CIMM - Mandate Letter Commitment (MLC) Tracker - Mar 8, 2021

Commitment 1

Ensure the effective implementation of Canada’s increased annual Immigration Levels Plan for 2020-2022, attracting more than a million new permanent residents to Canada over that time. This continues our modest and responsible increases to immigration, with a focus on welcoming highly skilled people who can help build a stronger Canada.

Status

• Progressing with challenges: The commitment requires intervention and/or course correction for it to be achieved within current mandate.

Status rationale

• Tabled 2020 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration and announced 2021 Levels Plan on October 30, 2020.
• Continued work to develop in-Canada approaches to leverage permanent resident admissions of temporary residents already in Canada.
• Border restrictions and other COVID-19 constraints continue to significantly impact ability to meet immigration targets.
• Will continue to assess impacts and verify admissions against Levels Plan.

Commitment 1b

Continue to bring newcomers to Canada safely to drive economic growth and recovery, as recently set out in the 2021-2023 Levels Plan, including by:

• Expanding pilot programming to welcome skilled refugees through economic immigration streams
• Continuing to support expedited family reunification
• Continue work on sectoral and regional pilot programs (link: MLC 3 and MLC 5).

Status

• New commitments: Commitment was added in the January 15, 2021 IRCC Supplementary Mandate Letter.
• Progressing with challenges: The commitment requires intervention and/or course correction for it to be achieved within current mandate.

Status rationale

• Skilled refugees: June 2020 announcement to bring 500 principal applicants and their families to Canada over the course of 24 months.
• To be accomplished through existing economic pathways, with select facilitation measures to offset barriers faced by refugees due to their displacement as compared to other economic applicants.

Commitment 2

Work on reducing application processing times, improving the Department’s service delivery and client services to make them timelier and less complicated, and enhancing system efficiency, including in the asylum system.

Status

• Progressing with challenges: The commitment requires intervention and/or course correction for it to be achieved within current mandate.

Status rationale

• Despite significant disruptions caused by COVID-19, progress has been made to reduce processing times and improve client services including:
  • implementing digital service enhancements such as virtual landings;
  • transitioning Client Support Centre (CSC) to 100% virtual; and,
  • [Redacted].
• Will continue to implement client-centric solutions and advance transformational initiatives such as Digital Platform Modernization and [Redacted].

Commitment 3

Make the Atlantic Immigration Pilot permanent. At least 5,000 new spaces will be dedicated for this program.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• Significant progress made to make program permanent, [Redacted].
• [Redacted].

Commitment 4

With the support of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development and the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, work to implement pilot programing to encourage more newcomers to settle in rural Canada.

Status

• Completed, fully met: Commitment has been met in full; IRCC may have plans to further implement the commitment with more ambitious steps.

Status rationale

• All communities have launched pilots by end of 2020.
• Focus will shift to monitoring results, making improvements and keeping pilot on track towards meeting objectives.

Commitment 5

Introduce a Municipal Nominee Program that will allow local communities, chambers of commerce and local labour councils to directly sponsor permanent immigrants. At least 5,000 new spaces will be dedicated for this program.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• A Completed ministerial engagement and stakeholder consultations on program scope and objective.
• Resource/costing implications to be determined and [Redacted].

Commitment 6

Introduce a dedicated refugee stream to provide safe haven for human rights advocates, journalists and humanitarian workers at risk, with a target of helping resettle as many as 250 people a year.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• Announced planned levels spaces via Levels Plan 2020-2022 with admissions beginning in 2021, and concluded preliminary consultations with non-governmental organizations.
• Availability of funding for referral partners has been confirmed with royal assent for Supplementary Estimates (B).
• [Redacted], however, application submission, processing, and arrivals may be delayed until late 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Commitment 7a

Work with the provinces and territories to ensure a renewed focus on the delivery of high-quality settlement services to ensure the successful settlement and integration of new Canadians. This will require a rigorous approach to data in order to accurately measure outcomes.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• Partnership with provinces/territories has increased the evidence-base to inform decision-making (e.g. piloted project with Manitoba on outcomes of newcomers).
• Increased engagement with service provider organizations to respond to and adapt to the new delivery model during and post-pandemic.
• Considerable progress made in developing a robust set of data tools, including updating data collection of settlement service usage, linking data with StatsCan newcomer database, and launching a Newcomer Outcomes Survey in November.
• Will continue to focus on the delivery of high-quality settlement services and advance IRCC’s understanding of client usage of services.

Commitment 7b

(2021) Continue working with provinces and territories to support high-quality settlement services and facilitate the successful settlement and integration of new Canadians, including continuing to support French-language training, while respecting provincial jurisdiction and complementing existing measures, supported by the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.
• New commitments: Commitment was added in the January 15, 2021 IRCC Supplementary Mandate Letter.

Status rationale

• IRCC’s Francophone Immigration Strategy was launched in 2019 and the 2021-23 Levels Plan included the federal commitment to reach the target of 4.4% French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023.

