IRCC Deputy Minister Transition Binder 2022: Operations Sector

Overview – July 2022

Operations Sector

Overview

Temporary Resident Program

Permanent Resident Program

Citizenship Program

Passport Program

Refugee Protection

• Despite disruptions due to the global pandemic, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s operational delivery networks processed over 4 million temporary resident, permanent resident and citizenship applications in 2021.
• IRCC is also responsible for passport services, including policy direction. ESDC/Service Canada and Global Affairs Canada deliver a majority of these services on IRCC’s behalf, in Canada and abroad. IRCC processed over 968,000 passports in 2021.
• IRCC’s operational delivery sector is organized under three application processing networks (Centralized Network, International Network, and Domestic Network) and a medical processing network (Integrated Medical Processing Network).
• As of May 2022, the Sector consists of 7,328 employees (or 66.1% of the total) in Canada and around the world. In addition, there are also approximately 1,000 locally engaged staff (employees of Global Affairs Canada) working under IRCC direction at offices abroad.

Migration Health Program

Integrity Risk Management Program

Program Guidance

Case & Litigations Mgmt Programs

Client Service Programs

Delivering our Services (1 of 3)

In-Canada Offices: IRCC and Delivery partners

Numbers of In-Canada Offices for each Province and Territory:

British Columbia:

• 2 Domestic & Settlement Offices in Vancouver and Surrey
• 43 Passport Service Locations

Alberta:

• 2 Domestic & Settlement Offices in Calgary and Edmonton
• 1 Case Processing Centre in Edmonton
• 22 Passport Service Locations

Saskatchewan:

• 1 Domestic & Settlement Office in Saskatoon
• 14 Passport Service Locations

Manitoba:

• 1 Domestic & Settlement Office in Winnipeg
• 17 Passport Service Locations

Ontario:

• 9 Domestic & Settlement Offices in Windsor, London, Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Hamilton, Mississauga, Etobicoke, Scarborough, and Ottawa
• 1 Case Processing Centres in Mississauga
• 1 Resettlement Operations Centre in Ottawa
• 100 Passport Service Locations

Quebec:

• 1 Domestic & Settlement Office in Montreal
• 1 Client Support Centre (National Call Centre) in Montreal
• 1 Operations Support Centre in Gatineau
• 1 Case Processing Centres in Gatineau
• 81 Passport Service Locations

New Brunswick:

• 1 Domestic & Settlement Office in Fredericton
• 19 Passport Service Locations

Nova Scotia:

• 1 Domestic & Settlement Office in Halifax
• 1 Case Processing centre in Sydney
• 20 Passport Service Locations

Prince Edward Island:

• 1 Domestic & Settlement Office in Charlottetown
• 5 Passport Service Locations

Newfoundland & Labrador:

• 1 Domestic & Settlement Office in St. John’s
• 15 Passport Service Locations

Yukon:

• 2 Passport Service Locations

Northwest Territories:

• 5 Passport Service Locations

Nunavut:

• 3 Passport Service Locations

Delivering our Services (2 of 3)

IRCC’s International Network

Updated on April 29, 2022

Headquarters Divisions

• Geographic Operations (RIO)
• Resettlement Operations (ROD)
• Innovation, Design & Delivery (ROI-INOM)
• International Support (RIS)
• Strategic Planning & Delivery (RIC)
• Workforce Management (RIR)

United States

• Area Office: Washington DC
• Responsible for: 4 overseas offices (Washington DC, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (including Permanent Mission to the UN))

Latin America and Caribbean

• Area Office: Mexico city
• Responsible for: 8 overseas offices (Mexico City, Kingston, Port-Au-Prince, Port of Spain, Bogota, Lima, Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires)

Northern Europe

• Area Office: London
• Responsible for: 9 overseas offices (London, Brussels, Berlin, Geneva, Vienna, Warsaw, Kyiv, Moscow)
• (Including P.M. to the UN in NYC)

Southern Europe & the Maghreb

• Area Office: Paris
• Responsible for: 6 overseas offices (Paris, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis, Rome, Bucharest)

