Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Departmental Plan 2023-2024

ISSN: 2371-8102

Table of contents

• From the Minister
• Plans at a glance
• Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
  • Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
  • Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration
  • Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports
  • Internal services: planned results
• Planned spending and human resources
  • Planned spending
  • Planned human resources
  • Estimates by vote
  • Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
• Corporate information
  • Organizational profile
  • Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Operating context
  • Reporting framework
• Supporting information on the program inventory
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions
• Endnotes

From the Minister

I am pleased to present the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Departmental Plan for 2023–24.

We continue to build on international partnerships, promoting global cooperation on migration and providing safe haven for people fleeing violent conflict in many parts of the world, such as Iran, Afghanistan and Ukraine. We have also redoubled efforts to address labour shortages in our workforce. We continue to work with settlement and resettlement partners across the country, so newcomers receive the support they need to settle, integrate and thrive in Canada.

Canada is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and its many social and travel restrictions, which we recognize has exacerbated the immigration backlog. We have made great strides in client service improvements by designing and starting to implement a modernized immigration system that will deliver our services with a more client‑centric approach. The work the Department has undertaken in response to these and other challenges is integral to its plans for 2023–24.

In the 2023–2025 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada aims to welcome from 410,000 to 505,000 new permanent residents in 2023, from 430,000 to 542,500 in 2024 and from 442,500 to 550,000 in 2025. These targets are incremental record highs for Canada and reflect the government’s belief that newcomers are instrumental in driving economic growth and building our communities. Achieving these levels will also mean reuniting more families and protecting democratic and human rights on a larger scale than ever before.

To fill labour shortages in health care and other high-need sectors, and help grow Canada’s economy, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada continues to promote and leverage economic immigration. This includes enhancements to the Express Entry program, including Express Entry 2.0, which will further enable us to target key economic needs; increases to Provincial Nominee Program admissions, in collaboration with provincial and territorial partners, to provide more flexibility to regional labour markets and regional economic and business programs to strengthen communities across Canada.

Additionally, the Department is working to welcome 2,000 skilled newcomers through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. This new pathway for refugees gives successful applicants access to pre-arrival and post-arrival services to support them and their families as they join communities across Canada.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will further strengthen Canada’s labour market by continuing to welcome newcomers through temporary worker and student streams. Both temporary workers and international students have the opportunity to remain in Canada as permanent residents if they wish to make their new home here.

We will also work to achieve ambitious Francophone immigration objectives as we develop a new Francophone immigration policy to strengthen and guide our work moving forward.

Central to our ongoing efforts to welcome and resettle vulnerable people from around the world, we have welcomed approximately 28,010 Afghans since the fall of Kabul in 2021, and we continue to work with allies, local governments, partners and stakeholders to create safe, reliable pathways to Canada. We fully intend to resettle at least 40,000 Afghans by the end of 2023.

We have created a refugee stream for human rights defenders above our other refugee resettlement commitments. Canada committed to resettle up to 250 human rights defenders and family members per year through the Government-Assisted Refugees Program. Through our Afghanistan commitments, we also expanded the numbers of spaces available to human rights defenders.

During this pandemic recovery period, we continue to implement flexible service delivery and work with service provider organizations to ensure the continuity of our resettlement and settlement services.

Throughout 2023 and 2024, the Department will further its transformation and digital modernization initiatives, while getting ready to launch the procurement of a new digital platform to replace its Global Case Management System. Our clients need more personalized and intuitive services, and our employees and partners need a platform that is reliable and flexible. The Digital Platform Modernization Program will help the Department meet these needs in the coming year and beyond.

Ongoing engagement and collaboration with provincial and territorial partners are essential to the success of Canada’s immigration system, including this year’s important meetings of the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration to advance Canada’s ambitious immigration agenda.

The Department plans to further engage with our own employees; Indigenous, Black and racialized communities; and external stakeholders to refine our Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0. This will strengthen our sustained commitment to address systemic inequities in policies, programs, service delivery and people management practices to promote fairness in immigration and citizenship decision-making.

Throughout the next year, the Department will keep building and implementing solutions to some of the most pressing and emerging immigration challenges of our time. Our programs and operations have evolved significantly over the last three years to allow us to best serve our clients as we enter a period of unprecedented demand for immigration. The months ahead will require flexibility, determination and continued strong support from the government.

To learn more, I invite you to review the Departmental Plan for 2023–24 in detail.

Plans at a glance

Achieving Targets on Immigration Levels Plan for 2023–2025

As outlined in the December 2021 mandate letter for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Department will continue to welcome hundreds of thousands of permanent residents, temporary foreign workers (TFWs), students, and visitors to Canada to drive economic growth and recovery. In the 2023–2025 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada aims to welcome from 410,000 to 505,000 new permanent residents in 2023, from 430,000 to 542,000 in 2024, and 442,500 to 550,000 in 2025. These targets are higher than the previous 2022–2024 Immigration Levels Plan, which set out to admit 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022. In 2022, Canada achieved its target to admit 431,645 new permanent residents, which represents the largest number of people ever welcomed in a year, in Canadian history.

The 2023–2025 Immigration Levels Plan will drive economic growth and resiliency, reunite families, and protect democratic and human rights — all key priorities as Canada moves forward to become more prosperous and remain a world leader in refugee resettlement. In collaboration with the provinces and territories, the plan also brings an increased focus on attracting new permanent residents, temporary residents, students and visitors to different regions of the country, including small towns and rural communities, ensuring sustainable growth and spreading the benefits of immigration across the country. The Department is also committed to meeting its targets of 4.4% Francophone immigration outside Quebec for 2023.

Historically, the Department has had consistent success in achieving immigration targets. In 2022, the Government reached its target of 431,645 new permanent residents, as well as met the Department’s Francophone target of 4.4% by achieving 4.42% of Francophone immigration outside Quebec. In support of continuing to reach these unprecedented levels, work is progressing on streamlining and digitalizing the immigration system to further expedite application processing. Additionally, to support application processing and achieving the Levels plan targets, IRCC has implemented a new Temporary Public Policy that eliminates the need for subsequent Immigration Medical Exams (IME) for foreign nationals in Canada who are considered low risk.

In 2023–24, the Department will continue to implement the Temporary Public Policy exempting certain in-Canada protected persons and their accompanying family members from the requirement to undergo a subsequent IME as part of their Permanent Residence application.

Delivering on IRCC’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees in Canada

The Government will continue to advance this commitment by admitting Afghan refugees through three programs. The first program is the Special Immigration Measures Program for Afghan nationals, and their families, who supported the Government of Canada. The second program is a special family reunification pathway to help extended family members of former Afghan interpreters who came to Canada under special programs in 2009 and 2012. The third program is a special humanitarian program focused on resettling, in collaboration with referral partners, vulnerable Afghan nationals, including women leaders, human rights defenders (HRDs), persecuted religious or ethnic minorities, 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, as well as journalists and those who helped Canadian journalists. The Department also launched a new temporary public policy to facilitate sponsorship by Groups of Five and Community Sponsors by waiving the requirement for Refugee Status Determination for 3,000 privately sponsored refugees. We have already begun processing these applications.

The Government of Canada is pleased to have welcomed approximately 28,010 vulnerable Afghans since Kabul fell in August 2021, as of February 8, 2023. Throughout the fall, IRCC has facilitated regular charter flights for Afghan clients from Pakistan and Tajikistan. The Government of Canada will continue to work with countries in the region to facilitate exit, and with key partners like the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to organize onward travel to Canada via charter flights. Additional Afghan clients continue to arrive on commercial flights.

The Government of Canada continues to advance solutions to facilitate the safe passage of IRCC clients out of Afghanistan. IRCC is working with like-minded countries and partners in the region, to identify a path forward including securing safe third-country staging areas.

These efforts have enabled us to remain on track to reach our commitment of resettling at least 40,000 Afghans by the end of 2023.

The Department will explore options to enable Afghans to study in Canada based on further analysis of eligibility requirements and a review of promising practices, including both government and non-government solutions.

Immigration Support for Those Affected by the Situation in Ukraine

As part of the Government of Canada’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, IRCC has introduced special programs to help thousands of Ukrainian nationals and their family members find temporary safety in Canada.

In 2023–24, IRCC will continue to implement measures put in place to support Ukrainians affected by the war in Ukraine in finding a safe haven in Canada. In 2023, Ukrainian nationals and their family members who have been granted temporary resident status are eligible to receive one-time temporary financial support via the Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative (CUTAI). Eligible Ukrainians in Canada before March 31, 2023 have until June 30, 2023 to apply for payment under the CUTAI.

Enhancing Express Entry

Express Entry is an online system that manages applications for permanent residence from skilled workers (with work experience in managerial, professional, trades and/or technical occupations) for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program. The Federal Skilled Worker Program selects workers on the basis of skilled work experience and high human capital. It plays an important role in providing a pathway for skilled workers from inside and outside of Canada. The Canadian Experience Class is a program that specifically targets the transition of temporary foreign workers and international graduate students with in-Canada skilled work experience to permanent residency. The Federal Skilled Trades Program is a specialized pathway that facilitates the immigration of skilled tradespersons in certain industries and sectors.

The Express Entry system allows us to screen for candidates with higher levels of human capital, which helps to ensure they are able to succeed in the Canadian economy over the long term. IRCC will continue to leverage Express Entry to achieve Levels admission targets and support Canada’s economic growth. This includes implementing new legislative authorities in 2023 that authorize the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship to invite top-ranking Express Entry candidates that meet the criteria of a specific category to apply for permanent residence. These new authorities will expand selection flexibility and enable the Department to better focus invitations on candidates whose profiles help support specific economic goals. An enhanced Express Entry will also continue to help IRCC achieve the Government’s annual permanent resident admissions targets, as well as the Minister’s Mandate Letter commitment to extend pathways to Permanent Residence for international students and temporary foreign workers through the Express Entry system.

Truth and Reconciliation

IRCC’s responsibility in the truth and reconciliation process starts with better understanding the impact of citizenship and immigration policies on Indigenous peoples today. This includes the Department’s commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples and work in partnership with Indigenous peoples to advance their rights. IRCC’s ongoing work includes exploring potential solutions to complex border crossing issues with concerned First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.

In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 93, IRCC is continuing work on updating the citizenship study guide, associated study materials, and the new citizenship test, to be more inclusive of the perspectives and history of the diverse Indigenous peoples of Canada, including more information about treaties and the history of residential schools.

The Citizenship Act was also amended to include a reference to Indigenous and treaty rights in the Oath of Citizenship, in response to the Truth and Reconciliation’s Commission Call to Action 94. Since June 21, 2021, Canada’s Oath of Citizenship officially recognizes First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and the obligation that all citizens have to uphold the treaties between the Crown and Indigenous nations.

Digital Transformation and the Digital Platform Modernization Program

Digital Transformation is well underway at IRCC with the goal of modernizing our overall suite of programs and services to better meet the evolving needs of both clients and Canada. In 2023–24, the Department will continue to pursue its digital transformation agenda, which includes a focus on advancing the Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) Program to enhance service delivery and Implement new online services and features to enhance the client experience, through processing efficiencies.

Throughout 2023–24, the DPM Program will advance its work on the procurement of a new digital technology platform that will eventually replace the Department’s Global Case Management System (GCMS). This new technology platform will be more reliable and flexible, which will help employees and partners carry out their work more effectively enhancing IRCC’s service delivery. It will also provide clients with services that are more personalized and intuitive, and will enable a service experience that is consistent, modern and meets clients expectations. With the DPM Program having defined its future operating model, IRCC will begin to assemble the business needs and system requirements needed to gradually begin implementation of its new digital technology platform. In 2023–24, the DPM Program will also work with partners to identify opportunities to accelerate the delivery of benefits to clients and introduce new features that will provide an overall improved service experience (e.g., providing clients with a new user account interface with more opportunities to self-serve).

Admitting more refugees through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot

As per the December 2021 Mandate Letter for the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, IRCC will work with employers and communities across Canada to welcome a minimum of 2,000 skilled refugees and their families to fill labour shortages in high-demand sectors, such as health care, through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP). EMPP helps skilled refugees immigrate to Canada through existing economic programs. Approved clients will have access to pre-arrival services, such as Canadian orientation, while abroad, and will be offered the full suite of services, post arrival, to help clients and their families settle and integrate.

Canada is committed to attracting talent from around the world, while at the same time filling labour shortages and driving economic growth, for the benefit of all Canadians. In 2021–22, the Department launched phase 2 of the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, which builds on lessons learned from the first phase and continues to explore how refugee labour mobility can be scaled up. Canada is demonstrating innovation and leadership in the development of complementary pathways by facilitating access to economic immigration for refugees with the skills and qualifications that support the needs of Canadian employers. By leveraging existing migration pathways, it expands the number of refugees who have access to international protection by making these economic immigration pathways accessible. These economic pathways are over and above our traditional refugee resettlement programs.

IRCC is working closely with participating provinces and territories, communities and trusted NGOs to expand the pilot. This includes key partners from phase 1, as well as new NGOs entering into the refugee labour mobility space. The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot is continually improving by building upon lessons learned and early successes.

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot introduced an authorized partner referral model (2022–23), whereby authorized NGO partners can make referrals to the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, streamlining the process and increasing the number of potential candidates. In 2023, authorized partner NGOs will be trained and authorized to assess the upfront eligibility of candidates for the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, and they will make referrals of candidates to the Pilot. 

Supporting international migration and protection

Globally, an unprecedented number of people are on the move, including migrants and refugees. IRCC is concerned by the increased irregular migration and forced displacement in the world, including in Latin America and the Caribbean, and particularly for those in situations of vulnerability. In Latin America and the Caribbean, IRCC will continue to support regional migration and protection capacity building assistance in support of well-managed migration and protection systems. This support can help countries manage the influx of migrants and refugees they are experiencing. This work builds on the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership and commitments made at the North American Leaders’ Summit and under the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. As part of this Declaration, Canada will chair and participate alongside other countries in the Americas in Action Package Committees focused on asylum and resettlement and complementary pathways.

