New IRB rules restrict AI use in personal evidence and require disclosure

The Practice Notice applies across all four IRB divisions

The Immigration and Refugee Board's Practice Notice on artificial intelligence came into force September 7, 2026. It applies to parties and counsel—including self-represented parties—before the Refugee Protection Division, Refugee Appeal Division, Immigration Division and Immigration Appeal Division.

It governs material communicated to the IRB. It is not a general rule for Express Entry, visitor, study, work-permit or citizenship applications processed by IRCC.

AI cannot generate or materially change personal evidence

• Do not use AI to draft a Basis of Claim narrative, affidavit or witness statement.
• Do not use AI to rewrite a person's story or materially change content reflecting their knowledge and experience.
• Do not use AI to create or alter photographs, videos, screenshots or other corroborative evidence.
• Minor spellcheck, grammar correction and formatting assistance remain permitted if they do not generate evidence or materially change its wording.

Other material AI use must be declared and verified

If AI creates or materially changes text in another document filed with the IRB, the document must contain the declaration prescribed by the Practice Notice. It must identify the person who reviewed and verified the AI-generated content and the authenticity of cited cases or legal authorities.

AI-assisted transcription or translation must always be disclosed. A translated document still requires a declaration from a human translator, and that translator must say when AI assisted the translation.

Non-compliance can affect filing, credibility and counsel

The IRB may refuse a non-compliant document, decline to rely on it, draw a negative credibility inference, disclose conduct to counsel's regulator, restrict counsel from appearing, or take another necessary action.

For refugee files, the immediate workflow change is clear: preserve the claimant's own account, separate personal evidence from legal research and submissions, verify every authority against a reliable source such as CanLII, add the required declaration where applicable, and update every translator declaration to address AI assistance.