North Asia

• Area Office: Beijing
• Responsible for: 4 overseas offices (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong)

South Asia

• Area Office: New Delhi
• Responsible for: 4 overseas offices (New Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Colombo)

Southeast Asia & Oceania

• Area Office: Manila
• Responsible for: 9 overseas offices (Manila, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Jakarta, Sydney, Canberra)

Middle East

• Area Office: Ankara
• Responsible for: 8 overseas offices (Ankara, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Amman, Cairo, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Islamabad)

Sub-Saharan Africa

• Area office: Nairobi
• Responsible for: 8 overseas offices (Nairobi, Dakar, Accra, Abuja, Lagos, Addis Ababa, Dar Es Salaam, Pretoria)

Canada (Virtual Office)

• Area office: Innovation Design & Delivery (ROI) responsible for the Rapid Response Operations Centre (RROC)

Havana and Stockholm are not included as overseas offices as they do not have Canadian-based staff.

Delivering our Services (3 of 3)

IRCC’s Regional Medical Offices

• Migration Health Branch’s Integrated Medical Processing Network consists of four Regional Medical Offices (RMOs) which manage the network of Panel Physicians who deliver immigration medical exams on behalf of IRCC.
  • Ottawa, Canada:
    • Antigua and Barbuda
    • Argentina
    • Bahamas
    • Barbados
    • Belize
    • Bolivia
    • Brazil
    • British Overseas Territory: Anguilla
    • British Overseas Territory: Bermuda
    • British Overseas Territory: British Virgin Islands
    • British Overseas Territory: Cayman Islands
    • British Overseas Territory: Falkland Islands
    • British Overseas Territory: Monserrat
    • British Overseas Territory: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
    • British Overseas Territory: Turks and Caicos
    • Chile
    • Chile, Special territory of: Easter Island
    • Colombia
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • Dominica
    • Dominican Republic
    • Ecuador
    • El Salvador
    • France: French Guiana
    • France: Guadeloupe/Desirade
    • France: Martinique
    • France: Saint Barthélemy
    • France: Saint Martin
    • France: St. Pierre and Miquelon
    • Grenada
    • Guatemala
    • Guyana
    • Haiti
    • Honduras
    • Jamaica
    • Mexico
    • Netherlands: Aruba
    • Netherlands: Bonnaire
    • Netherlands: Curaçao
    • Netherlands: Saba
    • Netherlands: Sint Eustatius
    • Netherlands: Sint Maarten
    • Nicaragua
    • Panama
    • Paraguay
    • Peru
    • Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation of
    • Saint Lucia
    • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
    • Suriname
    • Trinidad and Tobago
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: British Virgin Islands
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Anguilla
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Bermuda
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Cayman Islands
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Falkland Islands
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Montserrat
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Turks and Caicos
    • Uruguay
    • USA (Continental USA and Hawaii)
    • USA: Puerto Rico, unincorporated territory of the USA
    • USA: Virgin Islands of the USA
    • Venezuela
    • Virgin Islands (British)
    • Virgin Islands (of the United States)
  • New Delhi, India:
    • Afghanistan
    • Bahrain
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • India
    • Kuwait
    • Nepal
    • Oman
    • Pakistan
    • Qatar
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Sri Lanka
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Yemen
  • London, United Kingdom:
    • Albania
    • Algeria
    • Andorra, Principality of
    • Angola
    • Armenia
    • Austria
    • Azerbaijan
    • Belarus
    • Belgium
    • Benin
    • Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • Botswana
    • British Crown Dependency: Channel Islands
    • British Crown Dependency: Isle of Man, Mann
    • British Indian Ocean Territory: Chagos Archipelago
    • British Overseas Territory: Akrotiri and Dhekelia
    • British Overseas Territory: Gibraltar
    • British Overseas Territory: St. Helena, Ascension, and Tristan de Cuna
    • Bulgaria
    • Burkina Faso
    • Burundi
    • Cabo Verde
    • Cameroon
    • Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)
    • Central African Republic
    • Chad
    • Channel Islands (British Crown Dependency)
    • Comoros, Union of
    • Congo-Brazzaville
    • Congo-Kinshasa
    • Côte d’Ivoire
    • Croatia
    • Cyprus
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • Denmark: Faroe Islands (country within the Kingdom of Denmark)