In 2023–24, IRCC will continue to advance regional cooperation on migration and protection issues, which includes contributing to the Support Platform of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (known as MIRPS by its Spanish acronym), and by our engagement in the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM). Globally, IRCC will continue to engage actively with international partners, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to support and promote safe, orderly and regular migration, including as a Champion country for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

Spreading the benefits of immigration across Canada

Almost one in four people (23.0%) counted during the 2021 Census are or have been a landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada. This was the highest proportion since Confederation, topping the previous record of 22.3% in 1921, and the largest proportion among G7 countries.^{Footnote 1}

Just over 1.3 million new immigrants settled permanently in Canada from 2016 to 2021, the highest number of recent immigrants recorded in a Canadian census.^{Footnote 2}

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) has been a key driver of this trend, as it is designed to enable provinces and territories to create immigration streams to nominate immigrants at all skill levels who meet local labour market and economic needs, and who are likely to reside and economically establish themselves in their region. In particular, the Provincial Nominee Program has helped fill labour needs in sectors including health care, hospitality, food services, and transportation. The Provincial Nominee Program is also key to meeting Departmental objectives on Francophone immigration. Through these programs, candidates are filling labour market needs at all skill levels with a variety of backgrounds, ranging from highly trained new graduates with advanced degrees, to labourers who have gained a unique expertise through years of experience.

Along with the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) has had a significant impact on increasing the admissions of permanent residents to Atlantic Canada and filling labour market needs. According to the 2021 census, the Atlantic provinces welcomed higher shares of recent immigrants in Canada than in previous years. The share of recent immigrants settling in Atlantic Canada has almost tripled, rising from 1.2% in 2006 to 3.5% in 2021, with the majority of immigrants settling in large urban centres in Atlantic Canada.^{Footnote 3}

The permanent Atlantic Immigration Program continues to build on the strengths of the pilot. It retains the core objective of attracting skilled immigrants to Atlantic Canada to address demographic and economic needs, as well as to continue to increase retention in the region.

The first step to an employer participating in the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is to complete the provincial designation process. Even employers that previously participated in the pilot phase of the AIP are required to go through this designation process in order to participate in the new permanent AIP that was launched in 2022. Interest in the AIP remains strong, with provinces designating over 1,600 employers in 2022. It is anticipated that in the months and years to come Atlantic provinces will continue to designate employers looking to participate in the AIP, and issue endorsement certificates to candidates that can fill critical labour market needs, ensuring that the AIP continues to be a reliable tool that employers can look to when trying to fill labour market needs with newcomers.

Immigration is critical to Canada’s labour force growth each year. Despite the success of the PNP and AIP, the benefits of immigration are not spread equally across Canada. In 2021, 58% of new immigrants settled in Canada’s three largest cities — Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

IRCC is also working on pilots to test other ways of broadening the geographic reach of immigration. Launched in late 2019, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) is testing an innovative approach to immigration in rural and remote areas. On September 23, 2022, changes were made to the pilot, including expanding the boundaries of most communities to allow more employers to be eligible, and extending the pilot until August 2024. For the first time, IRCC has established a direct partnership with 11 communities in Northern Ontario and Western Canada, represented by local Economic Development Organizations. These Economic Development Organizations work with employers, municipalities, settlement providers and other local stakeholders in delivering the pilot.

Under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), candidates use regional economic immigration programs, such as the PNP, AIP, and RNIP. Almost all landings under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot to date have been through the PNP. Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot candidates arrive as permanent residents with a job, helping to fill a labour market need in a particular region upon their arrival.

For more information on IRCC’s plans, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this plan.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

This section contains information on the Department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

Description

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) facilitates the entry of migrants who wish to come to Canada temporarily, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. The Department works with partners to determine that individuals meet admissibility requirements. IRCC processes visas, electronic travel authorizations, and work and study permits for tourists, business travellers, international students and temporary workers, whose spending and presence in Canada benefit the economy.

Planning highlights

Departmental Result 1: Entry to Canada of eligible visitors, international students, and temporary workers is facilitated

In Canada, visitors, international students, and temporary workers who hold temporary work permits are considered temporary residents. Canada welcomes newcomers who bring skills that the economy needs, and facilitates the entry of foreign nationals to work or study in Canada through initiatives such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the International Mobility Program, the International Student Program, the Global Skills Strategy, and the International Experience Canada. The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, allows students who have graduated from eligible Canadian designated learning institutions (DLIs) to obtain an open work permit to gain valuable Canadian work experience.

While some temporary residents only reside in Canada for a limited period of time, IRCC, in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, has developed various pathways to encourage and allow temporary residents to become permanent residents and remain in Canada as a first step towards becoming Canadian citizens. These pathways include the federal economic programs managed through the Express Entry system.

Canada continues to be a destination of choice for international students, workers and visitors. While travel restrictions and disruptions to migration resulting from the COVID‑19 pandemic have eased, the Department is building on lessons learned from the temporary facilitative measures put in place in 2020–21 that have enabled temporary residents already in Canada to apply for the authority to work while visiting, or to change employers while working in Canada.

In 2023–24, the Department will continue to deliver on the Student Direct Stream (SDS), which is an expedited study permit processing program for those who are applying to study in Canada at a post-secondary designated learning institution (DLI). Some international students can get their study permits faster by using the SDS. IRCC processes most SDS applications within 20 calendar days if the eligibility requirements are met.

Canada’s ability to attract temporary foreign workers contributes to a balanced immigration policy that supports the economy while protecting the health and safety of Canadians. In response to labour shortages in essential service sectors, clients applying to come to Canada to work temporarily in health care, agriculture and agri-food will continue to be prioritized.

IRCC is committed to addressing destabilizing world events that increase global migration. In 2023–24, the Department is expected to continue to provide Ukrainians and their families temporary safe harbour in Canada. In 2023,Ukrainian nationals and their family members who have been granted temporary resident status are eligible to receive one-time temporary financial support via the Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative (CUTAI). Eligible Ukrainians in Canada before March 31, 2023 have until June 30, 2023 to apply for payment under the CUTAI.

In February 2023, the Department announced that it is extending and expanding the open work permit program for eligible Hong Kong residents. The extended deadline for eligible Hong Kong residents to apply for an open work permit is February 7, 2025.

The Department is extending the deadline to apply and expanding eligibility to Hong Kong residents who have graduated within the past 10 years from a post-secondary learning institution in Canada or abroad. This will support Hong Kong residents in pursuing their career goals and allowing them to gain valuable work experience in Canada for up to three years. Previously, applicants had to have graduated within the past five years.^{Footnote 4}

In addition, the Department established two pathways to permanent residence for eligible Hong Kong applicants and their families. These measures will allow Canada to attract even more skilled individuals, including those who have already acquired work experience, which will help them quickly integrate into Canada’s workforce.

This measure aligns with Canada’s recently released Indo-Pacific Strategy. On November 30, 2022 the Department announced plans for Canada’s growth and prosperity under the Indo-Pacific Strategy, which will improve Canada’s application processing ability domestically and in the Indo-Pacific region, which includes New Delhi, Chandigarh, Islamabad and Manila.

Supporting Francophone Temporary Workers

In 2022–23, IRCC expanded the Mobilité Francophone stream of the International Mobility Program to include French-speaking foreign nationals applying to work in lower-skilled positions (Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities [TEER] 4 and 5 of the National Occupational Classification [NOC]) for an initial period of two years. This initiative will be implemented to help address labour market shortages while supporting IRCC efforts to facilitate Francophone migration to promote the vitality of Francophone minority communities, regional economic immigration and pilot programs, and federal pilot programs administered outside of Quebec. A decision to reintroduce the stream for 2023–24 is expected in the near future.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Afghan resettlement initiative helps Canada meet its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) commitments, in particular Goal 10, target 10.7, which relates to the facilitation of orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, and includes the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.

Innovation

To facilitate travel and enhance the integrity and fairness of our temporary resident programs, the Department is seeking to modernize how we screen and welcome temporary residents and visitors to Canada by introducing more digital and data-driven processes, with a view to target the risk posed by an individual, rather than their nationality. This will include work to access new data sources to bolster screening, and to shift from issuing paper-based visas and permits toward digital credentials.

This work will kick-off in 2023 as IRCC begins engaging the transportation sector to leverage its experience and expertise in a digital visa co-design process and starts to plan out the implementation of digital immigration documents as part of our Digital Platform Modernization Programme. The Department will also work closely with partners to ensure the design is aligned with Treasury Board Secretariat guidance and planning in support of a digital credential ecosystem, with security and privacy at the forefront of design.

In 2022–23, changes were made to the current automation functions in order to help support processing networks with reducing application backlog inventory by expediting low-risk approvals for Study Permit application extensions. IRCC will continue to improve automation functions to further reduce application inventory and improve client experience.

In 2023–24, the IRCC portal will be expanded to include work permit applicants, and will continue to bring newcomers to Canada to drive economic growth and recovery.

Key risks

The effectiveness of temporary resident programs is undermined by delays in work permit processing, which remain a challenge, in large part due to unprecedented demand. To help meet this demand, Budget 2022 committed $385.7 million over five years and $86.5 million ongoing, for IRCC and federal partners to ensure the timely and efficient entry of temporary workers to meet the needs of Canadian employers and fill critical vacancies in the labour market.

As well, through the Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Department will invest $74.6 million over five years, and $15.7 million ongoing, to boost application processing capacity. This funding will also help promote greater diversity among those looking to study in Canada. This funding will support IRCC’s efforts to reduce processing times for applicants and prepare for the continuing growth in applications expected in coming years.

New approaches to facilitating international students come with the risk of exacerbating program integrity issues.

Program design changes that stem from the International Student Program (ISP) review carry a reputational risk to the Department, as it may come across resistance from stakeholders and clients to changes that are seen as less desirable to some groups. The Department is undertaking a review to improve the program given the volumes, the need to strengthen integrity to protect students and Canada’s reputation, the objectives of high quality education experience, the importance as a pool for some for permanent residence and note that are a range of views, and rolling out a comprehensive engagement strategy will be key to ensuring that the range of views inform the review.

Planned results for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers is facilitated, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning highlights

Departmental Result 2: Facilitation of temporary entry helps to generate economic benefits

Facilitation of temporary entry to Canada for international students and temporary workers helps to generate economic benefits to Canada. International students contribute financially to Canada’s economy, and temporary workers contribute to address labour market gaps through the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, and bring additional expertise to the Canadian economy through the International Mobility Program.

Facilitating international student entry

IRCC facilitates the entry of students who wish to study at a designated Canadian educational institution. To support economic growth, as well as to provide international students and graduates with increased opportunities to gain labour market experience, IRCC has implemented several work-related facilitative measures for current international students and graduates. This has included the opportunity for some post-graduation work permit holders to obtain an additional 18-month work permit. It has also included a temporary lifting of the maximum number of hours students are allowed to work off-campus until December 31, 2023.

In fall 2022, the International Student Program (ISP) launched consultations with the provinces and territories on a review of the program to ensure that it continues to position Canada for long-term economic success. Consultations with the provinces and territories, as well as educational stakeholders, are continuing in 2023.

The Department has worked to reduce the study permit inventory and reduce processing times to meet the service standards, including tools that were implemented this year to help increase processing efficiencies and improve output.

The Department has worked to reduce the study permit inventory and is currently meeting service standards. Automation was enhanced in 2022 and automated approvals were piloted with a cohort of applications.

To facilitate international student entry, IRCC aims to expand the study permit pilot in 2023, whereby international students can submit their applications online through the IRCC portal, to 100% of clients (up from the current 60%), due to the success of the pilot.

Temporary Foreign Workers

The Department recognizes the important contributions of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to the Canadian economy. TFWs bring essential skills to Canadian businesses, and fill gaps within Canada’s labour market.

In 2023–24, the Department will to continue to work with its federal partners to enhance the Global Skills Strategy (GSS), which helps Canadian companies quickly hire top talent with specialized skill sets and global experience. In 2022, IRCC conducted an evaluation of the GSS, fulfilling a requirement under the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results. IRCC will work to address the recommendations and the ensuing Management Response Action Plan to review elements of the strategy – specifically the definition of significant investment, eligible occupations, and transitions to permanent residence – to ensure it supports a broader range of Canadian companies seeking high skilled talent to grow and succeed.

Building on lessons learned from the facilitative measures introduced over the past three years to mitigate the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on temporary foreign workers, in 2023–24, IRCC will implement a temporary public policy that was introduced in 2022–23 and allows foreign nationals with valid work permits to study without a study permit. This measure provides foreign nationals with greater opportunities and more flexibility to upgrade their skills, credentials or licensing.

The COVID‑19 pandemic prolonged family separation for many temporary foreign workers and spurred the need for the Department to examine how the presence of family members in Canada could support workers, the labour market, an overall economic and social outcomes. In 2022–23, IRCC introduced a temporary measure to provide access to open work permits for families (spouses and dependents) of temporary foreign workers in Canada. This new measure currently applies to workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program. Consultations are underway to explore expansion of the measure to the family members of workers from the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and further consultations will be undertaken to assess operational feasibility for expanding the measure to family members of agricultural workers.

IRCC is also supporting Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to implement a suite of measures that will increase worker protections, while reducing administrative burdens for employers in good standing who repeatedly use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. This includes implementing a new foreign labour program for agriculture and fish processing, exploring sector-based work permits, and supporting ESDC as it implements a new model for seeking employers.

The Department has created key changes to internal processing strategies that will continue to provide positive impacts to processing times for the GSS in 2023. Additionally, a new team and a triage tool are being established for early 2023 for GSS processing, which will help to further reduce processing times.

