Appeals to the Social Security Tribunal Appeal Division (8:XIV)

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This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by the Law Students' Legal Advice Program on 1 August 2026.



If the claimant disagrees with the decision of the EI BOA, they can further appeal to the SST Appeal Division.

The grounds for appeal to the Appeal Division are:

  • The BOA failed to observe a principle of natural justice, such as the duty of procedural fairness, or otherwise acted beyond or refused to exercise its jurisdiction;
  • The BOA erred in law in making its decision; or,
  • The BOA based its decision on an erroneous finding of fact that was made in a perverse or capricious manner or without regard for the evidence before it.

For more information, please see the SST website: https://sst-tss.gc.ca/en/your-appeal

The Appeal Division of the SST must receive a claimant’s application to appeal within 30 days of the claimant’s receipt of the BOA’s decision.

To start their appeal, the claimant must submit a Notice of Appeal form. This can be done through one of two ways:

  1. The claimant fills out the form on the online portal, which can be accessed here: https://portal-portail.sst-tss.gc.ca/en-ca/form/employmentinsuranceappealdivision
  2. Alternatively, they may choose to print off a pdf and send it by email, mail, or fax. The pdf can be found here: https://www.sst-tss.gc.ca/sites/default/files/2026-04/noa-ad-ei-4_0.pdf

If a claimant submits an appeal form after the 30 days, the claimant can request an extension in the form. However, the decision is ultimately up to the Tribunal’s discretion as to whether to grant the extension. When a Notice of Appeal is received, a Tribunal Member will be assigned to the claimant’s file to decide whether to grant permission to allow the appeal to proceed. A claimant will be informed in writing if their application for permission to appeal is dismissed. Permission is not required when appealing a BOA decision to summarily dismiss the appeal.

After the Notice of Appeal is received, the SST will send the claimant a letter explaining their next steps and their deadline to submit their arguments. This is usually 30 days.

The claimant’s arguments should explain why the Appeal Division should allow the appeal, and what mistakes they believe the EI BOA made. As well, claimants should explain how they think the Appeal Division could fix these mistakes, and what specific result they are seeking. The claimant should not include new evidence with their arguments, but rather refer to the evidence that the EI BOA had.

If the Appeal Division agrees that the EI BOA made a mistake, they will do one of two things:

  • Make the decision the EI BOA should have made; or
  • Send the file to the EI BOA to reconsider the decision.

The Appeal Division will usually schedule the hearing after all parties have submitted their arguments.

Following the hearing, the Member will send the claimant a copy of the decision, usually within 3 months after the last filing deadline and within 60 days after the hearing. The decisions of the Appeal Division are subject to review under the Federal Courts Act.


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