    • Denmark: Greenland (country within the kingdom of)
    • Djibouti
    • Egypt
    • Eire
    • Equatorial Guinea
    • Eritrea
    • Estonia
    • Eswatini
    • Ethiopia
    • Faroe Islands (country within the Kingdom of Denmark)
    • Finland
    • France
    • France: French Southern and Antarctic Territories
    • France: Réunion department
    • Gabon
    • Gambia
    • Georgia
    • Germany
    • Ghana
    • Greece
    • Greenland (country within the Kingdom of Denmark)
    • Guernsey (Channel Islands)
    • Guinea, Equatorial Rep. of
    • Guinea, Rep. of
    • Guinea-Bissau
    • Holy See
    • Hungary
    • Iceland
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • Ireland, Southern (Eire)
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Ivory Coast
    • Jersey (Channel Islands)
    • Jordan
    • Kazakhstan
    • Kenya
    • Kosovo
    • Kyrgyzstan
    • Latvia
    • Lebanon
    • Lesotho
    • Liberia
    • Libya
    • Liechtenstein
    • Lithuania
    • Luxemburg
    • Macedonia, Rep. of
    • Madagascar
    • Malawi
    • Mali
    • Malta
    • Man, Isle of (British Crown Dependency)
    • Mauritania
    • Mauritius
    • Moldova, Republic of
    • Monaco
    • Montenegro, Rep. of
    • Morocco
    • Mozambique
    • Namibia
    • Netherlands
    • Niger
    • Nigeria
    • Norway
    • Palestinian Authority (West Bank/Gaza)
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Portugal: Azores, autonomous region of
    • Portugal: Madeira, autonomous region of
    • Romania
    • Russia
    • Rwanda
    • San Marino
    • Sao Tome and Principe
    • Senegal
    • Serbia
    • Seychelles
    • Sierra Leone
    • Slovakia
    • Slovenia
    • Somalia
    • South Africa
    • South Sudan, Rep. of
    • Spain (and Balearics)
    • Spain: Canary Islands, autonomous community of Spain
    • Sudan, South
    • Sudan. Republic of (North)
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Syria
    • Tajikistan
    • Tanzania
    • Togo
    • Tunisia
    • TürkiyeTurkiye
    • Turkmenistan
    • Uganda
    • Ukraine
    • United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
    • United Kingdom: British Crown Dependency: Channel Islands
    • United Kingdom: British Indian Ocean Territory: Chagos Archipelago
    • United Kingdom: British Crown Dependency: Isle of Man, Mann
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Akrotiri and Dhekelia
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Gibraltar
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: St. Helena, Ascension, and Tristan de Cuna
    • Uzbekistan
    • Vatican City
    • Zambia
    • Zimbabwe
  • Manila, Philippines:
    • American Samoa
    • Australia
    • Australian external territory: Christmas Island
    • Australian external territory: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
    • Australian external territory: Norfolk Island
    • British Overseas Territory: Pitcairn
    • Brunei Darussalam
    • Cambodia
    • China (PRC)
    • China (PRC), Hong Kong
    • China (PRC), Macao
    • Cook Islands (in association with New Zealand)
    • Fiji
    • France: French Polynesia collectivité
    • France: New Caledonia collectivité
    • France: Wallis and Futuna collectivité
    • Hong Kong: SAR of the PRC
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Kiribati
    • Korea, North (Democratic People’s Republic of)
    • Korea, South (Republic of)
    • Lao, People’s Democratic Republic
    • Macao, SAR of the PRC
    • Malaysia (Peninsular and East)
    • Maldives
    • Marshall Islands
    • Micronesia (Federated States of)
    • Mongolia
    • Myanmar
    • Nauru
    • New Zealand
    • New Zealand: Cook Islands (in free association with NZ)
    • New Zealand: Niue (in free association with NZ)
    • New Zealand: Tokelau (territory of NZ)
    • Niue (country in free association with New Zealand)
    • Palau
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Philippines
    • Samoa, American
    • Samoa, Independent State of
    • Singapore
    • Solomon Islands
    • Taiwan (Republic of China)
    • Thailand
    • Timor-Leste
    • Tokelau (territory of New Zealand)
    • Tonga
    • Tuvalu
    • United Kingdom: British Overseas Territory: Pitcairn
    • USA: Guam
    • USA: Midway Island, territory of the USA
    • USA: Northern Mariana Islands, Commonwealth of the USA
    • USA: Wake Island
    • Vanuatu
    • Viet Nam
• RMOs consist of medical staff, epidemiologists, non-medical adjudicators, program managers, locally engaged staff.
• The different catchment areas of the RMOs allows for better management of region-specific issues by mobilizing the knowledge of the locally engaged staff, assessing and reporting on local and regional trends related to disease outbreaks, routinely conducting regional site audits, and liaising with local and regional stakeholders.