Furthermore, ESDC and IRCC are working collaboratively to close processing gaps for work permit applications submitted through the Global Talent Stream, which encourages employers to commit to “Increase Diversity in the Workplace” through their Labour Market Benefit Plan.”

Supported by funding of $85 million from the 2021 Economic and Fiscal Update, as well as an additional $385 million from the 2022 Federal Budget, IRCC has taken a number of measures to reduce processing times. These measures include hiring additional processing staff, creating internal processing strategies, digitizing applications, and implementing technology-based solutions. 

These measures are expected to move IRCC closer to meeting its service standards by Spring 2023; 60 days for work permit applications submitted outside of Canada and 120 days for work permit applications submitted within Canada (mostly work permit extensions, meaning in most cases clients can continue to work while waiting.). Additional efforts will follow for IRCC to return to the two-week processing commitment for complete work permit applications submitted through the Global Talent Stream, and LMIA-exempt workers also eligible under the GSS. 

Temporary Entry Chapters in Canada’s Free Trade Agreements

IRCC continues to lead the negotiation of temporary entry chapters in Canada’s Free Trade Agreements, in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada and ESDC. These provisions open access for Canadian employers to new global talent pools. They also create opportunities for foreign nationals to work, invest and grow a business in Canada, while facilitating similar movement and activities for Canadians abroad. In 2023–24, negotiations will continue with partners across Asia and the Indo-Pacific, Europe, Eastern Europe, and South America.

Supporting International Students

IRCC facilitates the entry of students who wish to study at a designated Canadian educational institution. To support post-pandemic growth while generating economic benefits, IRCC has implemented several work-related facilitative measures for former and current international students and continues to do so in 2023. Temporary changes related to off-campus work authorization, distance learning, and post graduation work permits as well as reforms to existing programs and Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), are being employed to ensure international students are provided with maximum opportunities to gain Canadian work experience while participating in Canada’s labour market.

International Experience Canada

In 2023–24, IRCC will support the Canadian labour market by increasing the maximum number of program applicants by 20% (nearly 90,000 candidates).^{Footnote 5} It will also continue to promote its International Experience Canada (IEC) Program to Canadians and international youth to ensure that eligible candidates are aware of and benefit from this program. The IEC program permits foreign youth to work and travel in Canada, and Canadian youth to work and travel abroad. The IEC program is made possible through reciprocal arrangements with 36 countries and territories. Additional negotiations are underway with a mix of existing and prospective partners to expand opportunities available to Canadian and foreign youth through the IEC program.

Planned results for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Gender-based analysis plus

Diversity and intersectionality are important considerations in the work of IRCC when facilitating the arrival of immigrants, providing protection to refugees, offering settlement programming to newcomers, and granting citizenship and passport services.

GBA Plus is a tool for understanding how multiple factors, such as race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, income, language, indigeneity, and age shape health, social, and economic outcomes for people and influence access to programs and services. It is used in the design and implementation of policies, programs, and other initiatives so that they are more inclusive and responsive to the different needs of people. IRCC remains committed to working towards the full implementation of GBA Plus throughout its business lines to ensure that its initiatives are developed with equity, diversity, and inclusion in mind.

IRCC Sex and Gender Client Identifier Policy

The introduction of the IRCC Sex and Gender Client Identifier Policy in 2021 will continue to help IRCC become more inclusive and better serve its diverse clientele in 2023–24. For all IRCC programs, the Sex and Gender Client Identifier Policy establishes how to collect, record and display a client’s sex or gender identifier as accurately as possible. The sex or gender identifier includes female (F), male (M) and gender X. As this policy provides more accurate and representative data of the Department’s clientele, it will allow for robust Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) to be conducted on its programs and services. This additional information will also aid in uncovering potential negative impacts or barriers to accessing IRCC programs and how best to mitigate them. The implementation of the policy is underway, and once completed, will allow data to be captured. Follow up of the Departmental compliance is being conducted in early 2023.

Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers

In 2023–24, IRCC will continue to implement the Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers (OWP-V) program, which supports GBA Plus and contributes to the pillar of the Government of Canada’s Gender Results Framework on eliminating gender-based violence and facilitating access to justice. In particular, the work permit helps to facilitate TFWs in leaving abusive employment situations and gives them the ability to work for another employer, without compromising their authorization to work and live in Canada. Overall, the OWP-V program aims to promote the security of temporary foreign workers.

For OWP-V holders, qualitative and quantitative data on gender, age, country of citizenship, ability to speak in English or French, prior and subsequent work permits, and location of work (in Canada) are collected. In addition, in Fall 2021, the Department began the roll-out of trauma-informed training for officers who process OWP-V applications. This training includes a decision-making framework and procedures for following up with clients to address systemic barriers that prevent vulnerable TFWs from applying and being successful in obtaining an OWP‑V. This training continues to be delivered to officers evaluating OWP-V applications to support their work.

United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

IRCC’s Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers is aligned with Canada’s efforts to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Canada facilitates the entry of foreign nationals to work and study in Canada through programs such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the International Student Program, Global Skills Strategy, and IEC Program. These programs contribute to promoting inclusive and sustained economic growth, productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8) and reducing inequality within and among countries (SDG 10).

IRCC continues to leverage immigration to meet the needs of Canadian workers and employers, while ensuring labour protection mechanisms and employment standards apply to temporary foreign workers in Canada.

Canada strongly supports international ethical labour recruitment practices. Promoting ethical recruitment and protecting the rights of migrant workers is an integral part of economic immigration programs of the Canadian government and ties into international obligations, including its participation in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration. Canada will continue to collaborate with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to sponsor activities related to ethical labour recruitment. We continue to provide strong support for ethical recruitment through our investment in regional projects. Most recently, this work includes supporting ethical recruitment practices in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica in 2023.

Canada’s existing pathways are already welcoming many workers to address Canadian labour market gaps. These efforts support Canada’s commitments under the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs 8 and 10).

Innovation

In 2018, IRCC created the Service Insights and Experimentation division dedicated to integrating the results of empirical testing of IRCC products by real clients into product development. This division has a dedicated Usability Testing team, a Service Design and Research team, and a Behavioural Insights and Experimentation team. In 2023–24, the Department will continue to conduct usability tests to understand how IRCC clients interact with and understand key IRCC products with the goal of improving service quality. These products include content on its website, forms, and letters, as well as new digital approaches being developed through the Digital Platform Modernization Programme. IRCC also conducts experiments, including randomized control trials, to build evidence to help improve client service delivery. Recently completed experiments include a trial investigating the impact of providing clients actionable feedback on their application to reduce the need for access to information and privacy requests. These initiatives are key to improving how IRCC interacts with its clients by providing clearer information on requirements and timeframes in decision-making processes.

At the end of 2022–23, IRCC introduced three major time-limited initiatives to help ease labour shortages and support other key Departmental objectives, including family reunification and francophone immigration. The implementation of these temporary measures (expanding study authorization for workers, eligibility for open work permits for family members of all workers, and eligibility under the Francophonie stream of the International Mobility Program to include NOC 2021, with training, education, experience and responsibilities, also known as TEERs) will enable the Department to monitor outcomes for potential applications of these new concepts in other temporary residence programming, or to inform a decision on whether any of these measures should be made permanent.

Key risks

Managing ever-increasing application volumes remains a challenge as unprecedented demand resulting from the pandemic and humanitarian crises have placed greater pressures on the Department’s processing capabilities. IRCC continues to use Budget 2022’s investment to streamline and modernize operations in order to provide quality service and shorten processing times for temporary workers.

In particular, returning to a two-week work permitting process under the Global Skills Strategy is a significant challenge and is contingent on successful implementation of a number of process and technology advancements currently being undertaken by IRCC. The Department is making strides to return the two-week commitment by the end of 2023.

IRCC is working with ESDC to implement a suite of measures to improve the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which will help to increase worker protections. Given its ambitious agenda, and overlap with other complementary measures, there is a risk of implementation and/or timeline delays. As a result, the Department is proactively engaged with ESDC and working in close collaboration to ensure that the measures will be implemented in a timely manner.

Planned budgetary spending for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned spending for Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers is reflective of approved funded resources to process applications for visitors, international students, and temporary workers.

Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

Description

IRCC facilitates the admission and economic and social integration of immigrants and refugees who intend to stay in Canada permanently, while protecting the health, safety, and security of Canadians. The Department selects economic immigrant applicants to contribute to the Canadian economy, processes family member applicants to reunite families, and processes refugee and protected person applicants to provide a safe haven for those facing persecution. IRCC works with partners to verify that individuals meet admissibility requirements before they enter Canada. In order to support immigrants and refugees in integrating into Canadian society, IRCC offers a variety of settlement support services through a network of service providers.

Planning Highlights

Departmental Result 3: Potential permanent residents are selected for immigration to Canada

Multi-year Immigration Levels Plan

In 2022, the Government reached its target range of 360,000 to 445,000 new permanent residents The 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan aims towards further growth, setting ambitious targets of 410,000 to 505,000 new permanent residents in 2023, 430,000 to 542,000 in 2024 and 442,500 to 550,000 in 2025. The plan prioritizes long-term economic growth, with just over 60% of admissions in the economic class by 2025. This will support economic recovery by addressing labour shortages and sustaining long-term population growth. The plan brings an increased focus on attracting newcomers to different regions of the country through increases in regional programs. Admissions targets have been expanded for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). This approach works to address targeted local labour market needs and spreads the benefits of immigration across the entire country.

The plan also advances numerous additional key priorities. Family reunification continues to be supported as it plays an essential role in attracting, retaining and integrating newcomers so that they are able to build successful lives in Canada. Additionally, the plan continues to fulfill humanitarian commitments, providing a safe haven to those facing persecution, including by expanding the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP).

The Department will continue to improve upon the Permanent Resident Digital Intake (PRDI) portal to facilitate a more streamlined intake process and through the integration between the portal and the Department’s processing system GCMS. This will help reduce manual data entry and intervention and reduce duplication of effort. Full integration of the PRDI portal is planned for 2023–24.

Economic immigration

Through Regional economic programs (i.e., PNP, AIP) and pilots (i.e. RNIP, Municipal Nominee Program (MNP), EMPP), IRCC will continue to work with provinces, territories, and communities to select immigrants with the skills and experience needed, spread the benefits of immigration across Canada, and continue to meet regional labour market needs while supporting the full economic participation of women and diverse groups of people.

Furthermore, the Atlantic Immigration Program and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot look beyond immigrant selection to settlement of both the principal applicant and their family members in sponsoring regions and communities. These programs take a whole-of-family approach to ensuring that newcomers have the support they need upon arrival so to encourage economic participation from accompanying spouses, for example.

Candidates are eligible for the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot based on both the economic criteria of the program they are applying to, as well as their status as a refugee. In phase 1 of the EMPP, the numbers of candidates were low, and the number of primary applicants who were women was even lower. However, as the pilot grows in phase 2, the number of female principal applicants has begun to grow as well. As different ways of applying to the EMPP become available and are used more, including NGO referrals and independent applications to a new federal pathway, we will continue to monitor the impact of these changes to the pilot using a GBA Plus lens. EMPP clients will also continue to be provided with pre-departure medical services under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) to support their safe travel to Canada.

Additionally, to ensure that immigration better supports small-and medium-sized communities that require additional immigrants to enhance their economic growth and social vibrancy, IRCC is developing a Municipal Nominee Program. IRCC is committed to working with provinces and territories, and consulting with a broad range of stakeholders, to determine the optimal program design and delivery model for the MNP.

The Canadian economy continues to experience labour shortages in critical sectors. Increasing immigration, with a focus on economic classes, will help address labour market needs and support economic growth. According to Statistics Canada, from 2016 to 2021, immigrants accounted for four-fifths of Canada’s labour force growth.

Immigrants are a central pillar of Canada’s economic growth and future success. They are educated, fill targeted labour market shortages, and have the skills needed to quickly integrate and adapt to the Canadian labour market.

Canada has a variety of economic immigration programs designed to fill current job vacancies and select people who have the skills needed to succeed and adapt over the long term. These programs rely on criteria associated with strong economic outcomes, including post-secondary education and training, language proficiency, and skilled work experience.

Federal economic and pilot programs are complemented by regional immigration and pilot programs that support provincial and territorial jurisdictions in responding to their unique labour force and demographic needs.

IRCC is looking at ways to improve our immigration system and make it more responsive to changing economic and labour market needs. On June 23, 2022, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act was amended to authorize the Minister of IRCC to invite top-ranking Express Entry candidates that meet the criteria of a specific category to apply for permanent residence. These new authorities will expand selection flexibility and enable the Department to focus invitations on candidates whose profiles help support specific economic goals, including economic growth in Francophone minority communities. The Department will also continue to invite candidates to apply for permanent residence through the general and program-specific rounds that are currently used.

These changes are expected to result in candidates with a wider range of skills, education, work experience, ages and countries of citizenship receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA). The legislation requires categories to be linked with specific economic goals and annual reporting on the list of categories, selection criteria and the process taken to establish categories.

Consultations with provinces and territories, stakeholders, and the public play a key role in helping the Department better understand Canada’s economic needs as we look to implement changes to Express Entry. In addition, the Department will continue to finalize applications of the 90,000 temporary workers in health and essential sectors and student graduates who applied to the time-limited Temporary to Permanent Residence Pathway introduced in 2021 in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic travel restrictions. These efforts will be complemented by innovative approaches to economic immigration. These approaches include the Government’s June 2021 announcement of phase 2 of the EMPP to ease barriers faced by skilled refugees in accessing existing economic immigration pathways, specifically the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.

A three-fold increase in planned admissions in federal business programs in 2023 is expected to bring a growing number of entrepreneurs and innovative businesses through the Start-up Visa program and athletes or creative professionals intending to make significant economic and cultural contributions to Canada through the Self-Employed Program. 

