IRCC Deputy Minister Transition Binder 2019 – Operations Sector
Overview
- Temporary Resident Program, Permanent Resident Program, Citizenship Program, Passport Program
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s operational delivery network processed approximately 3 million temporary resident, permanent resident and citizenship applications in 2018.
- The Department is also responsible for passport services, which Service Canada and Global Affairs Canada help to deliver on IRCC’s behalf.
- IRCC’s operational network is organized under three application processing sub-networks (Centralized Network, International Network, and Domestic Network) and a medical processing network (Integrated Medical Processing Network).
- It consists of close to 4,000 IRCC employees in Canada and around the world, in addition to approximately 1,000 locally-engaged staff working at missions abroad.
- The network is worldwide and integrated between offices, using a single online Global Case Management System (GCMS). The Passport Network uses the Integrated Retrieval Information System (IRIS).
- As processing officers work on various lines of business, the network continues to ensure that operations remain nimble to allow for fluidity in adjusting operational priorities and achieving levels commitments.
- The network is supported by program guidance, as well as focused work on client service and program integrity.
Talking points
Offices inside Canada
- Centralized Network – Five case processing centres (Sydney, Ottawa (2), Mississauga, Edmonton).
- Domestic Network – 24 offices.
- Integrated Medical Processing Network – One in-Canada Regional Medical Office (Ottawa).
Offices outside Canada
- International Network – 60 offices worldwide; 9 with Area Directors located in Washington, Mexico City, London, Paris, Nairobi, Ankara, New Delhi, Manila and Hong Kong.
- Integrated Medical Processing Network – Three Regional Medical Offices located in London, New Delhi and Manila.
Branches and Networks
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations Sector – Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar
- Centralized Network is IRCC’s cross-Canada network responsible for the support and delivery of IRCC’s centralized processing functions and is comprised of offices in 5 locations across the country.
- Domestic Network is responsible for immigration and citizenship program delivery across Canada, including irregular asylum and support for settlement delivery.
- International Network delivers Canada’s immigration program abroad at 60 locations in Canadian Embassies, High Commissions, and Consulates.
- Operations Planning and Performance Branch is a horizontal hub for operational performance, planning and project delivery, with a particular focus on innovative and transformative approaches to data analytics and governance.
- Client Experience Branch is a center of expertise dedicated to understanding and improving the client experience, with a focus on service strategy as well as client-centric research and design.
- Passport Modernization Project Office is the branch responsible for the management and successful delivery of the Passport Program Modernization Initiative (PPMI).
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations Sector – Mike MacDonald
- Immigration Program Guidance Branch coordinates and provides functional authority for those immigration programs under its area of responsibility, domestically and internationally, in support of a coherent and integrated global network.
- Citizenship and Passport Program Guidance Branch is responsible for coordinating and providing functional authority for passport and citizenship, in support of fostering an effective balance between client service excellence and operational efficiency.
- Case Management Branch provides direction, support, and decision-making with regards to complex, high-profile, sensitive and/or contentious immigration, citizenship and passport cases. Also provides direction and support for certain litigation files.
- Migration Health Branch is the center of expertise for the management of health-related aspects of migration. They deliver health screening and related services under the authority of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
- Integrity Risk Management Branch is responsible for ensuring the integrity of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s programs, documents and their associated entitlement / admissibility and issuance processes.
- International Network – Resettlement Operations Division provides support to overseas offices on refugee program target management, modernization initiatives, and admissibility issues. They also process specific resettlement applications and play a key coordination role with resettlement stakeholders/partners.
Talking Points
Assistant Deputy Minister Responsibilities
- Productivity of the entire network (e.g. levels).
- International, Centralized, and Domestic Networks.
- Permanent and Temporary Resident programs.
- Client Service experience.
- Electronic Travel Authorization.
- Relationships with ESDC, GAC and Service Canada.
- Passport Program Modernization Initiative (Project).
- Multi-Year Levels Plan (Project).
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister Responsibilities
- Asylum, irregular migration, and refugee protection (overseas and in-Canada).
- Humanitarian and compassionate programs.
- Case management for immigration cases (including high profile cases).
- Program integrity, quality assurance, and risk indicators.
