CIMM – Narrative – Supplementary Estimates B – November 29, 2022

Supplementary Estimates B seeks funding to support the Minister’s mandate to bring newcomers to Canada to drive economic growth and recovery, expand our humanitarian efforts in the resettlement of vulnerable people, address irregular migration and reduce application backlogs.

2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan Including Afghan Refugees And Special Immigration Measures For Ukrainian Nationals

Our 2022‒2024 Immigration Levels Plan, which charted an ambitious but responsible path for immigration, was designed to help the Canadian economy recover and fuel post-pandemic growth, all while strengthening communities and industries across the country that rely on immigration.

Canada has also stepped up, responding to record levels of global migration to support refugees. We welcomed at least 40,000 vulnerable Afghans to Canada by the end of 2023, which is one of the largest programs in the world. More than 25, 200 Afghans now call Canada home.

Canada has also welcomed over 117,000 Ukrainian citizens and returning permanent residents from the region. The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel was introduced as a special, accelerated temporary residence pathway for Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion.

The response to this pathway was higher than anticipated, and this funding is important to continue offering Ukrainians the support they need after they arrive in Canada.

Funding will support our efforts to process additional applications and help those now in Canada to get settled, access federal and provincial programs, and support settlement organizations aiding refugees and temporary residents from Ukraine.

Temporary Accommodations For Asylum Seekers

In addition to refugees, there is ongoing need for IRCC to provide temporary housing to asylum claimants as provinces, Quebec in particular, do not have the capacity or resources to accommodate the number and pace of claimants arriving in Canada.

Asylum claimants are a vulnerable group, and Canada has national and international obligations under the Refugee Convention to support asylum claimants who are eligible for protections.

Asylum claim volumes are difficult to predict and can depend on many factors. Contingency planning at all levels of government is ongoing and is helping to ensure a well coordinate response and preparedness. We continue to work with our counterparts in the U.S. so that the Safe Third Country Agreement continues to be a compassionate and fair way to handle asylum claims between our two countries.

Improving Processing Times And Our Digital Platform

Our clients – Canada’s future students, workers, and citizens – deserve high-quality services that are accessible and timely. This funding, committed in the 2021 Economic and Fiscal Update, will be used to reduce inventory of applications.

IRCC has a plan for this funding to strengthen Canada’s immigration system, with a focus on addressing labour shortages, reuniting families, and improving client experience.

These measures will help IRCC address our unique challenges including the pandemic-created backlogs and back-to-back humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

As of October 31, we have transitioned to 100% digital intake for most permanent residence lines of business and implemented an online status trackers for clients to access updates on their applications. We continue to improve upon and expand these tools.

IRCC will have added up to 1,250 additional staff by the end of the fall. We are also expanding the responsible use of new technologies, including advanced analytics and automation, to support IRCC officers and increase our processing capacity.