PACP - IRCC’s OAG Audit Response – Issuance of Unenforceable Removal Orders - Nov 24, 2020
Key messages
As a result of the findings in this audit, IRCC has adjusted its existing quality assurance and data monitoring reports to ensure that all removal orders are entered correctly in the system to allow the CBSA to better manage its inventory.
For the last six months, all removal orders issued to refugee claimants by IRCC were finalized correctly.
Supplementary messages
Prior to the publication of the OAG audit, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada had commenced a monthly program integrity report to identify individuals whose removal order may not have been finalized correctly in the system.
These cases are reported to staff to address and potentially correct any data inconsistencies or errors.
Subsequent annual reports are conducted to ensure all necessary corrective actions have been taken.
Supporting facts and figures
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada officers have correctly finalized all removal orders between May and October 2020.
Background
OAG Audit of Immigration Removals 2020 recommended that the CBSA should improve the integrity of its data and case management practices so that it can better manage its removals program. It should, in conjunction with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, establish a process to ensure that any new information entering the database is accurate and timely.
Response 3.4a of the Immigration Removals audit, states: “CBSA and IRCC will continue to work together on the quality assurance reports which will be run on an ongoing basis for the purpose of maintaining the monitoring, oversight, and compliance regime in response to the 2019 OAG Audit of Processing of Asylum Claims and the OAG 2020 Audit of Immigration Removals. A summary of the findings will be presented to the inter-departmental Deputy-level Asylum System Management Board.”
Of specific concern were users (IRCC and CBSA) of the Global Case Management System not recording that a removal order had been issued to the person concerned after the enforcement interview was completed, as this is not a mandatory entry from a system perspective. Failure to do this resulted in the removal process not being initiated in CBSA’s National Case Management System.
Since November 2019, immediately upon learning from the OAG that there was an issue with data entry affecting removals, IRCC added a monthly report identifying removal orders that may not have been properly completed to the suite of monthly quality assurance reports managed and distributed by IRCC. As part of IRCC’s response to the audit, we committed to continuing this oversight and to report on the overall benefits and effectiveness of this monitoring, compliance, and oversight regime which was originally initiated in response to the May 2019 audit, by the end of December 2020.
This report is circulated to CBSA and IRCC leads who distribute the reports to impacted offices. The offices leverage the report to determine whether corrective action is required in the data base and to inform staff.