IRCC Operational Network

Partners

Canadian Security Intelligence Service

Canada Border Services Agency

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Other Government Departments and Agencies

• Employment and Social Development Canada
• Public Health Agency of Canada
• Global Affairs Canada
• Transport Canada

Visa Application Centres

• 166 privately run, contractually managed centres provide specific administrative support and biometric collection services.
• This includes verification for completeness of applications, biometrics collection (e.g. fingerprints, photos) on behalf of IRCC, and other supporting services.

Application Support Centres

• Through an MOU with IRCC, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) network of 130 Application Support Centres (ASCs) offers biometric collection services to IRCC applicants present in the US and its overseas territories.

Panel Network

• An international network of 2,900 medical practitioners deliver medical exams on behalf of IRCC, under the oversight of IRCC Migration Health Branch’s Integrated Medical Processing Network.

International Organizations

• United Nations High Commission for Refugees, International Organization for Migration, International Civil Aviation Organization, Migration 5 (United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) and Passport 6 (same as Migration 5, plus Ireland), Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees.

Provinces and Territories

• Provinces and territories manage the Provincial Nominee Program certificate issuance, special programs and regional initiatives. In some cases, there are also MOUs for information sharing.

Operations Sector (1 of 7)

Cross-Cutting Issues and Areas of Focus

The Pandemic’s Impact on Operation Sector

• Limited on-site capacity for critical functions; increased processing times and inventories across business lines.
• Telework adaptations (equipment procurement, virtual meetings, emphasis on employee work-life balance).
• Client service innovation (virtual admissions, counterfoil-less visas, online exams, virtual citizenship ceremonies and
  online applications for Permanent Resident line of business) ensured continued service delivery in a virtual environment.

Client Service

• The Client Support Centre’s (CSC) regular operations received 8.6M calls and 1.9M e-mail enquiries in 2021-22.
• A Dedicated Ministerial Centre for Members of Parliament and Senators channel which received 272k cases.
• Overseas Visa Application Centers: 166 locations in 111 countries - 4 of these are temporary due to Ukraine situation).
• Dedicated channels to support clients affected by humanitarian crisis situations, namely:
  • Afghanistan – 108k calls (of which 83k requested an agent within business hours) and 386k emails (August 2021 to May 2022).
  • Ukraine – 84k calls (of which 75k requested an agent within business hours) and 45k emails (February 2022 to May 2022).

Continuous Innovation

• Advanced Analytics and Risk Detection to support:
  • 100% of temporary resident visas and work permit extensions
  • 100% of Family Class spouses and common-law partners (inland and overseas) and TR to PR
  • Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program from Mexico
  • Partially automated triage of client email requests
  • Advanced risk detection with the Lighthouse tool
• PR Digital Intake:
  • Continuous enhancements to improve user experience from client, representative and caseworker perspective.
  • Gradually introducing automation to alleviate manual efforts and gain efficiencies.

