2. Review your Basis of Claim form
Question and answer
How do I prepare for my refugee hearing?It's very important to review your Basis of Claim (BOC) form and narrative before your hearing.
Tell your lawyer or other licensed representative right away if you find:
- mistakes
- important missing information, including anything relevant that happened after you filed your BOC
- any inconsistencies between the BOC, narrative and the other and documents in your claim and immigration file
Ask your lawyer or licensed representative if any documents need to be corrected.
The Member compares what you say at the hearing with your BOC, narrative, portal, forms, past interview answers, prior immigration applications, what any witnesses you bring say, and any evidence you file. If the evidence is not consistent, the Member may not believe you.
Make a BOC amendment if needed
You can make changes and add more information to your BOC after it is submitted by making a BOC amendment.
Make sure to discuss with your lawyer or licensed representative first. They can tell you if you need to make a BOC amendment, prepare the amendment for you, and submit it to the RPD.
How to make a BOC amendment
Use this tip sheet to learn how to make changes to your BOC after you've submitted it.
Make the changes or additions on your copy of the BOC you submitted. Cross out the things you want to change and underline the things you want to add. If you have a lot of information to add, write everything on a separate page and underline it.
You must sign and date each page of the BOC that you changed. You must also sign and date a declaration that says that the BOC and the changes in it are true, complete, and correct.
If you used an interpreter to change your BOC, the interpreter must also sign and date a declaration that they interpreted the entire revised BOC and that you understood it.
Send the RPD each page of the BOC that you changed along with a copy of the original and the signed declarations. Keep a copy of the changes for yourself.
Meet the deadline
You must send your updated BOC and any other documents to support your refugee claim no later than 10 days before your refugee hearing. You will need to provide a good explanation if you cannot meet this deadline.