and enter that access code. Keep the invitation code and the phone that receives the text together until registration is done, since both are needed in sequence and neither is reissued inside the portal on the guide's account.
Designated representatives carry an extra duty at registration's end. My Case user guide states that a designated representative decides whether the people they represent should have My Case access, and can invite them, remove their access, or reinstate it at any time. The invitation runs through My Cases, then Invite to register for My Case beside the person's name, then the required information and agreement to the conditions, using an email address unique to that person. The invited person's registration then starts at the sign-in step of the claimant route in section 3. A delegate's route is shorter and fully dependent on counsel. My Case user guide states that paid counsel's invitation arrives by email with a time-sensitive link, that a missing email should be checked in the spam folder and then re-requested from counsel, that registration cannot start from the home page sign-in, and that too many wrong identity answers locks the delegate out of registration until the My Case help desk at 1-833-931-5121 can unlock it.
Sign-in offers two credentials, and the choice sticks. My Case user guide states that a registered user signs in with banking information or with GCKey, chooses the option that works best during registration, and must use the same credentials every time. After registering, always sign in from the My Case home page, because other government sign-in pages may look similar. A GCKey adds a condition: the guide states two-factor authentication is required with a GCKey, recommends setting it up before registering, and describes the setup steps through the home page sign-in. The error message shown at the end of that setup means only that no My Case account exists yet, on the guide's wording, and the new GCKey becomes usable at registration.
Treat every email about the account as a possible forgery until it passes the guide's own tests. My Case user guide states that My Case email notifications contain no clickable links or attachments, come from do-not-reply senders, and carry standard bilingual subject lines and content, with the registration email as the exception. For that one email, hover over the link without clicking to reveal the address, and check that it starts with https://mycase-mondossier.irb-cisr.canada.ca followed by a long series of random characters. If unsure, do not interact with the link, and contact the My Case help desk at 1-833-931-5121. The same section lists habits that protect the account: keep the password private, never share passwords or a PIN online or by phone even with family members, never let the browser remember credentials, sign out every time instead of only closing the browser, and clear the browser cache after each session. A changed credential needs a reset, not a new account: the guide states that a person who wants to use a different GCKey or different banking information must contact the help desk and ask for an account reset, and that every already-downloaded document returns to Unread status after the reset.
Cases stay visible for a limited time, and the limit depends on role. My Case user guide states that cases will no longer appear in My Case 75 days after the Board issues a final decision for counsel or a designated representative, and 6 months after for a refugee claimant, a refugee appellant, or a person responding to a Minister's appeal or application, whose account is also deactivated after 6 months of inactivity. Download and save a copy of each document received before access expires. The guide does not describe a case screen field by field, so this guide claims no list of fields the portal shows: what the guide verifies is that a registered user can open their cases, receive the Board's documents, check the status of a claim or appeal on the instructions page's wording, and track submissions and notifications. Open the case itself to see what the Board has sent, rather than relying on an email summary.
Notices arrive by email, and the document lives in the portal. My Case user guide states that an email notification arrives at the address in the profile when the Board sends a document, and that the document is viewed by signing in, going to Notifications, and selecting Download in the Actions column. Each notification carries a status: Unread means the document has not been downloaded, Read means it has, and Recalled means the Board deleted it because it was sent in error and it can no longer be downloaded. Counsel, designated representatives, and delegates can remove items from Notifications when no longer needed, the side menu shows the last 2 months of notifications, and the full list sits inside the case. Documents remain available in the case inbox while the case is accessible in My Case, within the expiry windows above.
Sharing is a duty, not a courtesy. My Case user guide states that a person with an ongoing case must share important messages and documents with anyone in their case group who has not registered, meaning people whose refugee protection claim or refugee appeal is grouped with theirs and whose names and file numbers appear in the letters the Board sends. Counsel and designated representatives must share documents with clients who do not receive correspondence from the Board. Check the account regularly, because the guide states email notifications follow account events, and a notice sitting unread in the portal is still a notice received.
