CIMM – Question Period Note - IRCC’s 2021–2022 Departmental Results Report – November 29, 2022

Date: Nov 21, 2022
Classification:
Department: IRCC

Issue:

IRCC’s 2021-2022 Departmental Results Report for the period ending March 31, 2022 will be tabled in Parliament, along with those of other federal departments.

Proposed Response:

• The 2021-22 Departmental Results Report outlines the results that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada accomplished in 2021-22 and the resources used to achieve those results.
• There were 405,999 permanent residents admitted in 2021, an increase of 120% from 2020. This is the most immigrants, in a single year, that have been welcomed to Canada in its history.
• Canada maintained its proud humanitarian tradition of being the top refugee resettlement country in the world, resettling 20,428 refugees in 2021, according to the UNHCR Global Trends Report.
• Immigration plays a vital role in growing our economy and enhancing the diversity of Canada’s population, and it will continue to do so as we recover from the pandemic.

Contact:
David Kurfurst
A/Director General, Research and Evaluation
Tel. No.: 613-218-6480

Approved by:
Soyoung Park
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy & Planning
Tel No: 613-316-6421

Background:

• The Departmental Plan (DP) and the Departmental Results Report (DRR) form Part III of the Government of Canada’s Main Estimates process and include all performance and financial information required by the Treasury Board.
• The Departmental Plan and the DRR are structured around IRCC’s Departmental Results Framework, which outlines IRCC’s core responsibilities, results and performance indicators.
• Total financial and human resources are identified in the Departmental Results Report as follows:

The 2021–22 planned spending is based on a set of assumptions made in Fall 2020, as well as on the availability of funding at the planning stage. The variance between planned spending and total authorities available is mainly attributable to the cumulative unused surplus associated with the Passport Program, as well as additional resources received through the Supplementary Estimates, such as the Afghanistan resettlement commitment, the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, the temporary accommodation for unvaccinated asymptomatic asylum seekers and the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration.

The variance between total authorities available and actual spending is also attributable to the impact of measures taken in Canada and worldwide to control the spread of COVID-19 such as border and travel restrictions. The most significant items that contribute to the lapse are the Interim Federal Health Program, the Afghanistan resettlement commitment, the Interim Lodging Services, the settlement and resettlement services, and Biometric enrollment costs.

Highlights:

The DRR outlines the Department’s key results for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, many of which continued to be impacted by the pandemic, including:

Visitors, International Students And Temporary Workers:

• In 2021–22, IRCC continued to introduce measures to support the reopening of borders and assist international students, including those already in Canada and those studying abroad, and to support the entry of temporary foreign workers, especially those in essential services.
• To manage the inventory of overseas applications, the IRCC Rapid Response Operations Centre focused on processing priority applications, particularly in-Canada extensions, and those from seasonal agricultural workers, essential and vulnerable workers, and students. IRCC also leveraged more efficient tools and leaner processes, and improved its digital platforms to better respond to client needs throughout the pandemic.
• Key statistics include:
  • 1,467,333 Temporary resident visas and Electronic Travel authorization issued to visitors. The lower total than previous years reflects the continued implications of COVID-19 on travel, as well as operational pressures on the Department.
  • 445,776 study permits issued to international students, a 74% increase compared to 2020.
  • 415,817 temporary work permit holders under the International Mobility and Temporary Foreign worker programs, a 27% increase over the 2020 total.
• In March 2022, Canada launched the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), a set of uniquely facilitative temporary residence measures for Ukrainians and their families seeking temporary safe haven in Canada, while the Russian invasion of their home country continues. As most Ukrainians started arriving in Canada in April 2022, next year’s DRR will be able to report back and provide more details of how the Department supported this cohort.

Immigrant And Refugee Selection And Integration

• Key statistics include:
  • 405,999 permanent residents were admitted to Canada, which is within the target range of 300,000 – 410,000.
    • Of the total, 252,971 (62%) were economic permanent residents, 81,423 (20%) were family class admissions, 60,228 were refugees and protected persons in Canada and their dependents (15%) and 11,377 (3%) were humanitarian and other admissions.
  • 1.95% drop in the proportion of French-speaking permanent residents among all immigrants admitted to Canada outside Quebec.
    • The pandemic has slowed the arrival of French-speaking permanent residents, many of whom come from abroad. Nevertheless, the proportion of French-speaking permanent resident admissions increased again to 3.6% from January to July 2022 and, since 2019, the total number of admissions for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec has remained above 5,000 per annum.
  • 428,000 settlement services continued to be provided both in-person and online to newcomers to Canada, by over 550 IRCC-funded Settlement Provider Organizations.
  • 20,428 refugees were resettled safely to Canada. This is more than double what had been achieved in 2020.
• In January 2022, the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) was established as a permanent program to provide a pathway to permanent residency in the Atlantic region for skilled foreign workers and international graduates from a Canadian institution.
• The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, (RNIP) the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), the Agri-Food Pilot, the Home Child Care Provider Pilot, and Home Support Worker Pilot, have also been launched to test various approaches to facilitate pathways for permanent residency with a view of meeting Canada’s labour market.

Citizenship And Passports

• Key statistics include:
  • 221,919 permanent residents who applied and met the requirements were granted Canadian Citizenship in the past fiscal year which surpassed the target by nearly 22,000. To help mitigate the adverse impacts of COVID-19 on clients, the Department quickly introduced online services, such as virtual citizenship ceremonies, the implementation of an online knowledge test, the application status tool, and the launch of the e-applications for citizenship grants.
  • 1,404,376 Canadian travel documents were issued both in Canada and abroad, which represents three times more than that of the previous year.
  • The Department recognizes the importance of building and maintaining relationships with Indigenous partners. Over the past few years, IRCC has been working to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action related to its mandate, including to educate newcomers about their role in reconciliation.