COW – Crisis Response Framework – May 28, 2026

• As part of the government's commitment to sustainable immigration, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses the Crisis Response Framework (CRF) to better anticipate and respond to emerging international crises in alignment with immigration levels planning and Canada's domestic welcoming capacities.
• The CRF includes assessment criteria that are applied consistently to consider humanitarian and protection needs, Canadian interests, equity, the capacity of our immigration system, and operational capability.
• Building on lessons learned from recent responses, the CRF includes tools to assess and implement migration responses and enable coordination with provinces and territories, partners, and stakeholders.

If pressed on current status:

• On May 11, IRCC published information about the CRF to provide clarity on the factors that IRCC considers when determining whether and how to respond to an emerging crisis.
• This information also supports ongoing conversations with stakeholders as we work to refine the CRF and deliver on various crisis-related commitments.  
• The CRF will continue to evolve as IRCC integrates real-time lessons learned and best practices from recent responses, as well as continued feedback from provinces and territories, partners, and stakeholders.