Family reunification

In 2023, the Department is targeting between 25,000 – 38,000 admissions for parents and grandparents and between 72,000 – 84,000 admissions for spouses, partners, and children. To meet this goal, the Department will continue to develop and implement innovative measures to process Family Class applications more quickly.

In September 2022, the Department expanded the Permanent Residence Portal and the Representative Permanent Residence Portal to enable all applicants applying under Family Reunification programs and their representatives to submit applications electronically, which included a tracker to monitor progress. The Department continues to enhance these portals and introduce efficiencies in the intake process to reduce application inventories accumulated during the pandemic. Currently, the Department is also working toward delivering on the mandate letter commitment to facilitate temporary resident status for spouses, partners and dependent children abroad, while they wait for the processing of their permanent residency applications. As well, the Department will work to finalize an evaluation of the Family Reunification Program in 2022–23.

As part of the 2022 Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program intake process, the Department aimed to receive up to 15,000 complete PGP applications in 2022. These applications will lead to admissions in future years. In response to the financial impacts that the pandemic may have imposed on sponsors, the Department introduced a temporary public policy to reduce the income requirement for 2020 and 2021 tax years. Sponsors of parents and grandparents and other Family Class applicants who must meet an income requirement based on 2020 and/or 2021 tax years will continue to benefit from these public policies in future years.

Refugees

Canada’s continued commitment to refugee resettlement is part of its positive contribution to global refugee protection. Increased admission spaces to the protected persons and refugee category in the 2023–2025 Levels Plan reflect this commitment.

In 2023, Canada will complete its multi-year refugee resettlement commitment for 2022–23 to resettle 10,000 refugees from Africa and 8,000 refugees from the Middle East, and will continue to progress on a new commitment to the Americas.

IRCC will continue to advance its efforts to provide protection to human rights defenders, whose invaluable work to support communities around the world often puts them at risk. The Minister’s December 2021 mandate letter includes a commitment to expand the new immigration stream for human rights defenders and work with civil society groups to provide resettlement opportunities for people under threat. IRCC is working in consultation with civil society experts on protection for human rights defenders on how to best meets the needs of human rights defenders who are forced to flee. 

As part of Canada’s commitment to welcome at least 40,000 at-risk Afghan nationals, IRCC continues to resettle Afghan refugees through the special humanitarian program established under Operation Afghan Safety. In addition to welcoming women and girls, 2LGBTQI+ individuals, ethnic and religious minorities, journalists and those who helped Canadian journalists, human rights defenders, and other bona fide refugees through this program, IRCC is also working to resettle vulnerable Afghans inside of Afghanistan who find themselves in a refugee-like situation. This resettlement is being carried out especially through its Special Immigration Measures Program for Afghan nationals and their families who assisted the Government of Canada. As of February 8, 2023, an approximate of 28,010 Afghans had arrived in Canada through these streams, and have been welcomed in many communities across the country. In 2023–24, IRCC will be well-positioned to fulfil its mandate letter commitment by welcoming thousands of additional Afghans through these programs and reaching at least the 40,000 target in the process. This will accomplished in part through the recently launched temporary public policy to facilitate the sponsorship of Afghan refugees by groups of five and community sponsors.

IRCC continues to support the Afghanistan movement by facilitating Immigration Medical Exams (IMEs) and vaccinations pre-departure and by providing Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) coverage, which includes extended family members of former interpreters. In 2023–24, IRCC will be implementing a pilot project to extend mental health coverage under the IFHP for Afghan refugees after 12 months to better support their health and well-being in Canada.

The Department will also continue to work closely with international delivery partners, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These partners support identification and referral of refugees and provide direct pre-departure support globally to refugees overseas and logistical supports that are critical to helping achieve resettled refugee admissions levels.

In 2022, the Department developed and implemented digital intake solutions for refugee resettlement applications in order to meet unprecedented immigration levels in 2023-24 and to support the Government’s commitment to welcome Afghan refugees.

IRCC will continue to implement the Program Integrity Framework (PIF) to ensure that refugees sponsored under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) and Blended Visa Office Referred (BVOR) programs are provided with sufficient post-arrival support.

The Department has a dedicated phone and email channel for those impacted by the situations in Ukraine and Afghanistan to provide support on how to apply for special measures, or to ask questions about their application.

The Global Compact on Refugees is a framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, recognizing that a sustainable solution to refugee situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation. IRCC will continue to champion the Global Compact on Refugees, specifically the third objective to expand refugee access to third country solutions: resettlement and complementary pathways of admission.

As part of this effort, IRCC will continue to (i) promote the development and expansion of community sponsorship programs for refugees around the world as a partner in the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI); and (ii) fulfill its second year as Chair of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility, which aims to increase refugee access to third country solutions via labour complementary pathways. Both of these initiatives are carried out through multi-stakeholder partnerships, which foster global dialogue, advice and innovation to increase solutions for refugees.

In 2019, IRCC, in close collaboration with Global Affairs Canada, was the first country to include a refugee advisor as part of Canadian delegations to global forums where refugee issues are discussed. IRCC will continue to ensure that refugee advisors are meaningfully and systematically included in Canadian delegations to these forums, and continue to encourage other states to do so as part of their own delegations. IRCC will continue to strengthen Departmental efforts to include refugee voices on both domestic and international program and policy design consultations.

Francophone immigration to Canada outside of Quebec

Every year, thousands of French-speaking immigrants come to Canada to settle in Francophone communities outside of Quebec. In 2019, IRCC launched the Francophone Immigration Strategy, which aims to support the vitality of Francophone minority communities across the country. The strategy includes an implementation plan to reach a 4.4% target of French-speaking immigrants by 2023, which IRCC achieved by reaching 4.42% in 2022. In 2023–24, IRCC will announce a new target for 2024 and the following years. Building on the measures already put in place (including additional points for French-speaking and bilingual candidates introduced in 2020 under the Express Entry system and the Minister’s new category based selection authorities), the Department will continue to leverage a variety of tools to work towards reaching the 4.4% target in 2023. In 2023–24, IRCC also intends to launch a Francophone Immigration Policy that aims to be more far-reaching than the 2019 Strategy. 

In addition to these measures and tools, the newly established national Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration in Dieppe will work in collaboration with Francophone communities and organizations that are responsible for selecting immigration candidates to:

• make immigration programs more accessible in order to increase the number of French-speaking candidates selected,
• conduct case studies to better meet the bilingual workforce needs of Francophone employers and communities, and
• support international promotion efforts to attract and recruit French-speaking candidates in our labour market.

Moreover, IRCC continues to work with the provinces and territories to advance cross-jurisdictional efforts in support of its Strategy for Francophone Immigration and to strengthen the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec, adopted in 2018.

International Engagement on Migration and on Protection of Migrants and Refugees

IRCC advances Canada’s strategic migration and refugee protection objectives through active engagement in global, regional, and bilateral activities. Through this engagement, IRCC aims to promote greater international alignment with Canada’s views on migration and refugee protection. By sharing best practices, Canada can both support other partners while also learning from international best practices to improve IRCC’s policies and programs internationally.

In 2023–24, IRCC will continue to work with trusted international partners to advance Canada’s priorities on migration and protection. This includes active and continued engagement with partner countries and IRCC’s key multilateral and regional partner organizations, including the UNHCR, the IOM, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Network on Migration, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees, the Transatlantic Council on Migration, and the Regional Conference on Migration.

IRCC will collaborate and share best practices with international partners on managed migration pathways, help address refugee protection and irregular migration challenges, and share Canada’s experience related to refugee protection and other targeted migration pilots and programs. IRCC will also engage with key partners to address issues of strategic importance, such as migration program integrity, security and intelligence. These efforts contribute overall to safe, orderly and regular migration, uphold international commitments to protection, and help deter irregular migration.

In 2023–24, IRCC will continue to contribute to strengthening capacities in regions experiencing increased irregular migration and forced displacement, which includes bolstering support to national migration and asylum systems to more effectively provide protection to vulnerable migrants and refugees, and supporting regular migration, labour inclusion, and border security capacities.

Through collaboration with the IOM, Canada will contribute to mitigating migration-related impacts of the crisis in Afghanistan and in the surrounding region.

IRCC will also continue to provide support to strengthen the capacity of migration and protection systems in Latin America and the Caribbean to respond to the concerning increase in irregular migration and forced displacement in the hemisphere, particularly for those in situations of vulnerability — notably women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. To that end, Canada will continue work with the U.S., Mexico, and other partners, including as part of the commitments made during the North American Leaders Summits, and the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection.

IRCC will also advance Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy through initiatives to support international student market diversification and enhancing application processing and program integrity of the International Student Program (ISP), where emphasis is on diversification, including to francophone Asia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. These initiatives will be a key component in strengthening people-to-people ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific region and will be supported by increased visa processing capacity at home and abroad.

Furthermore, IRCC will continue to build on its engagement with the European Union (EU), a close and like-minded partner for Canada. In 2022, IRCC attended several EU events, such as the Expert Platform on safe pathways for Afghans and the High-level forum on legal pathways to protection. In 2023–24, IRCC will host the Canada-EU Joint Consultations on Migration and Asylum (JCM), the Department’s formal bilateral forum with the European Commission to discuss migration and asylum issues of mutual interest and future collaboration.

Finally, IRCC will continue to promote balanced public narratives on refugees and migrants that recognize the benefits of regular migration and celebrate diversity and inclusion, including through its support for “It Takes a Community,” a global social media campaign. This campaign will host activities in the Americas and globally to showcase the positive impact that migration can have on communities, thus contributing to international efforts to promote social cohesion, combat xenophobia and discrimination of migrants, and promote managed migration.

Global Compacts on Refugee and Migration

The Department will continue to promote both the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, Regular Migration (GCM).

The GCR envisions greater collaboration, predictability and sustainability in support of refugees and the countries that host them. Along with Global Affairs Canada, IRCC will also co-lead Canada’s participation in the 2023 Global Refugee Forum (GRF), where international partners will gather to announce policy, financial, and technical pledges and contributions to enhance responsibility-sharing in support of the objectives of the GCR.

IRCC will also continue to advocate for and champion the GCM as a tool for helping to ensure that migration occurs through regular pathways, while reducing irregular migration. Implementing GCM can help to ensure that migrants can move safely, that their host societies can benefit from their presence, and that “no one is left behind” in our collective post-pandemic recovery efforts.

Asylum

Following investments made in Budget 2022, IRCC will continue to advance reforms to strengthen the asylum system, enhance efficiencies and meet Canada’s international obligations. This includes working closely with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to implement strategies to streamline asylum processing, ensure that decision-makers have all relevant information in a timely manner, and maintain the integrity of the system.

IRCC is also continuing its efforts to stabilize the asylum system. Developing a more resilient and agile in-Canada asylum system that builds on best practices and recent efficiency-oriented innovations, such as the launch of the new online asylum application via the IRCC Portal in September 2022, will be an area of focus.

IRCC will continue to collaborate with its partners both in Canada and internationally to discourage irregular migration, including to proactively dispel misinformation and provide the facts about claiming asylum in Canada. As part of these efforts, the Department will pursue its close cooperation and engagement with the U.S. on issues related to our shared border and to jointly advance projects in the Americas to address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement.

IRCC will also continue working with partners, such as CBSA and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, to monitor the flow of asylum claimants who are seeking entry to Canada from the U.S. both between ports of entry, or at land ports of entry under the Safe Third Country Agreement. IRCC will continue efforts to review and modernize the Safe Third Country Agreement.

Interim Federal Health Program

The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides limited, temporary health-care coverage to resettled refugees, refugee claimants, victims of human trafficking, and certain persons detained under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act during their period of ineligibility for provincial or territorial health insurance. IRCC will continue investing in the IFHP to ensure that these vulnerable newcomers receive health-care coverage to address their essential medical needs, help to improve their overall health outcomes, facilitate their integration, and safeguard the health of Canadians. In 2023–24, the Department will continue to review benefits available under the IFHP to ensure the distinct needs of refugees and asylum claimants are met.

Immigration consultants

While newcomers and applicants often rely on the advice and expertise of immigration and citizenship consultants in application processes, they can also be the victims of fraudulent and unauthorized consultants. To better protect newcomers and applicants, including those most vulnerable, IRCC is implementing an improved governance regime for immigration and citizenship consultants. In 2022–23, this included the Ministerial appointment of five Directors to the Board of Directors of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (College) and the implementation by IRCC of the College’s Code of Professional Conduct, which applies to all licensed consultants.

In 2023–24, IRCC will advance the implementation of this regime by developing regulations to support the functioning of the College. IRCC will also advance, through regulation, the implementation and administration of a new system of administrative penalties and consequences to improve compliance by all who provide immigration and citizenship advice and representation. Finally, IRCC is planning to increase its investigation capacity concerning consultants and other third parties believed to be acting unscrupulously.

Planned results for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning highlights

Departmental Result 4: Permanent residents are welcomed and benefit from settlement supports

The Settlement Program

The successful settlement and integration of newcomers benefits Canada by building a more inclusive, diverse and productive nation. Through the Settlement Program and Resettlement Assistance Program, newcomers are provided with services that help them settle in Canadian society. For Canada to realize the economic, social and cultural benefits of immigration, newcomers must be supported to integrate successfully into Canadian society. IRCC funds more than 500 service provider organizations to assist immigrants, including refugees, to overcome barriers specific to the newcomer experience, both before arrival and after landing in Canada.

