SECU – Resources for Security Screening – September 19, 2024

Key Messages

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) programs and operations are designed to ensure that integrity, risk, and threats are assessed at various steps to ensure the health, safety, and security of Canadians and Canada.

The immigration security screening program is a tri-lateral program that relies on close collaboration between IRCC, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
IRCC officers assess eligibility and admissibility to Canada for individuals who submit an immigration application.
Using their knowledge and expertise, and – in particular – risk indicators developed by CBSA and CSIS, IRCC officers refer certain applications for comprehensive security screening by CBSA and CSIS where an officer identifies there may be a serious inadmissibility.
CBSA will return a recommendation to IRCC on any referred application, which the IRCC officer will consider to make a final determination on the application based on information available to the officer at that time, including additional information obtained during processing.

All IRCC officers are provided with training in order to identify and determine an applicant’s admissibility under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
This initial training is further supplemented based on an officer’s specific role or post.
In collaboration with CBSA and CSIS, IRCC officers can receive training on risk indicators to ensure cases of concern are referred for comprehensive security screening.
In addition to risk indicators, officers have access to reports and bulletins related to risk and fraud trends, migration threats, and up-to-date data.
IRCC’s Migration Integrity Sector provides expert advice and guidance to officers on complex cases, especially those where there are complex security concerns.
IRCC also has Risk Assessment Officers who are responsible for safeguarding the integrity of IRCC programs by delivering anti-fraud activities, risk analysis and mitigations, as well as liaison and risk intelligence reporting to inform decision-makers.

Biometrics collected for immigration screening purposes include an applicant’s fingerprints, biographic data and photo. IRCC does not use facial recognition for immigration screening with domestic or international (Migration 5) partners.
Once collected, fingerprints are transmitted to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for storage and searching against fingerprint records of known criminals, past refugee claimants, persons previously deported and previous immigration applicants. They are also screened against the holdings of international partners. Combined, this screening increases Canada’s ability to make informed admissibility decisions, mitigate identity theft, combat irregular migration, and prevent persons who pose a risk to the safety and security of Canadians from entering the country.
The use of biometrics, specifically fingerprints, is an integral component of immigration and border decision-making processes as it provides a reliable and accurate tool for establishing and confirming a person’s identity, and identifying possible inadmissibilities at the earliest possible opportunity ensuring the integrity of Canada’s immigration programs.
The biometrics program is supported by dedicated resources responsible for both policy and program design, deployment, and continuous improvement, and benefits from collaboration with Migration 5 partners.

IRCC is continuously conducting analysis of its Visa Application Centre (VAC) network, to determine potential new or alternative locations. At this time 95% of applicants have access to a VAC within their country of residence, and the addition of VAC locations increases IRCC’s ability to easily gather biometric information from clients, increasing our ability to gather required information for security screening.

In addition to sharing biometrics with Migration 5 partners, biographic data may also be shared to determine if any adverse information exists on applicants in partner immigration databases.
IRCC, CBSA and CSIS also benefit from close relationships with international partners on other immigration and border matters, and regularly exchange intelligence, information on threats and trends, and on other shared migration and border interests.

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, improved advice and guidance to processing staff and senior IRCC decision makers, and strengthened our national security partnerships.

IRCC officers receive ongoing and updated training, as required, on inadmissibility pursuant to IRPA and risk indicators. These trainings include tools to identify possible security risks in an application that may merit further review by security screening partners.
- Decision-makers receive extensive training on the IRPA and Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). This training covers all aspects of inadmissibility, including security and human rights violations.
- Newly trained officers are sometimes paired with experienced officers to receive coaching and hands-on support.
- IRCC has also implemented regular quality assurance exercises to review the quality and consistency in decision-making.
- In addition to the IRPA and IRPR training, processing staff in Canada and abroad may also receive in-person training from public safety partners (CBSA, CSIS) on security indicators.