Contact information changes move slowly, so report them early. My Case user guide states that contact information updates take up to 2 working days to be processed, and that the person concerned must inform the Board right away if contact information changes. Counsel or a designated representative updates it from the profile, choosing which information to change, add, or remove. A refugee claimant or appellant uses the Submit a form menu and selects the change of telephone number or email address, or the change of mailing address. A stale address does more than delay mail: it is where the registration invitation goes, and where a decision notice is sent.
Submission history is the record of what was sent, with one gap to plan around. My Case user guide states that submission details appear under Submission history in the side menu, including downloadable PDFs of My Case forms, but not the documents submitted, and directs the reader to keep a copy of submitted documents on their own computer. The side menu shows the last 2 months of submission details for counsel, a designated representative, or a delegate; the full history for a case sits under My Cases, then the case, then Submission history. Each submission carries a status: Submitted means the Board received the document or form but has not necessarily accepted it, and Rejected is explained in the FAQ above. A Submitted stamp is receipt, not acceptance, and the division's rules still decide whether the document counts as filed.
What a person may send depends on role, and the guide draws the lines sharply. My Case user guide states that many forms can be completed directly in My Case and sent to the Board, that those forms are easier than the PDF versions on the Board's website because they automatically include some of the person's information, and that a notice of appeal form for the Immigration Appeal Division cannot be submitted through My Case. A represented claimant or appellant submits only contact information changes, while counsel submits documents and other forms on their behalf. A self-represented claimant or appellant can complete and send divisional forms, applications and requests, disclosure of documents, and written submissions. Counsel, a delegate, or a designated representative can submit the same set plus contact updates on behalf of the person represented, and paid counsel or a delegate may also send the notification of new client form and the notice of appeal to the RAD. Sending a form the role is not permitted to send is not a shortcut; it is a filing that may not count.
The submission steps are short, and the confirmation matters. My Case user guide states the sequence as selecting My Cases in the side menu, selecting the file number, and selecting Submit documents, after which an email notification with a confirmation number arrives for the submission. No paper copy needs to be mailed once a document has been sent electronically, though the person may be asked to bring original documents to the hearing or provide them later. Save the confirmation number with the copy of what was sent, since the portal's own history does not hold the submitted documents themselves.
Size, format, and timing rules come from the instructions page and bind every submission. How to submit documents electronically or by fax to the RPD and the RAD states that a My Case submission can carry up to 5 attachments together with a maximum total size of 110 MB, against 20 MB for a whole email and 20 pages for a single fax. Documents must be in PDF format only, with no links inside them, in 12-point font or larger, with clear readable photocopies and pages numbered in order. Different types of documents go in separate PDF files, a single PDF holding more than one document of the same type needs a table of contents identifying each document, documents from different case groups must not be combined, and no restriction may prevent the Board from viewing, printing, or searching a document, such as password protection, embedded files, or web links. Never send the same document through more than one channel: the instructions page states to choose one method, because duplicates cause delays or confusion.
Deadlines run on the electronic stamp, not on the clock where the sender sits. How to submit documents electronically or by fax to the RPD and the RAD states that a document counts as received on the date of receipt on the electronic time stamp, that documents submitted after 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time are deemed filed the next day, and that filing deadlines are calculated based on divisional rules. A filing sent late in the evening in the east can therefore land on the next day in the west. Check the division's deadline for the specific document before sending, and send early enough that a rejection and resubmission still fits inside it. One more rule catches translated evidence: the instructions page states that documents not in English or French must be translated into one of those languages by a human, that artificial intelligence tools or web services must not be used, and that the translation must include a statement confirming accuracy plus the translator's name, the original language, and the dialect, if any.
Using another electronic method needs permission, and permission is the exception. How to submit documents electronically or by fax to the RPD and the RAD states that no other electronic method may be used to send documents without permission from the appropriate division, that the request is made by completing and sending the Application to send documents using another electronic method to the appropriate regional office, and that it will only be approved in exceptional cases. The practice notice behind that rule is not set out in full in this guide, so its full wording is a check, not a claim here: read the Practice Notice on Electronic Exchange of Documents Using My Case, linked from the user guide, before relying on any exception. Counsel and designated representatives are expected to use My Case, and an invited claimant who tries email instead risks a filing the division does not accept.
