Allard Hall

1822 East Mall

Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z1
Phone: 604 822 3151
Fax: 604 822 8108
www.allard.ubc.ca

January 30, 2017

Dr. Shauna Labman
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Canada, R3T 2N2
Re: Letter of Initial Contact for Research Study Refugee Rights at the Border:
Examining the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement
Dear Dr. Labman,
I write to ask you to participate in a study of the U.S-Canada Safe Third Country Agreement and
other border security measures, conducted by the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University
of British Columbia. I greatly appreciate your interest in our study.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate how the Safe Third Country Agreement and other border
security measures are applied in at the U.S.-Canada border, and their impact on refugees. The
specific objectives of the research are to asses whether these measures make the border more
efficient, to evaluate the extent to which they impact unauthorized crossings, and to evaluate
their compliance with Canadas refugee and human rights protection obligations under domestic
and international law.
An important part of this research involves interviewing those individuals who are charged with
applying these measures, who come into contact with refugee claimants impacted by these
measures, or who are otherwise implicated in its operation, such as immigration officials, border
agents, non-governmental organization workers, and various service provides. I have identified
you as such an individual and hope you will consider participating in an interview to share your
experiences and perspectives with me.
The interview will be conducted at a time and location convenient for you, either by phone or in
person, and last approximately 60 minutes. It will consist of a series of questions on the topics
above. If necessary the interviewer may need to conduct a brief 5-10 minute follow-up telephone
call with you to clarify any questions arising from the transcription and analysis of the interview.
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntarily. After agreeing to participate, you may
voluntarily withdraw at any time. The information obtained from this interview may appear in
various publications, reports and/or conference proceedings. As a participant, you may request
copies of these publications.
Please contact me by phone 604.722.6162 or email: arbel@allard.ubc.ca if you have any
questions regarding participation in this interview. Your time and interest in this study are much
appreciated.
Yours sincerely,

Efrat Arbel, Assistant Professor

Peter A. Allard School of Law

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