PACP - Status of the Management Response Action Plan on the Processing of Asylum Claims of the 2019 OAG Reports - Nov 24, 2020

Key messages

• The Government of Canada welcomed the Auditor General’s 2019 report and agreed with its recommendations.
• The Government strives to continually strengthen its operations. Significant progress has already been made in responding to the challenges highlighted in the report. Measures have been implemented to increase efficiencies, invest in the system’s capacity and improve coordination between organizations.
• For example, in response to the OAG recommendation that IRCC and CBSA proactively share information about our respective investigations into each refugee claim. Even in the case of claims in which we do not ultimately intervene, we have implemented a manual process since September 2019 and now have a system to system link since October 2020.
• Budget 2019 invested $1.18 billion over 5 years, starting in 2019-2020, and $55 million per year ongoing. This investment has increased the capacity of Canada’s asylum system to process 50,000 claims a year. The funding is strengthening processes at the border, accelerating the processing of claims and allowing for increased removals of failed claimants.

Supplementary messages

• The Management Response Action Plan was developed jointly by Canada Border Services Agency, the Immigration and Refugee Board and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to address the Office of the Auditor General’s recommendations.
• Significant progress has been made by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (referred throughout as the Department), towards addressing the recommendations included in the Processing of Asylum Claims audit and to ensure our responses balance ensuring that Canada can welcome those who require State protection with safeguarding the integrity of our world-class immigration system and the safety and security of Canadians .
• The following is a status update of what the Department has accomplished as per the audit’s recommendations and the ensuing Management Response Action Plan:
  • In response to the audit’s first recommendation, the Department closely monitors the asylum system for potential changes in levels and processing capacity, and planning to explore options for flexible funding models. This ensures that senior management is alive to any challenges (bottlenecks) that prevent timely processing of claims and a reduction of the inventories at the various stages of the asylum continuum.
  • Specifically, action item 2.1 for Recommendation 2, which outlined the need to implement a quality assurance approach at intake, the Department has been running monthly quality assurance reports for over one year to ensure system accuracy and compliance with program delivery instructions (ex. Biometrics taken from all claimants 14 and older).
  • These reports are disseminated to frontline staff to correct errors and also reported to IRCC and CBSA national headquarters. In addition, IRCC completed a quality assurance exercise and ensuing report focusing on staff compliance with program delivery instructions, system accuracy and data integrity of asylum claim intake. IRCC intends to make this an annual exercise.
  • Action item 2.2 advised that a data gap analysis to improve information sharing would occur. This was completed and informs some of the system changes being implemented as part of the Asylum Interoperability information technology project, which is enabling electronic document sharing and improved data transactions between IRCC’s Global Case Management System and the IRB’s Nova system.
  • Action item 2.3 has been implemented. An integrated IT plan, required to solidify system changes needed for information to move between all relevant organizations, was approved in March 2020. These changes will ensure a faster and simpler exchange of information and will be implemented over the next two years and will allow the asylum line of business to move towards digital processing. In the interim, and propelled by the Covid-19 pandemic and the immediate need for digital innovations, IRCC and the IRB are leveraging a third-party solution to exchange documents securely and quickly, which facilitates paperless processing.
• In response to recommendation 5, action items 5.1 and 5.2 system changes were implemented in the Global Case Management System to leverage technological efficiencies and data automation to further optimize scheduling at the Immigration and Refugee Board. Several joint interim strategies have been implemented thus far awaiting final implementation by all parties. This ensures the Board is aware of the Minister’s decision to intervene or not.
• Action item 5.3 was the establishment of the Integrated Claims Analysis Centre pilot. This addresses the fifth recommendation of the Processing of Asylum Claims audit. It was implemented in Toronto in 2019 and has resulted in the establishment of better and more effective communication channels between the Immigration and Refugee Board, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency. This, in turn, has helped ensure smoother operations across all 3 organizations

Immigration Removals Audit

• The Immigration Removals audit was released in July 2020. IRCC has leveraged the quality assurance reporting developed due to the Asylum audit to address a key recommendation from the Removals Audit. This report now addresses both recommendations and is being shared monthly with partners.

Background

• The processing of asylum claims, is an area that is the joint responsibility of three organizations: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board and the Canada Border Services Agency. The audit had a total of five recommendations, this issue note outlines the three recommendations that the Department leads (and/or is joint lead):

List of Recommendations

Recommendation 1:

To better respond to the fluctuating volume of claims made each year, the Canada Border Services Agency; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada should:

• work with central government agencies to design and implement a flexible model that allows them to access additional funding quickly to better match shifting volumes of claims, and
• update their performance and productivity expectations for key steps in the refugee determination system.

Action Items:

1.1 The Asylum System Performance Measurement Framework will be approved by the ASMB. September 30, 2019

1.2 IRCC and partners will work with Central Agencies to explore options for a funding mechanism that address ongoing pressure on the Asylum system. A Business Case will be launched in consultation with Central Agencies June 30, 2020.

1.3 The way-forward to implement Asylum Funding Model will be validated with Central Agencies. February 28, 2021

Recommendation 2:

The Canada Border Services Agency; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada should

• work together to identify what information needs to be collected and shared for an asylum claim; and
• find a way to share the information securely, accurately, and efficiently, moving from paper to digital processing of asylum claims.

Action Items:

2.1 The CBSA and IRCC will develop and implement a quality assurance approach at intake. This will include a process for file review at intake. IRCC and CBSA will continue monitoring to ensure that biometrics have been properly collected and enrolled in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) for all required claimants prior to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) hearing. No later than September 30, 2019

2.2 The CBSA, IRCC and the IRB will complete an information gap assessment to identify information sharing opportunities. September 30, 2019

The organizations will leverage the IT development work that was funded under Budget 2019 to address any of these gaps in the funding submission. December 31, 2019

Recommendation 5:

The Canada Border Services Agency and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada should notify the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada as soon as their review of an asylum claim for intervention is complete, whether or not they plan to intervene. The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada should consider this notification in its scheduling strategy to reduce wait times for protection decisions.

Action Items:

5.1 The CBSA and IRCC will notify in a timely manner the IRB of their intention to intervene or not so the RPD can schedule hearings effectively. September 30, 2019

5.2 The IT development will be completed to permit the electronic sharing of the results of the triage, review and intervention work similar to the current sharing of Front End Security Screening (FESS) results. June 30, 2021

5.3 The Integrated Claim Analysis Centre (ICAC) pilot will begin in Toronto contingent upon Budget 2019 funding being approved by Treasury Board. September 30, 2019

5.4 A final assessment of results of the pilot project will be conducted and presented to the ASMB September 30, 2021