Audio of a proceeding is requested inside the case, not by email. My Case user guide states that an audio file in .mp3 format of a recorded proceeding can be requested through My Case by signing in, selecting the case, going to the end of the page, and selecting Request audio files. An email notification with a confirmation number follows, processing may take up to 4 working days, and the outcome arrives by email: a notice that the files are ready to download if a recording is available, a message saying so if the proceeding was not recorded, or a CD by mail if a recording was too large to upload to My Case. Download a ready file through Notifications, using a media player to listen. Request early where a transcript or an appeal depends on hearing what was said, since 4 working days is the stated processing time, not a same-day promise.
Delegation is the one part of My Case where counsel must keep a calendar. My Case user guide states that paid counsel may register up to 4 delegates at a time, adding each through My Profile, then Delegates, then the required information and agreement to the conditions, using an email address unique to the delegate. Counsel is the sole manager of delegates and must extend each delegation every 60 days or it expires, with an email notification when extension time comes. Extension runs through My Profile and Extend delegation in the Actions column beside the delegate's name, and the delegate receives an email once extended without needing to register again. Ending a delegation runs the same way through End delegation, and counsel must end it when the delegate no longer works for them or manages their cases. An expired delegation blocks the delegate's access and cannot be extended; counsel must re-invite the delegate instead. If all of a delegate's delegations have expired and no new invitation arrives within 30 days, the delegate's account is reset, and a later invitation means registering again. A former delegate's email address must be removed from the Board's database by the regional team of My Case officers before a new delegate using the same address can register, or the new delegate will not be able to register.
Supervision stays with counsel even when a delegate does the work. My Case user guide states that the Submission history section lists correspondence a delegate sent to the Board for counsel's cases, that counsel and the delegate both receive email notifications when correspondence arrives for cases counsel represents, and that a delegate submitting on counsel's behalf is the only one who receives the email confirming receipt. A delegate acting for more than one counsel toggles between them through the Choose a counsel dropdown list, activating each new delegation through My Counsel. Review the submission history regularly: counsel remains responsible for what goes out under their name, including a delegate's filing.
When the portal itself misbehaves, the help desk covers technical issues only. My Case user guide states that the My Case help desk at 1-833-931-5121 provides support for technical issues, and gives the browser picture plainly: the best experience comes from the latest version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge on a Windows device, other systems, devices, or browsers may not work properly, and iOS devices bring two named quirks, no warning on leaving a page with unsaved changes and a possible need to refresh the page after downloading a document. Language display can also mislead: some fields may show the browser or device language rather than the My Case page language, and dates may appear as MM/DD/YYYY instead of YYYY-MM-DD. Before calling, the guide suggests checking the internet connection, refreshing the browser, emptying the cache, trying a different browser, restarting the computer, and installing the latest version of Windows, Microsoft Edge, or Google Chrome. A GCKey locked by too many wrong passwords needs a 24-hour wait before trying again, a forgotten GCKey password or username is recovered through the GCKey help pages the guide links, and a revoked GCKey means creating a new one or switching to banking information. An active case, or a recently finalized one, that does not appear in My Case should be reported to the help desk as a possible data entry issue. No fee for using My Case, no guaranteed response time from the help desk, and no in-portal case-status field list is stated on the pages linked in this guide, and none is claimed here.
Not yet, according to the My Case user guide. [My Case user guide](https://mycase-mondossier.irb-cisr.canada.ca/en-us/faq/) states that My Case is not yet available to people who have an admissibility hearing or a detention review with the Immigration Division, or an appeal with the Immigration Appeal Division, such as a sponsorship appeal, a removal order appeal, or a residency obligation appeal. The guide gives no My Case route for those cases, so do not wait for an invitation that is not coming. Check the division handling your case for how it accepts documents, and keep using the channel that division directs you to until it tells you otherwise.
