PACP - Standing Committee on Public Accounts - OAG Report 9: Processing Permanent Residence Applications - December 5, 2023

Narrative

Immigration is critical to Canada’s long-term success, and we recognize that modernizing and strengthening our immigration system is necessary to address the challenges associated with welcoming more people.

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) assessed Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) efforts between January 1 and December 31, 2022, to process permanent residence applications in support of economic, family reunification and humanitarian objectives.

Since the audit period, IRCC has made significant progress in reducing processing times and tackling application backlogs, including for the eight permanent residence program areas assessed by the OAG. This year, Canada has already welcomed approximately 405,000 permanent residents as of October 31, up from about 388,000 during the same period in 2022. As of October 31, 2023, 57% of all applications in our inventory are within service standards, compared to 50% at the end of January.

Our immigration system is world class; however, migration trends are changing and the world is becoming increasingly complex. The Department has also been improving its policies and programs as a result of consultations with the public and stakeholders. At the end of October, we released a report, “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future,” as part of our efforts to build a more robust, effective and agile immigration system that is responsive to the most pressing challenges of our time, while protecting the safety and security of Canadians.

Key Messages

• IRCC is aware of the concerns outlined in the audit report. Over the last few years, we have been diligently addressing these issues as part of our commitment to improve client service and build a stronger immigration system.
• Since the audit was conducted, IRCC has continued to reduce its backlogs by digitizing applications, hiring and training new staff, and harnessing automation technologies to increase processing capacity and efficiency. In August 2022, IRCC also began publishing monthly data to inform the public about ongoing efforts to reduce application backlogs. Many lines of business are now back or close to being back to service standards.
• We continue to work toward our goal of reducing overall backlogs and processing 80% of new applications within service standards. However, in some categories, it will not be possible to achieve these goals, as yearly intake exceeds planned admissions targets set in the existing Immigration Levels Plan.
• We are also making progress toward implementing the OAG’s recommendation for IRCC to prioritize online application portals for refugee programs. In early November, IRCC expanded the Permanent Residence Portalto private refugee sponsor groups, and it will be expanded further to some of its government-assisted refugee referral partners by the end of the year.
• The Government of Canada’s investments in innovation and digital modernization will also help IRCC improve processing efficiency so that some clients may receive their decisions more quickly.