In 2023–24, the Department will launch an intake process for the settlement and resettlement programs, with the aim of having new agreements with service providers in place by April 1, 2025. In preparation for the launch of this intake process, the Department will finalize the 2^nd Biennial Settlement Outcomes Report, which will be published online in late 2023 in an effort to bring together key findings on service usage, client outcomes and the impacts of settlement programming on the settlement and integration of newcomers to Canada. In particular, the Department will review the lessons learned from the move to increased digital, online or hybrid service delivery during the pandemic in order to inform where and how client-centric, online or hybrid settlement services have had a positive impact on a newcomer’s settlement journey.

Francophone settlement services

From 2018–2023, IRCC committed $40.8 million in the Action Plan for Official Languages to enhance horizontal policy development and to support the Francophone Integration Pathway. This pathway aims to facilitate linkages between French-speaking newcomers and Francophone minority communities, and to strengthen the delivery of quality settlement services by Francophone service providers to meet the needs of Francophone newcomers outside Quebec. In 2023–24, the Department will continue to implement measures to consolidate the Francophone integration pathway based on recommendations from the Comité consultatif national en établissement francophone (in French only).

Language training services

Proficiency in English or French is foundational to successful settlement and integration. Providing opportunities for newcomers to improve their language skills for living and working in Canada remains a priority for IRCC’s Settlement Program. Through structured and formal instruction, newcomers can gain a better understanding and knowledge of life in Canada while improving their ability in Canada’s official languages.

The Department works with over 200 service providers to offer language training services to newcomers with diverse experiences, skill levels and varied needs. Settlement language training supports newcomers to reach their full potential in Canadian society. In 2023–24, the Department will continue to help newcomers improve their language skills through high quality, flexible and accessible language training services in-person, online, or in hybrid learning environments. This includes continuing to support language training services adapted to the needs of French-speaking newcomers in francophone minority communities as part of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023. Lessons learned from innovative and effective online practices during the pandemic will further support better outcomes for newcomers.

IRCC will finalize implementation of the Management Response Action Plan to the Evaluation of Language Training Services (published in May 2021), which includes improving services for newcomers with literacy needs, and strengthening the measurement of outcomes..

Employment-related services

Employment-related services are a key part of IRCC’s Settlement Program. They equip newcomers, including refugees, with knowledge and skills to better understand the Canadian workplace and help them to overcome barriers in accessing the labour market. The Department works with service provider organizations across the country to offer services such as employment counselling, temporary work placements, mentoring and networking opportunities, preparation for licensure/certification, job search skills, essential skills training, and resume screening and job matching services. These services are complemented by employer specific supports that promote the hiring and retention newcomer employees, including though awareness-raising activities that promote the benefits of hiring newcomers, and intercultural competency training.

In 2023–24, IRCC will advance Government of Canada priorities by:

• continuing to support employment-related services tailored to racialized newcomer women, while also integrating the learnings from the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot into the upcoming Settlement and Resettlement Program’s intake process;
• continuing to support employment-related services tailored to newcomer youth, as a partner Department under the ESDC-led Youth Employment and Skills Strategy; and
• supporting efforts by ESDC, the federal lead for the Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) program, by improving newcomers’ access to information on FCR and reinforcing supports to help newcomers navigate the FCR process.

The Federal Internship for Newcomers (FIN) Program, delivered by IRCC, offers eligible newcomers a chance to gain valuable work experience and training opportunities and mentorship at IRCC and at other Canadian federal, provincial and municipal organizations. Internships are offered in fields such as administration, project support and management, policy and research, and computer science. In 2023–24, through the FIN Program and delivered by IRCC-funded service provider organizations, candidates will receive job readiness training, interview preparation, core skills development, mentorship and information on integrating into the Canadian workplace to support them when applying for jobs in government in Canada .

Support for resettled refugees

Through the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), IRCC will continue to help government-assisted refugees (GARs) and other eligible clients when they first arrive in Canada. As the Department continues to welcome an increasing number of GARs, the Department funds RAP service provider organizations (SPOs) to deliver immediate and essential services to newly arrived GARs. This includes help finding temporary and permanent housing, orientation and financial literacy, and referrals to other government and community supports. In addition, GAR clients are eligible for income support through the RAP for up to 12 months (up to six months for Blended Visa Office-Referred Refugees clients).

While private sponsors provide support to meet the immediate and essential needs of sponsored refugees when they first arrive in Canada, all resettled refugees may access Government of Canada funded settlement services through the IRCC network of service provider organizations.

In 2023–24, the Department will continue to work with existing service provider organizations and sponsors, to both maintain and increase their capacity to support the growth of resettled refugees and the movement of Afghan refugees. Leveraging the experience of the previous year, where new investments added new RAP SPOs in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and New Brunswick, focus is now to support the resettlement of refugees in small and medium-sized towns and rural communities, thus enabling access to more affordable and available housing. Creating new avenues to welcome and support the refugee clients in smaller communities may also reduce pressure on existing RAP SPOs in major centres across Canada.^{Footnote 6}

IRCC will also continue to engage with provincial and territorial governments on areas of shared jurisdiction. The Department will continue to share information and respond to regional and national issues impacting Afghan refugees through the Afghan Refugee Resettlement National Steering Committee.

Service delivery improvements

Service delivery improvement initiatives are aimed at testing new and innovative ways to improve the efficiency of settlement services and allow IRCC to strategically invest in projects that offer insights on program design improvements.

In 2021, IRCC announced an investment of $100 million over three years (Fall 2021 – March 2024) to improve the way newcomers access settlement services and to support them and the broader settlement sector in recovering from the COVID‑19 pandemic.

The majority of these funds will be spent through the 78 new projects that were approved during a 2020 Expression of Interest process. All funded projects are underway and will end no later than March 31, 2024. Funded projects focus on testing new approaches to service delivery in the following areas: leveraging technology to support digital service delivery; increasing employer involvement in settlement services; supporting the resilience and adaptability of settlement service provider organizations, while also building anti-racism capacity in the settlement sector; and developing models of community-based plans for the delivery of settlement services.

Service delivery improvement funding is also being used to support several projects funded under the Equity Request for Quotations (RFQ). The Equity RFQ was launched in September 2022 to support projects that will explore ways to address systemic inequities — including those based on race and gender — for all newcomers to improve their integration into Canadian society. Funded projects under this RFQ began in early 2023 and will end in late 2023–24. Through these projects, IRCC and the broader Settlement Sector will gain knowledge, understanding and insights into barriers and obstacles that newcomers encounter in accessing settlement services and in integrating into Canadian society.

Planned results for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning highlights

Departmental Result 5: Immigrants and refugees achieve economic independence and contribute to labour force growth

Economic immigration programs

The Department manages a number of economic immigration programs that support the development of a strong Canadian economy and ensure that the benefits of immigration are shared across all regions. Economic immigrants are selected for their ability to become economically established and contribute to Canada’s economy. In 2021, the economic immigration represents the largest share (over 62%) of annual permanent residence admissions and the volume is growing, as the overall admission levels grow. In addition to federal economic immigration programs, the Department works closely with the provinces and territories to manage regional economic immigration programs. Quebec has the exclusive authority over the selection of economic immigrants destined to the province.

In 2023–24, the Department will continue to develop and implement economic immigration programs and pilots tailored to regional and sectoral labour market needs, such as the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, the Municipal Nominee Program, and the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. 

Additionally, to ensure that immigration better supports small- and medium-sized communities that require additional immigrants to enhance their economic growth and social vibrancy, IRCC is developing a Municipal Nominee Program. IRCC is committed to working with provinces and territories, and consulting with a broad range of stakeholders, to determine the optimal program design and delivery model for the Municipal Nominee Program.

Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program is a jointly administered immigration program that provides provinces and territories with an opportunity to address their economic development needs, while distributing the benefits of economic immigration across Canada. While all provinces and territories participating in the Provincial Nominee Program have skilled worker and/or international graduate streams that can be used to nominate candidates to fill labour needs at any skill level, some have recently added innovative streams as part of their Provincial Nominee Program to specifically target certain priority sectors (e.g., health care). These streams are often designed in partnership with regulatory bodies, educational institutions and employers.

There are many other innovative Provincial Nominee Program streams, including several International Graduate Entrepreneur streams that aim to encourage new business development and the retention of international graduates. The Department will continue to work closely with provinces and territories in developing streams that meet their current and future labour market needs. 

Atlantic Immigration Program

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot transitioned to a permanent program in 2022. In 2023–24, the Department will continue to work closely with Atlantic Provinces to ensure its success and strong uptake by employers. To date, uptake has been promising, with over 1,100 employers already designated to use the Atlantic Immigration Program. These designated employers will be able to fill local labour market needs, as was the case during the pilot phase, where over 11,100 job offers were made during the 5 years it was in place.

The permanent program will continue to complement the Provincial Nominee Program. This will be done by maintaining key program elements that distinguish the Atlantic Immigration Program as Canada’s flagship regional economic immigration program (e.g., aligning immigration with region-wide economic development strategies) and offering provinces additional pathways through which candidates can migrate to the region and support provincial economic needs.

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

The objective of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot is to attract and retain newcomers in participating communities to support their local economy.

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot fills critical labour market needs in participating communities across numerous sectors, including health care and social services (22% of applicants), accommodation and food services (27% of applicants), manufacturing (10% of applicants), retail (10% of applicants), and transportation (5% of applicants). In addition, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot communities commit to supporting the settlement and integration of newcomers by championing the benefits of immigration to community members and employers; matching newcomers with established members of the community, for mentoring and support; and connecting newcomers with settlement services and other core social services after their arrival.

Municipal Nominee Program

The Municipal Nominee Program is being developed by taking into account the capacity of settlement provider organizations and participating communities to meet the needs of newcomers.

In 2021, a ministerial mandate commitment was issued to move forward with a Municipal Nominee Program to allow local communities, chambers of commerce and local labour councils to directly sponsor permanent immigrants. This commitment reflects the important role communities play in welcoming and retaining newcomers to Canada and responds to the unique demographic and labour market needs of different areas of the country. In 2023–24, IRCC will continue engaging the provinces and territories to develop program design and delivery options.

Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot

Canada is growing the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. Leading into 2023–24, we are committed to scaling up and building the foundation to eventually expand the pilot to 2,000 skilled refugees. This will help employers fill labour shortages, including in high-demand sectors, such as healthcare. Recent innovations to the program in 2022–23, which include building NGO partner capacity and deepening partnership arrangements to streamline processes, will make it easier for greater numbers of skilled refugees to apply for the facilitation measures the pilot offers. These ongoing improvements to the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot show Canada’s commitment to welcoming more refugees through new channels that complement our resettlement programs.

Agri-Food Pilot

The Agri-Food Pilot was introduced in May 2020 to test an industry-specific pathway to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers in the agriculture and agri-food sector. This pilot is intended to help address areas of labour shortage in certain industries in the sector, such as meat processing, greenhouse and mushroom crop production, and livestock raising. The Department is exploring possible adjustments to the pilot, including an extension of the pilot, to continue to facilitate transitions to permanent residence of experienced workers in the agri-food sector.

Caregiver programming

The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots, launched in June 2019, were introduced to support Canadian families in meeting their care needs and to provide a clear and direct pathway to permanent residence for caregivers and their families. In anticipation of the caregiver pilots expiring in June 2024, work is ongoing to determine how the future of caregiver programming in Canada will support broader priorities on health care and affordable child care.

Express Entry

Category-based selection under Express Entry will expand selection flexibility and enable the Department to focus invitations on candidates whose profiles help support specific economic goal(s), including economic development in Francophone minority communities. Categories will be determined based on consultations with provinces and territories, stakeholders, and the public. It is anticipated that IT changes needed to implement these legislative authorities and begin category-based selection rounds in Express Entry will be in place in spring 2023. The Department will continue to monitor impacts of Express Entry changes on the profile of candidates who receive an Invitation to Apply, including from a GBA Plus lens, and will adjust invitation round strategies as needed to meet objectives.

Planned results for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning highlights

Departmental Result 6: Immigrants and refugees feel part of and participate in Canadian society

Settlement services to support newcomer integration

IRCC-funded settlement services are in place to support newcomers, including refugees, to be engaged in their new communities. Going forward, services, such as needs and assets assessments and referral services, community connections, and information and orientation services, will continue to direct newcomers to needed supports and services as well as provide them with information on a variety of topics. These topics include, but are not limited to, health care in Canada, the history of Canada and its relationship to Indigenous peoples, finding work in Canada, laws and responsibilities, rights and freedoms, community resources and involvement, and Canadian citizenship.

In 2023–24, Community Connections services will continue to support locally-based approaches that facilitate settlement and integration through activities such as conversation circles and learning activities for youth. These activities will continue to be delivered in-person, online and in hybrid learning environments to maintain accessibility and flexibility for newcomers.

In 2023–24, the 86 Local Immigration Partnerships and the 13 Réseaux en immigration francophone (Francophone Immigration Networks) will continue to promote integration at the local level and foster more welcoming communities, including French-speaking immigrants, into Canada’s communities.

Contribution agreements for the 14 communities participating in a community-based pilot, the Welcoming Francophone Communities Initiative (WFC), received an extension to March 2024 to continue to implement the activities reflected in their community plans. In 2023–24, the 13 Réseaux en immigration francophone located across Canada (except Quebec) will continue to support efforts outlined in the WFC initiative. In addition, the final report of a multi-year study of the initiative, conducted by the firm Prairies Research Associates (PRA) Inc. will be delivered in March 2024 and will help inform the planning for the future of this initiative and the evaluation of the Francophone Immigration Strategy.

Planned results for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

Settlement programming aims to meet the needs of all newcomers, including those with disabilities, women, children and youth, seniors, refugees and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals. Settlement service providers have been expanding and customizing their services to address gaps and build on best practices for diverse populations. In 2023–24, IRCC will continue using GBA Plus to ensure inclusive outcomes for newcomers and refugees. This will include continued support for resources, such as women’s only language programming, peer mentoring and Support Services such as child-care, which have been designed using GBA Plus to improve opportunities for newcomers facing barriers to services. Over 2023–24, IRCC will also continue to prioritize a GBA Plus approach to settlement programming that promotes gender equality, belonging and inclusion, by analyzing how programming can be tailored to meet diverse client needs.

