Response to Parliamentary committees and external audits
Response to parliamentary committees
Report 12 – Promoting Fairness in Canadian Immigration Decisions, November 16, 2022
In Canadian embassies, high commissions and processing centres all over the world, visa officers make decisions about which applications are successful and which are not. These decisions allow some applicants to follow their ambitions or meet their needs—and frustrate the ambitions and needs of others, often at significant personal cost. They occur in the context of larger legislative and legal decisions, program criteria choices, funding and processing priorities, settlement options, and enforcement interventions—a network of choices and evaluations that inevitably favour some types of applicants over others.
This report examined outcomes in Canadian immigration decisions and in the Canadian immigration system that may systematically and unjustifiably disadvantage certain populations based on characteristics such as race and country of origin. It follows a March 22 to May 4, 2022 study on differential outcomes in Canadian immigration decisions by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
This report is organized largely by what types of outcomes immigration decisions may affect. Chapter One draws from testimony on the differential outcomes for applicants caused by, and based on the application of, law and policy. This includes addressing different processing times and inventories for different streams and populations. Chapter Two explores potential effects of decisions about processing technology, the location and funding of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) visa offices and global network, and settlement funding on applicants or newcomers. Chapter Three examines potential outcomes of conscious and unconscious bias or racism for IRCC employees—outcomes that ultimately also affect refusals, processing times, and infrastructure for applicants.
Report 11 – Immigration Response to Events in Iran, October 17, 2022
In light of the downing of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS 752 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and in light of the killing of Mahsa Amini by the Iranian Guidance Patrol, the committee demanded the Government stop issuing visas to all Iranian nationals directly affiliated with the IRGC, Iranian Armed Forces, Iranian Guidance Patrol or Iranian intelligence organizations.
Over the last five years, IRCC has seen significant growth in its programs designed to welcome international students to Canada. This growth brings opportunities and challenges.
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration decided to study the recruitment and acceptance rates of foreign students in Quebec and in the rest of Canada, including francophone students from African countries. It wanted to understand the realities of increasing processing times and higher refusal rates and their impacts on students and institutions, which is explored through testimony and data in Chapter 2.
This report discusses, in its first chapter, the important and growing responsibility of the federal government to attract, select and retain international students in relation to the responsibilities of the provinces and the Canadian designated learning institutions. It lays out the different programs and policies that frame international student mobility to Canada.
Chapter 3 explores the reasons given for refusals and explains potential causes for systemic differences in decisions by IRCC officials. Finally, the fourth chapter examines the opportunities presented by welcoming international students to Canada and the need to integrate and retain students after their studies. Overall, based on testimony from 31 witnesses and several briefs, the Committee makes 35 recommendations to IRCC and to the federal government, more broadly.
Report 6 – Supporting Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims to find safety in Canada, October 25, 2022
In light of the fact that Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in China face an ongoing genocide, and in light of the fact that those in third countries are at continuing risk of detention and deportation back to China, where they face serious risk of arbitrary detention, torture, and other atrocities, the committee called on the Government to:
- a) extend existing special immigration measures to Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, including the expansion of biometrics collection capabilities in third countries and the issuance of Temporary Resident Permits and single journey travel documents to those without a passport;
- b) allow displaced Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in third countries, who face risk of detention and deportation back to China, to seek refuge in Canada;
- c) waive the United Nations Refugee Agency refugee determination; and
- d) the government provide a comprehensive response by letter to the committee within 30 days.
No Government Response was requested.
Report 5 – Support for Russians opposing Russia's attack on Ukraine, October 18, 2022
The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration reported the following to the House: We
- a) condemn the continuing attack on Ukraine ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin;
- b) recognize that a growing proportion of the Russian people are bravely resisting and opposing this attack; and
- c) call on the Government of Canada to develop measures to support Russian dissidents, human rights defenders, and conscientious objectors within the military who are seeking to urgently flee Russia, while ensuring that necessary security precautions are taken.
No Government Response was requested.
The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages examined the need to take action to reverse the decline of the demographic weight of the Francophone community in Canada; namely by increasing the number of francophone immigration to minority communities in order to attain the federal francophone immigration target. A total of 12 recommendations were presented, 10 of which have implication for IRCC.
The application of the OLLO recommendations require collaboration between Federal, Provincial and territorial governments, as well as municipalities official languages minority communities to:
- Adopt a francophone immigration policy without delay (rec. 1)
- Set a new target for francophone immigrants settling outside Quebec (rec. 2)
- Adapt its measures and programs to the needs of the Canadian Francophonie (rec. 4)
- Determine the proportion of francophone applicants to be recruited in each immigration category (rec. 5)
- Increase funding for francophone immigration in the 2023-2028 Action Plan for Official Languages (rec. 6)
- Review IRCC recruitment and promotion activities for francophone immigration (rec. 7)
- Ensure IRCC employees, partners and subcontractors are aware of the existence and importance of institutions and organizations in Francophone-minority communities (rec. 9)
- Review IRCC practices in order to streamline processes and practices that have a direct impact on the achievement of the Francophone Immigration Strategy (rec. 10)
- Facilitate the transition of francophone candidates to permanent residence (rec. 11)
- Create an Assistant Deputy Minister position to support IRCC Minister for the francophone immigration policy, setting a new target for francophone immigrants settling outside Quebec (rec. 12)
The Government Response will be tabled by September 25, 2023.
Response to External Audits
Response to audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (including audits conducted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)
Report 1—Access to Benefits for Hard-to-Reach Populations
This audit focused on whether Employment and Social development Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency directly or through leveraging other federal departments and other non-federal government entities, ensure that hard-to-reach populations are made aware of, and can access, the Canada Child Benefit, Canada Workers Benefit, Guaranteed Income Supplement, and Canada Learning Bond. Indigenous Services Canada and IRCC were included in relation to how they are involved in supporting outreach to their specific clientele (i.e., newcomers to Canada).
It was found that the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada have not done enough to help hard‑to‑reach populations connect with the benefits put in place to support low‑income Canadians.
There were no recommendations for IRCC.
There were no audits in 2022–23 requiring a response.
Response to audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
There were no audits in 2022–23 requiring a response.
Page details
- Date modified: