Immigration and Refugee Board acceptance of Russian Jews from Israel

This project examines the political phenomenon of the acceptance of Israeli Russian Jews claiming refugee status in Canada. The paper examines this phenomenon by unravelling the role of human rights in Canadian nation building, the Immigration and Refugee Board's (IRB) member-appointment process and the use of the IRB as a tool for enhancing Canada's image as human rights promoter, and Canadian foreign policy towards Israel. The main argument of this paper is that the reason for the acceptance of Israeli refugee claims is that some IRB members hold an agenda on promoting human rights. This project is based on the examination of academic literature, media articles, IRB and Federal Court decisions, and interviews with a variety of stakeholders.