To understand the effects of the Settlement Program for newcomers, IRCC will continue to conduct its annual survey of newcomers, clients and non-clients of the program. In 2023–24, IRCC will collect outcome information to inform reporting, as well as program development and design. In addition, collecting race, community level responses, sexual orientation and additional gender and sex identifiers will allow for in depth analysis of intersectional outcomes and barriers to settlement. 

Under Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-based Violence announced in 2017, IRCC continues to work with settlement and anti-violence partner organizations to support newcomers in situations of gender-based violence (GBV). As incidences of gender-based violence increased during the pandemic, IRCC took a number of steps to address this issue, including support of the GBV Partnership, a first-time collaboration between the settlement and anti-violence sectors to build the capacity of the settlement sector to effectively respond to gender-based violence through a sector strategy, training, and tailored resources. IRCC will also continue to enhance the effectiveness of the IRCC’s settlement response to GBV, engaging in consultations, and issuing guidance with resources. A priority of the Government of Canada is to advance these efforts with a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, released in November 2022 and in collaboration with provinces and territories. In 2023–24, IRCC will continue to work closely with other federal departments and agencies to include newcomer needs through horizontal initiatives and will emphasize capacity building for the Department’s settlement initiatives in collaboration with the anti-violence sector to strengthen programming and GBV resources.

GBA Plus on the international scene

Canada will continue to promote gender-responsive approaches, programs and policies to migration and support efforts to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people on the move by supporting the gender-responsive implementation of the Global Compact for Migration. Encouraging a gender-responsive approach to migration management is one of four areas that Canada is prioritizing as a GCM Champion Country. Canada will also continue funding international migration capacity-building projects and research that support gender-responsive migration management.

Through statements and meetings with key UNHCR officials and other delegations, Canada will continue to monitor and encourage the UNHCR’s commitments to women and girls. As the past chair of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Frameworks (“MIRPS” as per the Spanish acronym) Support Platform in 2022–23, Canada will encourage the new Chair, the U.S., to continue to support the protection and empowerment of women and girls on the move.

United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

IRCC’s Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration is aligned with Canada’s efforts to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Department continues to support SDG 5 (Gender Equality) through strengthening its institutional capacity to conduct intersectional and GBA Plus on its programs and policies. As gender, diversity and intersectionality are all key considerations in IRCC’s work given its impact on diverse populations, the GBA Plus analytical framework is integral in uncovering barriers to access and ensuring equity considerations are factored into IRCC’s programs, policies and decision-making.

Additionally, IRCC’s work supporting and promoting Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security also supports SDG 5 (Gender Equality). IRCC is the lead department on international migration issues on this plan, which encompasses providing support and protecting women and girls through Canada’s immigration processing, programs and services.

To promote inclusive and sustained economic growth, productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8) and fostering innovation (SDG 9), Canada considers immigration to be a key contributor to domestic economic growth. That is why the Government of Canada embraces immigration as a strategy to achieve economic goals and will continue to set ambitious immigration levels targets. The meaningful inclusion of migrants and refugees in Canada boost innovation, responds to labour market needs, supports economic and demographic growth and adds valuable new perspectives to society.

Furthermore, the Department continues to make improvements to permanent economic immigration programs to help transition, from temporary to permanent residence, essential workers in high demand occupations, in support of productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8). These include:

• adopting the latest version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, which expands eligibility to certain in-demand occupations within a number of permanent economic immigration pathways;
• supporting permanent residents in overcoming newcomer-specific barriers to economic integration through acquiring knowledge, skills & connections to prepare to enter the Canadian Labour market;
• exploring better ways to transition essential workers who are in high demand, such as removing barriers for physicians; and

• introducing improvements to pilot programs to support transitions to permanent residence for those working in in-home caregiving occupations as well as in the agri-food sector.

IRCC’s In-Canada Asylum Program supports SDG 10 (reduced inequalities) by facilitating the safe, orderly, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people. The program provides protection to people who have a well-founded fear of persecution or are at risk of torture, or cruel or unusual punishment in their home countries.

IRCC’s continued participation in the federal initiative, It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, supports SDG 5 (gender equality) by enhancing the Settlement Program to provide information and resources to newcomers experiencing gender-based violence. In 2022–23, the Department will continue to support the GBV Partnership.

For promoting peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16), IRCC continues to explore ways to support migrants who may be in vulnerable situations, which includes supporting migrant workers with employer-specific work permits who are experiencing abuse, or who are at risk of abuse. The Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers provides an authorization to leave their employer and to stay in Canada to work for other employers. IRCC will also continue to maintain the fee-exempt temporary resident permit and expedited humanitarian and compassionate measure for out-of-status foreign nationals experiencing family violence. The fee-exempt temporary resident permit extends access to a work permit and Interim Federal Health Program coverage for these individuals (SDG 5). The expedited Humanitarian and Compassionate measure significantly reduces wait times for individuals who fall within the determined scope, with access to a work permit, social services, and a stay of any removal order in effect once they receive their eligibility decision (SDG 5).

Innovation

An Evaluation of Caregiver Pathways will be undertaken in 2023–24 in order to help inform future caregiver immigration policies and programming in preparation for the expiry of the Home Child Care Provide and Home Support Worker pilot programs expiring in June 2024.

Future caregiver policies and programming will be developed with the objectives of minimizing vulnerability and facilitating pathways to permanent residence for caregivers, and supporting labour market needs in health care and affordable child care.

The Provincial Nominee Program continues to be fertile ground for the Department to work with provinces and territories to test out innovative approaches to attract and retain newcomers that will fill critical labour market needs. For example, the Department worked closely with New Brunswick to develop the Critical Worker Pilot, which allowed the province to identify trusted employers with a proven track record of settling newcomers and provide them with a dedicated pilot under the Provincial Nominee Program. Under this pilot, employers will play a key role in supporting newcomers to settle in their new jobs and communities, to support their settlement and long-term retention in New Brunswick for years to come. Another innovative approach was developed under the Saskatchewan Provincial Nominee Program to fill needs in the health-care sector. The Department and Saskatchewan developed a process in which internationally educated nurses could arrive in Saskatchewan, complete job-specific training, and then apply for a provincial nomination and permanent residence. The two levels of government worked closely together to eliminate any unnecessary steps, such as ensuring that the language test results required for the internationally educated nurses foreign credential recognition would also be recognized under Saskatchewan’s Provincial Nominee Program. It is anticipated that the Provincial Nominee Program will continue to be the primary tool for provinces and territories to fill chronic labour market needs as this program grows over the next few years.

IRCC adopted the National Occupational Classification – 2021 (NOC 2021) in November of 2022 in alignment with Employment and Social Development Canada. NOC 2021 was adopted in a way that reflects the new Training, Education Experience and Responsibility (TEER) categories, while maintaining consistency with current program objectives. With the transition to NOC 2021, while only three occupations became ineligible, sixteen occupations became eligible for the Federal Skilled Workers Program, the Canadian Experience Class, and the portion of the Provincial Nominee Program run through Express Entry.

Anti-Racism

In July 2022, IRCC launched the Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0 (2021-2024) to bring into focus and complement the foundations of the generational work that all branches in the organization are working on to eradicate systemic racism internally and in our client-facing policies and service delivery. Strategy 2.0 steps up the initiatives to advance racial equity in the Department and support equitable integration of immigrants and refugees into Canadian society, with the ultimate outcome of maximizing the benefits of IRCC’s programs to Canadians and newcomers through the elimination of racism in policies, programs, service delivery and people management. It outlines an iterative approach to strengthen the overarching structure of multiple Departmental actions through the IRCC Anti-Racism Strategy Action Plan 2021-2024 with timeframes for results, the Accountability and Transparency Framework with measurable goals and accountability mechanisms to monitor progress, and the Equity and Systems Change Framework to identify the conditions and agents of the systems change needed to shift the culture of the organization.

For immigrant and refugee selection and integration, the Strategy identifies three pillars or streams of work to be tackled as priorities in the short term and holds the Department accountable for: (1) establishing a baseline understanding of the biases and gaps within existing policy and program designs, and improving anti-racist review of new policy and program development; (2) developing a baseline understanding of systemic racism and bias within program delivery operations and operational decision-making, including program integrity and risk management tools; (3) building a strong evidence base for decision-making to support anti-racism work through increased availability of disaggregated data and stronger integration of intersectional analyses in IRCC research and outcomes reporting including GBA Plus, a reconciliation lens, and the Racial Impact Assessment Tool for Policy and Service Delivery.

The Department is advancing in these areas by piloting racial impact assessment tools and a reconciliation lens in targeted in policy, program and service delivery areas — for example, conducting racial equity, diversity and inclusion assessments of the Citizenship Program, Visitor Program, and Family Reunification Program; reviewing risk management tools to ensure bias is not replicated in advanced analytics solutions; and developing methods such as the Institutional Bias and Racism Identification Methodology to identify institutional bias and racism in the delivery of immigration programs for selected populations (e.g., in Africa and the Caribbean). Anti-racism work planned for 2023–24 will improve the quality of anti-racism and reconciliation lenses, enhance their applicability at all stages of policy development, and expand their use to other case studies to identify and address disparities in the service delivery of other caseloads and lines of business.

For settlement and resettlement assistance programs, the Department will focus on enhancing the anti-racism capacities in the settlement sector and improving programming for racialized clients. Building blocks to ensure the effectiveness and implementation of anti-racism initiatives in the delivery of settlement services will include analyzing race-based data to understand differences in outcomes and service use; promoting the need to increase anti-racism competencies of settlement organizations (e.g., hiring practices, boards, training and client procedures); and integrating an anti-racism lens into the assessment of grants and contributions proposals.

Engagement and collaboration with federal organizations and external partners will be critically important for the success of anti-racism initiatives. The Department will collaborate with Canadian Heritage, Statistics Canada and other federal departments and agencies to implement the new Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy (2023-2028) (CARS 2.0) to eradicate all forms of racism, including systemic discrimination based on race, religion and their intersections and deliver transformative change to Canadians including racialized immigrants and newcomers. As part of CARS 2.0, a new government-wide Anti-Racism Results Framework will be developed to measure the results of the strategy using new performance indicators. Additionally, the Department will develop an external stakeholder engagement action plan to ensure the anti-racism approach is both well-informed by the experience of clients and effectively implemented in collaboration with external partners.

Key risks

Levels

Increases to admission levels risks further pressure on IRCC’s processing capabilities. The pandemic, combined with rapid responses to humanitarian crises, have put strain on application processing capacity and IT infrastructure. Work is being done to mitigate these challenges. IRCC has grown to exceed 10,000 employees and technological improvements are ongoing to address these priorities. Additionally, the Levels plan builds in wide ranges to accommodate operational realities and provide flexibility in attaining the targets.

As future levels in permanent resident admissions increase, and as the Government of Canada moves forward with its commitment to welcome at least 40,000 Afghan refugees, as well as Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine who have chosen to settle in Canada, the Department may experience challenges in providing sufficient supports available to newcomers, especially timely and affordable access to housing.

Asylum

Since the easing of COVID‑19 travel and border restrictions in the fall of 2021, monthly asylum claim volumes have significantly surpassed pre-pandemic volumes, which has placed pressures on all levels of government, including provincial and municipal services. IRCC will continue to work with other federal partners to help provincial and municipal partners respond to the increased costs related to providing interim housing to historical volumes asylum seekers.

Refugee resettlement (Afghanistan)

As future levels in permanent resident admissions increase and as the Government of Canada moves forward with its commitment to welcome Afghan refugees, the Department may experience challenges in terms of providing sufficient supports available to newcomers and overstretching the settlement and resettlement service delivery system currently in place. For example, a large influx of arrivals, paired with sometimes sporadic pacing, affects all facets of program delivery, including temporary and permanent housing, and managing various, unique client circumstances.

Mass arrivals of Afghan refugees through chartered flights places additional pressure on RAP service providers and compounds challenges in securing adequate housing. IRCC supports innovations intended to increase housing supply by funding service provider landlord liaison positions, RAP housing pilots, and a national landlord event. To optimize the management of arrivals and ensure access to housing and resettlement supports, IRCC will continue to work with service provider organizations to direct clients to a network of communities across Canada, including smaller centres were possible. The Department will also continue to monitor the pace of chartered flights and the capacity within the sector to respond to surges in resettlement uptake.

The Department continues to collaborate with the provinces and territories and other stakeholders to advance the National Settlement and Integration Vision and support the successful settlement, integration, and citizenship acquisition of permanent residents.

Planned human resources for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the Department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

The total plans for this core responsibility is comprised of Grant and Contribution and Operating resources.

Grants and Contributions

The majority of funding allocated to this core responsibility is associated with grants and contributions, ranging between $2.4 billion in 2023–24 to $2.0 billion in 2025–26 (representing 68% to 80% of annual funding received for Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration in respective years). The decrease in the planned spending is mainly attributable to:

• The phase down of settlement and resettlement services as the Government of Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023 is being fulfilled; and
• The phase down of activities related to IRCC’s immigration approach to provide Ukrainian nationals and their families with one-time temporary financial support and settlement services under the Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative (CUTAI).

IRCC Operational Requirements

The remainder of funds, ranging between $1.1 billion in 2023–24 to $508.3 million in 2025–26, will be used to support IRCC’s operational requirements (32% to 20% of annual funding). The decrease in the planned spending is mainly attributable to:

• The decrease of available funding for temporary accommodations and support services provided to asylum seekers; and
• The phase down of processing activities as the Government of Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023 is expected to be fulfilled.

Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports

Description

IRCC promotes the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and issues secure and internationally recognized Canadian citizenship and travel documents so that Canadians can participate fully in civic society and so that travel is facilitated across borders while contributing to international and domestic security.

Planning highlights

Departmental Result 7: Eligible permanent residents become Canadian citizens

Citizenship Program

IRCC continues to make advances in modernizing the Citizenship Program to better support eligible permanent residents in their journey to achieving Canadian citizenship. In 2023–24, the Department will pursue and expand additional technological solutions to improve processing, client services, overall system efficiency, and program integrity. This work will lay the foundation to support the implementation of Budget 2022’s intent to “introduce legislative amendments to the Citizenship Act to enable automated and machine-assisted processing and the safe and secure collection and use of biometric information.” IRCC is also working on the mandate letter commitment to eliminate citizenship application fees.

The Department adopted many innovations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some initiatives, which began as pilots, have now been fully integrated into the Citizenship Program’s ongoing services. IRCC continues to provide and expand digital services, including online applications and testing, and has increased the number of virtual citizenship ceremonies, and urgent interviews and hearing. As well electronic citizenship certificates (e-certificates) are now available to more clients. These measures form part of the Citizenship Program’s ongoing efforts to facilitate better access for applicants and to improve client service.

In 2023–24, both the digital intake platform and the online knowledge test will continue to evolve and improve based on insights from clients and employees. Since the launch of the citizenship grant online application in 2020, IRCC has been enhancing and scaling-up this new intake solution, while making it accessible to more citizenship grant applicants. To date, adult clients who are applying individually or as a group are able to apply online for a grant of citizenship. Further expansion of select categories for minors is planned for release in Q4 2022–23. It is anticipated that the citizenship grant online application will continue to be available to additional minor applicants in 2023–24, with groups, such as third-party representatives, to be considered in the future.

In 2023–24, IRCC will also launch an online option for those who wish to self-administer their Oath. This will shorten the waiting time for those at the final stage of their citizenship process.

Faster and more accessible citizenship is good for newcomers and for Canada. These key initiatives will support the Department in reducing its large citizenship application inventory and to return to a service standard of 12 months.

New Citizenship Guide

In 2023–24, the Department will work to finalize the updated Citizenship Guide, and continue to update the knowledge test and corresponding learning tools in support of Call to Action 93, of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (to revise the information for newcomers to Canada and its citizenship test to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Indigenous Peoples).peoples. The Guide also provides a more balanced depiction of Canada’s history, including the influence of cultures other than British and French, to showcase how Canada became one of the most multicultural and diverse countries in the world, while addressing serious injustices that occurred historically and the challenges that remain. In 2023–24, clients will transition to taking their knowledge tests using material from this new Guide, supported by corresponding learning tools. IRCC will also continue efforts to increase the number of eligible permanent residents who apply to become Canadian citizens and to promote the rights, responsibilities and privileges of Canadian citizenship.

Planned results for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning highlights

Departmental Result 8: Canadians’ international travel is facilitated

Passport services

Significant demand for passport services resumed in Spring 2022 as pandemic-related travel restrictions lifted and international travel resumed. However, staff attrition during the pandemic and reduced capacity at in-person service locations due to public health restrictions led to service delivery challenges that compromised the Passport Program’s ability to fully meet this demand, which in turn resulted in processing delays.

Working collaboratively with Employment and Social Development Canada/Service Canada and Global Affairs Canada, IRCC developed and implemented measures to mitigate operational pressures, reduce the processing backlog and improve service standard adherence levels. While significant progress has been made, efforts must be maintained as forecasts indicate that high volumes of renewal applications will be submitted over 2023–24 and 2024–25. An increase is expected because the first tranche of 10-year passports issued in 2013 will begin to expire in 2023. This increased demand will coincide with demand deferred during the pandemic. 

In 2023–24, priorities will focus on building processing capacity, advancing modernization initiatives, and delivering on proposed amendments to passport authorities. This work will improve the client experience, streamline application processing and stabilize the program’s foundation for future innovation.

The Department remains committed to the modernization of the Passport Program through a phased implementation of the Passport Program Modernization Initiative (PPMI) in 2023–24. Following a phased approach including a pilot launched in February 2022 of the new issuance system, PPMI will begin to fully launch across the Service Canada network starting in Spring 2023. PPMI will deliver a new passport issuance platform (Tempo/GCMS) for domestic operations that leverages automation. Modernization will also involve accelerating the piloting and deployment of an online application intake system for Canadians (Passport Digital Services) and planning for the implementation of a new robust and secure travel document and printing solution through the e-Passport Next Generation project.

The Department will also continue comprehensive reviews of passport authorities and regulations, including the Canadian Passport Order, the Diplomatic and Special Passport Order, and the Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations, to ensure that the authorities and fees that underpin the program are modern, efficient, and suited for digital services. Additionally, IRCC will pilot a project for new citizens to receive a Canadian passport through a simplified process, facilitating their early access to mobility benefits as new Canadians.

Planned results for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2023–24, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Gender-based Analysis Plus

Citizenship Program

The Department collects data for the Citizenship Program based on gender (including the gender “X” identifier), date of birth (age), place of birth, official language results, citizenship test results, tax filing history, and linkages with permanent residence admissions data. These data support the Department to undertake a GBA Plus analysis on programs and to support efforts to improve policy outcomes for people who experience greater barriers to services. For adult grant applications, data shows that women make up a larger proportion of citizenship applicants.

The Citizenship Program incorporates GBA Plus in different ways, including the use of different age-based requirements and different fees for naturalization to facilitate equitable access to citizenship for minors and seniors. Work is also underway on waivers and fees to facilitate access to naturalization to all permanent residents, including those with lower family incomes, basic official language skills and lower levels of formal education. As well, work continues on an expanded suite of study tools to accompany the new Citizenship Guide which support a broader range of learning styles and abilities.

In 2023–24, IRCC will continue building its data infrastructureand conduct strategic research in order to provide an enhanced evidence base for the program to support GBA Plus and Anti-Racism research priorities. Building on the results of Racism Equity Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) assessments of Citizenship grants lines of business, the program will develop and begin implementing an Action Plan to address barriers and support opportunities identified in REDI assessment, and identify any further areas for evaluation.

Passport Program

The Passport Program has a risk-based operational policy plan with the following GBA Plus related objectives:

• Reducing barriers for disadvantaged groups;
• Improving access for individuals with disabilities;
• Recognizing diverse family structures including custody, foster care, adoption and surrogacy; and
• Reviewing policies using an anti-racist lens.

In 2023–24, the Passport Program will conduct a review of its Passport Policy Manual by applying the Racial Impact Assessment Tool ^{Footnote 7} to help identify any biases in its policies. This initiative will complement the Department’s broader intersectional GBA Plus commitments by taking concrete actions to address issues of systemic racism and racial inequality in Passport Program policies and procedures.

The Passport Program continues to develop operational policies in support of gender diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. For example, in 2023–24 the Program will be implementing an updated operational policy that eliminates the insertion of XXX in the ‘First Name’ field in passports of individuals with ethnic-cultural origins with “one name only.” This change recognizes other naming conventions and supports better reflecting the identity of the diverse populations within Canada.

Additionally, the program is reviewing the operating model for Child applications to better reflect modern approaches to family law in Canada. The changes to the operating model will align with the proposed amendments to the Canadian Passport Order authorities and reflect GBA Plus analysis.  

The Passport Program contributes to the Gender Results Framework pillar on eliminating Gender-based Violence and promoting access to justice, in accordance with the Canadian Passport Order and agreements with enforcement and security agencies and other levels of government.

The Passport Program also collects data on refusals, revocations, and cancellations related to cases where individuals engage in childhood maltreatment (e.g., transnational sex offenders, child-related sex offenders), to inform the development of operational policies and procedures which can better protect vulnerable individuals. 

The program is taking action to enable better monitoring and reporting and is developing an enhanced capacity to assess the impact of policy changes. Modernization initiatives currently underway to implement a new passport issuance platform will enable the Passport Program to better use the data it collects.

The Passport Program is building up internal capacity for facial recognition system research and development. One of the key research priorities will be taking a closer look at potential impacts of bias from an input perspective (photo quality), a system perspective (algorithm accuracy) and a user perspective (manual system output review). Research results will be leveraged to inform procedural, policy and system changes. Research in this area will align with biometric industry standards and best practices.

United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

IRCC’s planned activities under its Citizenship and Passports core responsibility support Canada’s efforts to address the 2030 Agenda for SDGs. Transforming and improving service delivery through the new Citizenship Guide and the expansion of digital and virtual citizenship and passport services supports developing effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels (SDG 16).

IRCC is committed to making Canadian citizenship more accessible for all eligible permanent residents so that they benefit from permanently belonging in Canadian society, which underscores and supports the objectives of promoting inclusive and sustained economic growth, productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8).

A pilot project will launch in March 2023 to assess the feasibility of linking the Citizenship and Passport programs. The Department will invite citizenship grant applicants to apply for a passport during the citizenship processing continuum, and decision makers will leverage information collected in the citizenship application to process the passport application. This will reduce the application burden on the client and enable streamlined access to a Canadian passport for new Canadians. The pilot is expected to pave the way for a future integrated processing model.

Passport Digital Services will pilot an online application for some passport services. As part of the process, the Department will continue to improve the application process through client testing and user feedback. The goal is to deliver an online application experience that is simple, secure, and convenient for Canadians.

Key risks

In the context of rising immigration levels, IRCC continues to receive increased volumes of citizenship grant applications and demand is expected to keep growing. Increasing demand, a continued reliance on paper-based processing and in-person events, and disruptions related to the COVID‑19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on processing. However, by leveraging technology and innovation to allow the program to shift to virtual and digital processes, along with increased temporary funding and hiring, IRCC was able to process a record of over 300,000 new citizens in 2022–23.

The Department will continue to modernize the Citizenship Program to enable access to citizenship and expand digital platforms and program integrity measures. Continued progress is dependent upon legislative and regulatory changes, as well as extensive system development and operational changes, which will take time and resources to implement. The Department will also be conducting quality assurance and control exercises in 2023–24 to ensure the integrity of the program is maintained.

IRCC is currently undertaking several key transformational projects, including the PPMI and the ePassport Next Generation Project, to improve and modernize the delivery of the Passport Program. While these projects are led by IRCC, they require significant involvement from multiple federal government departments and agencies, and effective coordination and collaboration among stakeholders is essential to their success. IRCC will continue to focus on improving its case management systems to meet the productivity requirements for passport issuance.

Planned budgetary spending for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

The total plans for this core responsibility is comprised of Operating resources supporting Citizenship program activities as well as projections of revenues over expenses for the delivery of the Passport Program.

Citizenship funding

Citizenship planned spending from 2023–24 to 2025–26 ranges between $85.7 million to $92.5 million to support increases in citizenship demand as a result of increases in immigration levels.

Funding Passport operations

The net decrease in planned spending is attributable to an anticipated increase in applications and revenues associated with anticipated renewals of the 10 year passport combined with a reduction in temporary costs that were incurred to manage operational impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Internal services: planned results

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management services
• financial management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• real property management services
• materiel management services
• acquisition management services

Planning highlights

Digital modernization and services

Digital Transformation is well underway at IRCC with the goal to modernize its overall suite of programs and services to better meet the evolving needs of clients and of Canada. Through 2023–24, the Department will continue to pursue its digital transformation agenda, which includes a focus on advancing the Digital Platform Modernization Programme (DPM). 

IRCC’s cloud journey continues to be a focus and is included as part of IRCC’s larger digital transformation. IRCC is adopting a cloud-smart strategy, leveraging both a combination of GC end-state data centres (EDCs) and modern cloud capabilities based on value, to align with Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and Shared Services Canada and to realize the benefits such as increased scalability and flexibility, expected cost-savings, and enhanced security.

Implementation of digital solutions across IRCC’s suite of programs and service will continue throughout 2023–24. Whether through deploying online application intake systems for passport, immigration and citizenship clients, shifting from paper-based to digital credentials, funding digital service delivery in the settlement sector, or delivering online testing and virtual citizenship ceremonies, digital modernization underpins the Department’s efforts to innovate and improve client service in every facet of its work. 

Workforce engagement

IRCC recognizes that fulfilling mandate commitments in support of government priorities requires transformational change as well as a diverse, engaged, healthy, and highly competent workforce. Founded within its people management strategy, the Department is committed to excellence in people management based on successful and targeted recruitment and retention efforts; meaningful employee learning, development and feedback; promotion of healthy, respectful workplaces; and sound stewardship of human resources management.

Part of this transformation has included transitioning to a hybrid workplace to support the optimization of onsite activities, and the promotion of healthy workspaces. To manage transformational change effectively, IRCC has established a Departmental centre of expertise for change and learning solutions. The area also provides functional change management guidance and direction within IRCC, promoting the adoption of sound change management principles.

Work was also undertaken to prepare IRCC employees for the future workplace, not only by ensuring that they have the tools and resources needed, but also supporting the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and the official languages needed to do their jobs effectively and efficiently now and into the future. In order to achieve this, the Department will implement the learning infrastructure required and promote the adoption of sound change management as we digitize the employee onboarding and orientation journey. 

IRCC will also integrate recent changes to the Public Service Employment Act into its Departmental staffing practices that came into force in stages over the 2021–22 and 2023–24 fiscal years. The changes aim to strengthen diversity and inclusion, and address biases and barriers faced by equity-deserving groups in public service staffing as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) remain paramount to IRCC’s culture. 

A strategy to achieve its employment equity (EE) representation baselines by 2024 that represents the Canadian population will be implemented. The strategy will focus on providing access to disaggregated summary EE data, an accountability model, and customized training and tools for managers and human resources professionals. 

Furthermore, IRCC will implement an engagement strategy in 2023 to align with the modernized self-identification questionnaire from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and better track progress in meeting the EE baselines. This engagement strategy will increase awareness about the importance of self-identification and promoting culture change in support of a more inclusive workplace.