- Litigation.
- Migration health.
- Emergency operational readiness.
- Relationships with CBSA, Public Safety Canada, Justice Canada, and tourism.
- Citizenship and Passport Programs.
Operations Sector Strategic Plan
Vision and Priorities
Vision: To contribute to a stronger Canada by delivering immigration, citizenship, and passport programs through innovative, client centric services and a well-supported workforce.
Strategic Plan Priorities
- Being a proactive and high-performing Sector
- Leveraging Business Intelligence
- Active and Connected Approaches to Client Service
- Continuous strategic alignment
- A place where our people thrive
- Dynamic and responsive relationships
Proposed Strategic Outcomes:
Continue to support its talented workforce and foster strong connections with stakeholders. We will continue to strive for service excellence in all that we do, made possible by engaging our people and our partners.
Offer convenient, consistent, predictable, secure, and intuitive services for our clients. We will be known for our responsiveness, efficiency, and trustworthiness; both to applicants and to external partners.
A nimble, responsive, and driven organization that leverages business intelligence, strategic planning, and technology to effectively deliver programs. We will anticipate challenges and response proactively to drive success.
Speaking points:
- High-performing: Being an efficient, agile and innovative service delivery network, with nimble workload management that is informed by robust functional authority.
- Leveraging business intelligence: Working with partners to explore new information sharing opportunities, as well as using data to support evidence-based decision making, facilitate service delivery, follow an integrated risk management regime, and keep pace with evolving trends.
- Client service: Working with our clients to better align services to their needs and deliver on their ever-evolving expectations. Programs will be more closely connected to clients through secure technological solutions, continuous feedback loops, and advancements in client-centric research.
- Strategic alignment: Taking an integrated approach to business planning; ensuring the alignment, prioritization, and optimization of resources to strategic objectives, increasing workforce/client satisfaction levels.
- People: Employees will be better equipped with the training, tools, guidance and support that they need to excel. We will foster continuous growth in our people, pursue opportunities to strengthen wellness, and provide support for staff to achieve their professional goals.
- Relationships: The Sector will transition from a transaction-based service delivery model to one that is relationship-based. Clients wishing to establish long-term ties to Canada will be guided in their journey; whether they seek permanent residency, citizenship, or a Canadian passport. Stronger relationships with our partners and stakeholders will improve program and service delivery.
Moving Forward
While the Sector continues to take steps to improve operations and client service, reducing processing times and inventories while ensuring accessibility of case status information remain key areas of focus.
To meet Departmental objectives of faster and more efficient processing and improved client service while maintaining program integrity, the Sector has been working on various initiatives including:
- Streamlining – Improving triaging to support bulk processing, and continuing to centralize low risk applications while using offices for back office support.
- Work-sharing – Moving work to where capacity exists, and shifting straight-forward cases from overseas to in-Canada processing.
- Automation – Increasing the number of applications that are going through automated steps as well as the programs that are leveraging automated functionality.
Further innovation across all programs is also underway, including:
- Leveraging advanced analytics models (which analyze past decision patterns and adverse outcomes) to enable risk-triaging and more bulk processing of temporary resident applications
- Development of Operations Sector governance structure for distribution of workload between the service delivery networks.
- Advancement of an operational Learning Academy to better support nimble and sustainable program delivery within the Sector.
The Sector also continues work on various fronts and key files to achieve our operational goals:
- Meeting overall admissions as part of the Multi-Year Levels Plan.
- Ensuring an integrated approach to the Temporary Resident program.
- Managing irregular migration / asylum.
- Continuing to enhance Client Service (including Client Support Centre, processing times, inventories, and pilots), and work on modernization initiatives with Citizenship and Passport.
- Strengthening Program Integrity by being better at anticipating and addressing gaps as processing volumes and approaches evolve.
- Supporting the Transformation agenda, and ensuring we remained aligned with the Operations Sector Strategic Plan.
Medium to longer-term priorities include:
- Establishment of a sustainable and robust Temporary Resident funding model.
- Enabling legislative and regulatory changes which will allow for additional operational efficiencies to be gained, including working with our Policy partners to advance a visa policy framework / foil-less visas.
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