Commitment 8

Advance reforms and investments in the capacity of the asylum system to ensure it is efficient while meeting Canada’s international legal obligations.

Status

• Progressing with challenges: The commitment requires intervention and/or course correction for it to be achieved within current mandate.

Status rationale

• Work progressed on asylum interoperability; select system enhancements were deployed in December 2019, with more implemented over the next two years. Asylum Interoperability Project deemed a priority.
• Will continue work to enable the system to process more asylum claims.
• [Redacted].

Commitment 9a

Support the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness on irregular migration, including the new Border Enforcement Strategy and continued work with the United States to modernize the Safe Third Country Agreement.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• Contingency planning with consideration on legal process and easement of pandemic-related travel restrictions.

Commitment 9b

Continue working with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Health to protect the health and safety of Canadians through safe, responsible and compassionate management of the border with the United States and other ports of entry into Canada.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.
• New commitments: Commitment was added in the January 15, 2021 IRCC Supplementary Mandate Letter.

Status rationale

• Ongoing/[Redacted] meetings with U.S. counterparts.

Commitment 10

Bring forward a plan to eliminate fees for citizenship for those who have fulfilled the requirements needed to obtain it.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• Other enhanced accessibility measures have been undertaken such as the citizenship E-test launched in November 2020 and online grant application and digital intake tool for select grant applications who meet certain criteria launched December 2020.
• [Redacted]

Commitment 11

Complete the legislative work on changes to the Canadian Oath of Citizenship to reflect the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• Second Reading debate on Bill C-8 began on November 2, 2020 and was completed on December 10, 2020.  The Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs for study following the winter recess.
• All parties supported the Bill C-8 in principle. Study of the bill at INAN began with the Minister’s appearance on January 28, 2021.

Commitment 12

Advance the full implementation of the new professional governance regime for immigration and citizenship consultants under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act, bringing strengthened government oversight and new compliance and enforcement tools into effect.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• IT Project supporting the consultants governance has advanced, [Redacted].
• A Ministerial appointment process for appointing Public Interest Directors to the College Board is progressing.
• Will continue full implementation including strengthening oversight, compliance and enforcement tolls.
• [Redacted]

Commitment 13

(2021) Continue to implement measures that create pathways to permanent residency for those who have provided health care in long-term care homes or medical facilities or performed other essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.
• New commitments: Commitment was added in the January 15, 2021 IRCC Supplementary Mandate Letter.

Status rationale

• Media reports and stakeholder interventions have drawn attention to the extraordinary contribution of refugee claimants working in Canada’s healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Recognizing this considerable contribution, on December 9th, IRCC began accepting applications for permanent residence from refugee claimants who work in Canada’s health-care sector and provide direct care to patients. Implementation of this special measure will continue to be followed closely as the application end date is August 31, 2021.

Commitment 14

(2021) Continue exploring pathways to permanent residency and citizenship for temporary foreign workers.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.
• New commitments: Commitment was added in the January 15, 2021 IRCC Supplementary Mandate Letter.

Status rationale

• Existing economic programs continue to process applications for PR with a focus on those working in Canada (e.g. Canadian Experience Class).
• [Redacted]

Commitment 15

(2021) Support the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion to continue to fully support and protect workers who are vulnerable to COVID-19 and secure labour to fill workforce gaps in farming and food processing.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.
• New commitments: Commitment was added in the January 15, 2021 IRCC Supplementary Mandate Letter.

Status rationale

• In response to COVID-19, IRCC modified the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) at the Client Support Centre for Temporary Foreign Workers in vulnerable situations to rapidly identify themselves for expedited processing of their work permit.  IRCC continues to facilitate entry of temporary workers in critical sectors such as agriculture (e.g. biometrics on arrival, priority processing).

Commitment 16

(2021) Support the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to implement recommendations and lessons learned from the report of the Special Advisor for Canada’s ongoing response to the Ukraine International Airlines tragedy, including commemorating the lives of the victims and supporting their families, pursuing truth and accountability from Iran, and preventing future disasters through the Safer Skies Initiative.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.
• New commitments: Commitment was added in the January 15, 2021 IRCC Supplementary Mandate Letter.

Status rationale

• Ongoing concierge support to families of the victims of flights PS752 and ET302, in response to individual immigration needs and issue management.

Commitment 17

(Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth Mandate Letter) Make new investments in research, support and employment projects for visible minority newcomer women, with support from the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.

Status

• Actions taken, on track: Although not yet complete, the commitment is progressing and anticipates completion within mandate.

Status rationale

• Testing phase with Social Research and Demonstration Corporation is in place; four employment-related settlement service models are being tested through direct delivery via eight organizations across Canada (outside Quebec) to support visible minority newcomer women in overcoming barriers to labour market access and advancement.
• Some adjustments to project parameters will be required, but are not expected to significantly impact overall project delivery.