An Employment Systems Review (ESR) is also slated to be completed in 2023, which will also allow the Department to better understand what are the major gaps in representation. This review will serve as the basis for developing a multi-year Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan that addresses systemic barriers for Black, Indigenous and racialized employees, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ employees.

IRCC is currently drafting a business case, for completion by the end of 2022–23, for the development of an Accessibility Team that would lead activities related to the Service Design and Delivery pillar of the Accessible Canada Act.

IRCC continues to promote, support and implement various DEI initiatives in 2023–24 such as piloting new developmental programs for EE groups; increasing the Department’s visibility at career fairs and events within various communities; and exploring partnership opportunities with multiple stakeholders within the public and private sectors.

Anti-Racism

IRCC’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0 (2021–2024) outlines an iterative process leading towards the ultimate dismantling of systemic racism in the Department. It provides an integrated view of anti-racism initiatives underway and a model of systems change, including actionable steps and a monitoring framework, to catalyze a sustainable shift in the culture of the organization. To support the implementation of the anti-racism actions in IRCC policies, operations and people management practices and ensure that accountability to address anti-racism is shared across the Department, the Accountability and Transparency Framework establishes priorities, milestones and performance measures to advance racial equity in the delivery of policies and programs affecting newcomers.^{Footnote 8}

As part of these efforts, the Department is taking steps to address systemic racism within the organization by focusing on two pillars, each identifying a stream of work to build momentum for transformative change in: (1) leadership accountability to ensure commitment to anti-racism is permanently embedded in the Department’s structure and formal mechanisms are in place to ensure senior management will be accountable for results on an ongoing basis; and (2) workplace equity that prioritizes progress on removing barriers to career advancement of racialized employees and improving inclusiveness of the workplace culture to make all feel welcome and respected.

In 2023–24, the Department will advance the work to address systemic racism internally within the organization by developing a strategic governance approach through the integration of anti-racism work and key performance measures into Departmental planning, evaluations, audits, reporting and results framework. Additionally, systemic biases in employment systems will continue to be addressed for improving the representation of Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees at all levels of the organization through targeted recruitment, retention and talent management of equity-deserving groups. Engagement sessions, town halls, targeted workshops and focus groups will continue to be held to deepen the awareness and understanding of racism at all levels, and equip employees with enhanced tools and mechanisms to prevent, respond to and address incidences of racism and discrimination.

Through expanding these steps and deepening its engagement with government and non-government stakeholders and partners, IRCC will refine and iterate its Anti-Racism Strategy to increase racially equitable outcomes for its employees and clients in policies, programs, service delivery and people management.

Access to Information and Privacy

As IRCC continues to welcome more newcomers to Canada, the number of Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) requests has increased. In 2021–22 IRCC received 204,279 ATIP requests, which represents a 54.5% increase of files received from the 2019–20 fiscal year, and a 61% increase from the 2020–21 fiscal year.

The Department is leading a number of initiatives aimed at addressing and streamlining these growing volumes. Recent examples of improvements include the use of automation software technology (Bots) that expedite low complexity and/or high volume tasks, leveraging existing infrastructures. IRCC is also working closely with the TBS to procure a new ATIP Case Management System that will replace the current software.

IRCC is revising its internal privacy policy suite to align with the updates TBS made to its privacy policy instruments. The updated toolkit will include, among other tools, a revised Privacy Framework, Privacy Breach Procedures, a Privacy Breach Assessment Tool, etc. This will ensure that the most appropriate processes and tools are available and in place to support the administration of the Privacy Act and to assist employees in understanding their obligations under the Act. 

Planning for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses

This section provides an overview of how the Department intends to do its part in meeting the Government of Canada commitment of awarding 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses. 

Contracting officers and budget managers are encouraged to consider Indigenous businesses in any procurement process. IRCC is committed to meeting the 5% target through set asides, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) procurement tools and targeting Indigenous resellers, where possible.

IRCC currently maximizes opportunities for Procurement Set-aside Indigenous Business via IT Professional Services and IT hardware/software, and will endeavour to branch out to other commodities, such as furniture and management consulting, to find additional opportunities to meet the target of 5%. IRCC also collaborates with PSPC to include incentives for Indigenous subcontractors in major contracts.

The following table shows in percentages the actual, forecasted and planned value for the target. There were no Deputy Head exceptions taken into account in the calculations below.

Planned budgetary spending for internal services

The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2023–24, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planned human resources for internal services

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to carry out its internal services for 2023–24 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

The decrease in planned spending from 2023–24 to 2025–26 is mainly attributable to :

• The decrease in temporary funding related to procurement, design and implementation of modernization activities for a client facing platform and pre-implementation activities for future tranches of the Digital Platform Modernization Programme;
• The phase down of corporate support activities and funding as the Government of Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023 is being fulfilled;
• The decrease of funding and stabilization of internal services and support for the Canada’s asylum system; and
• The phase down of corporate support activities and funding related to the Government of Canada’s commitment to provide a new pathway to facilitate temporary and permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals and their families.

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2023–24 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2020–21 to 2025–26

The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.

Text version: Departmental spending 2020–21 to 2025–26

Fiscal year	2020–21	2021–22	2022–23	2023–24	2024–25	2025–26
Statutory	410	368	262	135	68	106
Voted	2,750	3,083	5,681	4,354	3,405	3,194
Total	3,160	3,451	5,943	4,489	3,473	3,300

The graph above represents actual spending incurred by the Department from 2020–21 to 2021–22, the forecast spending for 2022–23 based on approved authorities and planned spending from 2023–24 to 2025–26.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of IRCC’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and other relevant fiscal years.

In 2020–21, the pandemic had a significant impact on IRCC’s lines of business. As a result, volumes of temporary resident applications dropped, revenues for the passport program were significantly lower, and projects were delayed.

The increase in 2021–22 actual expenditures is mainly attributable to expenditures associated with permanent resident admissions, addressing the Afghan refugee crisis, and the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration grant.

The increase in 2022–23 forecast expenditures is mainly attributable to funding received through the supplementary estimates process for:

• The Government of Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals;
• The immigration approach to ensure Ukrainian nationals receive one-time temporary financial support and the provision of a new pathway to facilitate temporary and permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals and their families;
• Temporary accommodations and support services provided to asylum seekers;
• The 2022–2024 Immigration Levels Plan; and
• Improvement of processing times and reduction of inventory backlogs across many of the Department’s lines of business that have accumulated as a result of COVID.

The decreasing trend in the planned spending between 2023–24 and 2025–26 is mainly attributable to:

• The phase down of funding for processing and settlement activities related to Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023;
• The decrease of available funding for temporary accommodations and support services provided to asylum seekers;
• The phase down of funding related to the immigration approach to ensure Ukrainian nationals receive one-time temporary financial support until the end of June 2023 and the provision of a new pathway to facilitate temporary and permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals and their families; and
• The decrease in temporary funding related to procurement, design and implementation of modernization activities for a client facing platform and pre-implementation activities for future tranches of the Digital Platform Modernization.

2023–24 budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending for 2023–24.

Notes:

1. The International Experience Canada Program operates on a vote-netted revenue basis. Revenues are generated through a participation fee.
2. The Passport Program operates on a full cost-recovery basis and generates revenue through fees paid for passports and other travel documents.

Planned human resources

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for each of IRCC’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2023–24 and the other relevant years.

The increase in FTEs from 2020–21 to 2023–24 is the reflection of the growth of IRCC. The immigration levels have increased and so the need of resources to meet those levels.

The decreasing trend in the planned spending FTEs between 2023–24 and 2025–26 is mainly attributable to:

• The phase down of efforts related to processing and settlement activities related to Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023;
• The phase down of efforts related to the immigration approach to ensure Ukrainian nationals receive one-time temporary financial support until the end of June 2023 and the provision of a new pathway to facilitate temporary and permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals and their families; and
• The decrease in temporary funding related to procurement, design and implementation of modernization activities for a client facing platform and pre-implementation activities for future tranches of the Digital Platform Modernization Programme.

Estimates by vote

Information on IRCC’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2023–24 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of IRCC’s operations for 2022–23 to
2023–24.

The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future‑oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, are available on IRCC’s website.

The decrease in spending from 2022–23 to 2023–24 is mainly attributable to decreases in funding for:

• The immigration approach to ensure Ukrainian nationals continue to receive one-time temporary financial support until the end of June 2023 and provide a new pathway to facilitate temporary and permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals and their families;
• The Interim Federal Health Program to provide health care to refugees and asylum seekers;
• The Government of Canada’s commitment of resettling at least 40,000 Afghans by the end of 2023; and
• The Interim Housing Assistance Program.

Total revenues are expected to increase by $282 million or 74% in 2023–24 when compared to the 2022–23 forecasted results, mainly due to an anticipated increase in demand for passports and travel documents as a result of the lift of travel restrictions related to the pandemic and the impact of the 10‑year passport renewals starting in 2023–24.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

Information on Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) raison d’être, mandate and role is available on the Department’s website.

Information on IRCC’s mandate letter commitments is available in the Minister’s mandate letter.

Operating context

Information on IRCC’s operating context is available on the Department’s website.

Reporting framework

IRCC’s approved Departmental results framework and program inventory for 2023–24 are as follows.

Version text: Departmental Results Framework

• Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
  • R1: Entry to Canada of eligible visitors, international students and temporary workers is facilitated
    • I 1. Total number of visas and electronic travel authorizations issued to visitors, international students and temporary workers
    • I 2. Percentage of visitor, international student and temporary worker applicants found inadmissible on health grounds and those who are authorized to enter with a condition on their visa related to health surveillance
    • I 3. Percentage of visitor, international student and temporary worker applicants found inadmissible on safety and security grounds
    • I 4. Percentage of temporary resident applications that met service standards
    • I 5. Percentage of visitor, international student and temporary worker applicants who report they were satisfied overall with the services they received
  • R2: Facilitation of temporary entry helps to generate economic benefits
    • I 6. Total monetary contribution of visitors and international students to Canada’s economy
    • I 7. Number of temporary workers who fill labour market needs for which Canadians are unavailable
• Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration
  • R3: Potential permanent residents are selected for immigration to Canada
    • I 8. Total number of permanent resident admissions, against the annual immigration levels plan
    • I 9. Percentage of permanent residents admitted to Canada, outside Quebec, who identify as French-speaking
    • I 10. Percentage of permanent resident applicants found inadmissible on health grounds and those who are permitted admission with a condition on their visa related to health surveillance
    • I 11. Percentage of permanent resident applicants found inadmissible on safety and security grounds
    • I 12. Percentage of permanent resident applications that met service standards
    • I 13. Percentage of permanent resident applicants who report they were satisfied overall with the services they received
  • R4: Permanent residents are welcomed and benefit from settlement supports
    • I 14. Percentage of Canadians who support the current level of immigration
    • I 15. Percentage of settlement clients who improved their official language skills
    • I 16. Percentage of settlement clients who acquired knowledge and skills to integrate into the Canadian labour market
  • R5: Immigrants and refugees achieve economic independence and contribute to labour force growth
    • I 17. Percentage of newcomers who are employed
    • I 18. Percentage of immigrants and refugees who are in the middle income range or above
    • I 19. Percentage of the Canadian labour force that is made up of immigrants and refugees
  • R6: Immigrants and refugees feel part of and participate in Canadian society
    • I 20. Percentage of immigrants and refugees that have a strong sense of belonging
    • I 21. Percentage of immigrants and refugees who volunteer in Canada
• Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports
  • R7: Eligible permanent residents become Canadian citizens
    • I 22. Percentage of permanent residents who become Canadian citizens
    • I 23. Percentage of citizenship applications that met service standards
    • I 24. Percentage of citizenship applicants who report they were satisfied overall with the services they received
  • R8: Canadians’ international travel is facilitated
    • I 25. Percentage compliance of the Canadian passport with international standards
    • I 26. Percentage of Canadian travel document applications that met service standards
    • I 27. Percentage of passport applicants who report they were satisfied overall with the services they received

Program Inventory

• Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
  • Visitors
  • International Students
  • Temporary Workers
• Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration
  • Federal Economic Immigration
  • Regional Economic Immigration
  • Family Reunification
  • Humanitarian/Compassionate and Discretionary Immigration
  • Refugee Resettlement
  • Asylum
  • Settlement
• Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports
  • Citizenship
  • Passport
• Internal Services

Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on IRCC’s website:

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based Analysis Plus

Federal tax expenditures

IRCC’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government-wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and Gender-based Analysis Plus.

Organizational contact information

Mailing address
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Canada

Telephone: 1-888-242-2100

Email: ParliamentaryReports-RapportsParlementaires@cic.gc.ca

Website: ircc.canada.ca

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations, or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A document that sets out a department’s priorities, programs, expected results, and associated resource requirements, covering a three-year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A change that a department seeks to influence. A departmental result is often outside a department’s immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results, and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department’s actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities, and expected results set out in its Departmental Plan for that year. Departmental Results Reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.

full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person-year charge against a departmental budget. Full-time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs, and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2023–24 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the Government’s agenda in the 2021 Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fight harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation; and fighting for a secure, just, and equitable world.

high impact innovation (innovation à impact élevé)

High impact innovation varies by organizational context. In some cases, it could mean trying something significantly new or different from the status quo. In other cases, it might mean making incremental improvements that relate to a high-spending area or addressing problems faced by a significant number of Canadians or public servants.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative in which two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments, and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tends to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities, or combinations thereof that are managed together within a department and that focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

An inventory of a department’s programs that describes how resources are organized to carry out the department’s core responsibilities and achieve its planned results.

result (résultat)

An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program, or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program, or initiative; instead, they are within the area of the organization’s influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program, or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.