Can I represent myself at Federal Court for an immigration judicial review?

Yes, self-represented litigants are permitted to bring an immigration judicial review at the Federal Court. But the process is considerably more technical than an Immigration Appeal Division hearing, running on strict, often short procedural deadlines, formal written argument requirements, and rules about what evidence and record materials are actually before the Court. Unlike the IAD, there is generally no opportunity to introduce new evidence or simply re-argue the facts of the case.

Many self-represented applicants find the leave stage especially difficult, since success there depends on clearly identifying a genuine, arguable legal or procedural flaw in the original decision, rather than explaining why the outcome felt unfair or wrong in a general sense. Disagreement with how evidence was weighed is usually not, on its own, a reviewable error.

Because the leave stage is decided entirely on the written materials, and because a refusal of leave cannot be appealed, having an experienced advocate frame the legal argument properly can materially affect the chances of leave being granted in the first place, even though self-representation remains a person's legal right.