COW – Migration Integrity – June 9, 2025

Key Facts And Figures

Visa Integrity Measures:

• 54% visitor visa refusal rate in 2024, up significantly from 38% in 2023. The current refusal rate for April 2025 is 49%.
• 251% increase in visitor visa refusals for fraud (misrepresentation) in 2024 compared to 2023.
• 71% decrease in asylum claims from visitor visa holders in April 2025 (2,893) compared to April 2024 (10,095). The decline in asylum claims from visitor visa holders is a significant factor in the 29% decrease in overall asylum claims in April 2025 compared to April 2024 (10,882 vs. 15,397).
• 99% reduction in southbound apprehensions by United States (U.S.) authorities since the June 2024 peak.

Investigations and Compliance Activities:

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducts administrative investigations and undertakes fraud disruption techniques in collaboration with enforcement partners such as the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
• IRCC conducts inspections on employers hiring temporary workers under the International Mobility Program (IMP) to verify compliance with regulatory conditions, including providing a workplace free of abuse, and ensuring that employers are not charging and recovering fees associated with the recruitment of temporary workers.

Key Messages

Visa Integrity Measures:

• Canada welcomes around 20 million visitors each year who provide the country with significant social, cultural and economic benefits. Unfortunately, we have also seen a rise in misuse from those who apply to visit Canada with the intent of remaining long-term. Although the vast majority of visitors are legitimate, we know non-genuine visitors have an impact on confidence in the immigration system. It is essential that we balance the economic and cultural benefits of visitors with the need to ensure migration to Canada is well-managed.
• In 2023, IRCC consolidated many aspects of migration integrity into a single sector accountable for enhancing the integrity of immigration, citizenship and passport programs. This realignment has improved coordination on threat and risk identification, provided enhanced advice and guidance to processing staff and senior IRCC decision makers, and strengthened our national security partnerships.
• Securing the border and the perimeter starts at the point of document issuance and before someone reaches Canada. IRCC is working with partners to strengthen our visitor screening to ensure we are adapting to modern changes, including global crises that affect migration patterns, increased digital fraud, and more organized human smuggling. Recently, IRCC has taken several steps to strengthen visa integrity further.
• Canada implemented a partial visa requirement for Mexican nationals in February 2024, after identifying an abuse of visa-free travel and a significant number of non-genuine asylum claims. This resulted in an almost immediate reduction of asylum claims from Mexican citizens at Canadian airports nationwide.
• We are also holding more people accountable for fraud by investigating and subsequently refusing these cases, ensuring those who are attempting to game the system face consequences. Refusals for misrepresentation render the person inadmissible to Canada for five years and serve as a signal that Canada continues to apply close scrutiny to applications. We are also taking action on visas already in circulation when fraud is discovered.
• Maintaining the security of the Canada-U.S. border, as well as the North American perimeter, continues to be a priority for IRCC. Irregular migration poses challenges for both countries.
• Canada has made significant progress on this front: as of April 2025, there has been a dramatic reduction in southbound apprehensions by U.S. authorities since the June 2024 peak. This reduction was achieved by focused analysis of data and intelligence, applying new information and intelligence on the processing of new visa applications and visa cancellations while working closely with our U.S. counterparts.
• For travellers who are visa-exempt and who must apply for an electronic travel authorization (eTA) to visit Canada, IRCC will continue to strengthen the integrity of our screening through information sharing with international partners on eTA applicants.
• Information sharing allows the Department to more accurately verify the identity of travelers and make better-informed immigration and border decisions, while facilitating the travel of known individuals to Canada.

Investigations and Compliance Activities:

• IRCC conducts large-scale administrative investigations where concerns of coordinated fraud, human smuggling and trafficking exist. The information gathered is used to intercept applications in progress, deter fraud, and inform decision makers on emerging trends.
• IRCC is primarily focused on identifying organizers of coordinated fraud. We have measures in place to detect fraud and flag it in our systems, allowing us to identify future cases of fraud.
• IRCC leverages advanced analytics and data analytics tools to monitor our programs. These tools are used to identify risk trends among existing applications and identify future applications that match indicators of fraud.
• Canadian employers hiring temporary workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or IMP on employer-specific work permits are subject to an employer compliance regime to promote safe and fair working conditions for temporary workers and prevent program misuse.
• Non-compliant employers may be subject to consequences, which include administrative monetary penalties and temporary or permanent ineligibility for hiring temporary workers.
• To reduce fraud and other schemes, IRCC and Employment and Social Development Canada have created various measures, including enhanced assessment when processing Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs). The employer compliance regime features effective and timely inspections, reinforced by appropriate penalties when fraud is discovered. Enhanced assessments and a strengthened compliance regime help deter bad actors from participating in the program and ensure appropriate consequences for those who don’t follow the rules.
• As of March 2025, candidates in Express Entry no longer receive points for having a job offer. This temporary measure reduces fraud by removing the incentive to illegally buy or sell LMIAs. A job offer remains a part of the eligibility criteria to qualify for some programs within Express Entry.
• As of November 8, 2024, international students are expected to attend the Designated Learning Institution (DLI) named on their study permit, and DLIs are to report on student compliance and verify acceptance letters or face consequences for not following the rules.
• New regulations (Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, Part 12 - Division 6) came into force on November 8, 2024, which introduced conditions and consequences on post-secondary DLIs.
• These regulations enable IRCC to conduct verifications on DLIs that fail to respond to letter of acceptance (LOA) verifications or the biannual compliance reporting exercises, are suspected of providing inaccurate information, have improperly issued LOAs, or have not complied with an IRCC request for study permit holder information. It also allows for the Department to suspend study permit processing to non-compliant DLIs and list them on a public suspension list.