Granados v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration)
- Citation
- 2026 FC 459
- Status
- Judgment
- Jurisdiction
- Canada
- Court
- Federal Court
- Decision
- 8 April 2026
- Posture
- Judicial Review of RAD Decision / Judgment (application Dismissed)
- Language
- English
More details
- Court
- Federal Court
- Decision
- 8 April 2026
- Posture
- Judicial Review of RAD Decision / Judgment (application Dismissed)
- Language
- English
On this page
Professional case brief
Research organized from the available case record
01
Holding and result
The RAD's conclusion that the Applicant had an internal flight alternative in Mérida was reasonable because the Applicant failed to establish a serious possibility of persecution there, the RAD's factual findings that the persecutors would not be motivated to locate him in Mérida were supported by the record, and the application impermissibly invited the Court to reweigh evidence contrary to Vavilov; accordingly the application for judicial review is dismissed.
Court disposition
Application for judicial review dismissed.
Orders
- Application for judicial review dismissed.
- There is no question for certification.
- No order regarding costs.
02
Material facts
Parties
Oscar David Pulido Granados
Applicant Counsel: Rajender SinghThe Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Respondent Counsel: Michelle Brar03
Procedural history
Posture
Judicial Review of RAD Decision / Judgment (application Dismissed)
04
Questions and positions
Legal issues
- 01
Whether the RAD erred in finding an internal flight alternative in Mérida
- 02
Whether the RAD unreasonably assessed the evidence or reweighed testimony contrary to Vavilov
- 03
Whether the RAD required the Applicant to live in hiding as part of the IFA assessment
Party arguments
- Applicant
- The Applicant submitted that his history of harm from the feared persecutors establishes their motivation to find and harm him and that the RAD effectively required him to live in hiding in the IFA; he asserted unsubstantiated errors in the decision.
- Respondent
- The Respondent submitted that the RAD reasonably found no serious possibility of persecution in Mérida, the Applicant adduced no evidence he would be pursued there, the RAD did not require living in hiding, and the Court must not reweigh evidence under Vavilov.
05
Court’s reasoning
Legal principles
- 01
Olusola v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2020 FC 799 at para 8
The first prong of the internal flight alternative test requires that there be no serious possibility of persecution in the suggested location.
- 02
Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65 at paras 125-126
On judicial review courts must not reweigh evidence or substitute their view for that of the administrative decision-maker.
- 03
Torres Jimenez v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2025 FC 7 at paras 37-38
Reasonableness review requires the tribunal's findings to be supported by the record and rationally connected to the evidence.
06
Ratio, limits and disposition
Ratio decidendi
The RAD's conclusion that the Applicant had an internal flight alternative in Mérida was reasonable because the Applicant failed to establish a serious possibility of persecution there, the RAD's factual findings that the persecutors would not be motivated to locate him in Mérida were supported by the record, and the application impermissibly invited the Court to reweigh evidence contrary to Vavilov; accordingly the application for judicial review is dismissed.
Obiter and limits
- The RAD made no finding that the Applicant would be required to live in hiding in the proposed IFA.
- The balance of the Applicant's submissions were characterized as bare assertions lacking substantiation.
Court disposition
Application for judicial review dismissed.
- Application for judicial review dismissed.
- There is no question for certification.
- No order regarding costs.
Source and reliance status
Federal Court · 8 April 2026
This page organises the available record for research. Confirm quotations, current status, and subsequent treatment against the official source before relying on the case.
Judgment reading view
Judgment text
The complete available source text.
Federal Court
Judgment· 8 April 2026
Granados v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) Court (s) Database Federal Court Decisions Date 2026-04-08 Neutral citation 2026 FC 459 File numbers IMM-15338-23 Decision Content Date: 20260408 Docket: IMM-15338-23 Citation: 2026 FC 459 Toronto, Ontario, April 8, 2026 PRESENT: The Honourable Justice Battista BETWEEN:
OSCAR DAVID PULIDO GRANADOS Applicant and
THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP
AND IMMIGRATION Respondent
JUDGMENT AND REASONS (delivered orally from the bench on April 8, 2026) [1] The Applicant’s claim for refugee protection was refused by the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), and the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) upheld that decision. This application for judicial review challenges the RAD’s decision. [2] The RAD found that the Applicant had an internal flight alternative (IFA) in Mérida, Mexico. The first prong of the IFA test requires no serious possibility of persecution in the location of the IFA (Olusola v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2020 FC 799 at para 8), and the RAD found that the Applicant’s feared persecutors would not be motivated to locate and harm him in Merida. [3] The Applicant argues that his history of harm from his feared persecutors should establish their motivation to find him. However, this argument invites the Court to reweigh the evidence and come to its own conclusion, which is not the role of a Court on judicial review (Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65 at paras 125-126). The RAD found that the Applicant adduced no evidence to establish that he would be pursued and further found, based on the Applicant’s testimony, that the Applicant’s family in Mexico was neither approached nor contacted by the alleged persecutors. These are reasonable findings based on the record (Torres Jimenez v Canada (Citizenship and
Immigration), 2025 FC 7 at paras 37-38). [4] The RAD reasonably found the second prong of the IFA test to be satisfied after reviewing the Applicant’s personal circumstances. The Applicant asserts that the RAD unreasonably required him to live in hiding in the IFA, however the RAD made no such finding. The RAD in fact found no risk at all in the proposed IFA. [5] The balance of the Applicant’s submissions are bare assertions of unsubstantiated errors in the decision. The Applicant has not met the burden of demonstrating that the decision is unreasonable, and the application for judicial review is therefore dismissed. JUDGMENT in IMM-15338-23 THIS COURT’S JUDGMENT is that: The application for judicial review is dismissed. There is no question for certification and no order regarding costs. "Michael Battista" Judge
FEDERAL COURT
SOLICITORS OF RECORD DOCKET: IMM-15338-23 STYLE OF CAUSE: OSCAR DAVID PULIDO GRANADOS v THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION PLACE OF HEARING:
HELD BY WAY OF ZOOM VIDEOCONFERENCE DATE OF HEARING: APRIL 8, 2026 JUDGMENT AND REASONS: BATTISTA J. DATED: APRIL 8, 2026 APPEARANCES: Rajender Singh For The Applicant Michelle Brar For The Respondent SOLICITORS OF RECORD: RST Professional Corporation Barristers and Solicitors Mississauga, Ontario For The Applicant Attorney General of Canada Toronto, Ontario For The Respondent
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