Very little, by design. [My Case user guide](https://mycase-mondossier.irb-cisr.canada.ca/en-us/faq/) states that a refugee claimant or appellant who is represented by counsel can submit changes to contact information, while counsel submits documents and other forms on their behalf. Whether you get an account at all is your designated representative's decision where one acts for you, and otherwise depends on an invitation from the Refugee Protection Division or the Refugee Appeal Division. If a document arrives in your account, read it promptly and tell your counsel, since counsel must also share documents with clients who do not receive correspondence from the Board.
No. [My Case user guide](https://mycase-mondossier.irb-cisr.canada.ca/en-us/faq/) states plainly that you must not contact the Board to request an invitation to register, and that an invitation arrives by mail to the address the Board has on file when it is ready to invite you. Until an invitation arrives, self-represented claimants and appellants may use email to provide documents to the Refugee Protection Division or the Refugee Appeal Division, according to [How to submit documents electronically or by fax to the RPD and the RAD](https://irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/legal-policy/procedures/Pages/submit-documents-electronically-or-fax-rpd-rad.aspx), which also states that invitations go out gradually. If you moved, update your contact information through the route in section 6 and confirm the Board holds your current mailing address, since the invitation goes to the address on file.
A delegate acts on counsel's behalf, inside limits counsel controls. [My Case user guide](https://mycase-mondossier.irb-cisr.canada.ca/en-us/faq/) states that only paid counsel can have delegates, that paid counsel may register up to 4 delegates at a time, and that a delegate cannot register independently but must be invited by paid counsel. With a delegation, an assistant can download documents and audio files and send documents and forms to the Board on counsel's behalf, and counsel supervises that work through the Submission history section. A delegation lasts 60 days and must be extended by counsel or it expires, and counsel must end it when the delegate stops working for them. A delegate acting for a colleague who is already registered as counsel needs a different email address and different sign-in credentials, and the two accounts are not linked.
Match the problem to the fix the guide gives. A rejected submission means the Board could not process it for a technical reason, it went to the wrong file, or it held information about unrelated cases, and [My Case user guide](https://mycase-mondossier.irb-cisr.canada.ca/en-us/faq/) states you will receive an automated email asking you to submit the document or form again. An active case that does not appear in My Case may reflect a data entry issue, and the guide directs you to the My Case help desk at 1-833-931-5121. For sign-in trouble, changed banking information means the account needs a reset through the same help desk, a GCKey locked by too many wrong passwords needs a 24-hour wait, and a reset returns every already-downloaded document to Unread status. Try the guide's own checks first: a good connection, a refreshed browser, an emptied cache, a different browser, and a restarted computer.
It depends on your role, and the clock starts at the final decision. [My Case user guide](https://mycase-mondossier.irb-cisr.canada.ca/en-us/faq/) states that cases will no longer appear in My Case 75 days after the Board issues a final decision for counsel or a designated representative, and 6 months after for a refugee claimant, a refugee appellant, or a person responding to a Minister's appeal or application, whose account is also deactivated after 6 months of inactivity. Download and save a copy of each document well before the relevant date, because the guide states cases are available for a limited time. Keep your own copies too: the Submission history section holds downloadable PDFs of My Case forms, but not the documents you submitted.
No fee, help desk response time, in-portal case-status field list, or Practice Notice on Electronic Exchange of Documents Using My Case wording is stated in this guide, because none was verified on an official page. Also left out: any claim that My Case displays hearing dates or a status field list, any statement that email remains open to counsel or to invited claimants, any delegate power beyond downloading documents and audio files and sending documents and forms on counsel's behalf, and any fee or deadline beyond the divisional rules the instructions page points to. Recheck the My Case user guide and the instructions page on the day you register or file, and call the My Case help desk at 1-833-931-5121 for technical problems or the division registry for a filing question the portal does not answer.