Protecting Canada from Risk and Fraud

• Risk Assessment Officer Network
• Program Integrity Tool to perform Targeted
• Integrity Exercises
• Program Integrity Risk Registers
• Departmental anti-bias efforts
• Security Screening
• Identity management (biometrics, facial recognition, and international information sharing)
• Current challenges include:
  • Processing Afghans’ biometrics due to the absence of Canadian diplomatic presence/feasible collection solutions in Afghanistan, and barriers to travel to countries with biometric collection facilities.
  • Increase in demand for biometrics collection due to the crisis in Ukraine. Steps taken include establishment of pop-up VACs/expanded biometrics collection centres, public policy exemptions, and extensions of 30-day deadline for certain cohorts.

Operations Sector (2 of 7)

Permanent Residents

Where we were

• Before the pandemic, the Department was able to significantly reduce inventories and bring down processing times with the implementation of Express Entry and tighter intake controls.
• The Multi-year levels plan enabled Operations to program for multiple years, resulting in smoother planning cycles. The transition to just-in-time inventories also necessitated more robust forecasting and operational planning.
• IRCC achieved (and surpassed) last year’s target admissions of 401k (405k admitted) through significant operational changes, which allowed for processing efficiencies, including focusing more on processing inland clients, increasing resources and leveraging surge capacity/overtime.

Where we are

• As a result of pandemic travel restrictions and a focus on processing inland clients, IRCC’s overseas processing inventory has grown considerably, affecting lines of business with large cohorts of clients residing overseas. Processing times have also increased for many lines of business.
• Operations Sector has increased its processing capacity in 2022 with a focus on new hires and training. The Sector also remains focused on obtaining further operational efficiencies to meet this year’s ambitious PR targets of 432k admissions.
• PR Levels 2022-2024 TB submission under development – Ops is hiring hundreds of new FTEs in anticipation of the growth in applications.

Where we are going

• The Department is expected to render decisions on approximately 560k Permanent Resident applications in 2022.
• Ops will continue to focus on reducing inventories in categories that were most affected by the pandemic (e.g. Federal Skilled Worker, Provincial Nominee Program, Quebec Skilled Worker) and reduce processing times across PR lines of business.
• The 2021 Fall Economic Statement emphasized the commitment to reduce paper inventories, continue to invest in digital intake, and further integrate electronic systems (e.g. application submission with application processing) to speed up processing, which will remain key areas of focus for the Sector moving forward.

Permanent resident inventory – 2011 to 2021^{Footnote *}

Permanent resident output/final decisions^{Footnote **} – 2011 to 2021

Operations Sector (3 of 7)

Temporary Residents (Students, Workers, Visitors)

Where we were

• Temporary Resident (TR) volumes steadily increased year-over-year with an average annual growth of 11% between 2014-2019.
• With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, IRCC prioritized processing of a limited number of applications for those who were exempt from travel restrictions or for those in essential occupations. These processing disruptions resulted in significant inventory increases across all TR lines of business.
• In-Canada application volumes and overseas application volumes for TR have already returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Intake growth for Study Permits (SPs) and Work Permits (WPs) lines of business (LOB’s) were respectively 16% and 39% in 2021 compared to 2019.

Where we are

• Prioritization of applications for workers in essential occupations in agriculture, agri-food, and health care continues, and the visitor-to-worker public policy has been extended to February 28th 2023.
• IRCC implemented a strategy to clear the TRV backlog that has accumulated as a result of Covid-19 disruptions. IRCC is also leveraging Federal Economic Statement (FES) funding to bolster capacity and further reduce inventories and improve processing times across all TR LOBs.
• The implementation of Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine puts at risk FES commitments to reduce TR inventories and processing times. Over 288k CUAET applications were received between March 17 and June 6, with more than 129k applications approved and more than 34k Ukrainians already arrived in Canada.

Where we are going

• The Department forecasts overall future TR intake as 4.5 million applications in 2022, rising to 5.1 million applications in 2023. A growth of 15% and 12% is forecasted for SPs and WPs from 2021 to 2023.
• The Sector will continue to focus on finding operational efficiencies, leveraging advanced analytics, and focusing on more effective work-sharing while also expanding efforts to onboard new staff and increase processing outputs.
• Budget 2022 provided ˂30% of funding sought. Work continues on this front in order to prepare a new TB Submission that will enable Ops to better respond to intake fluctuations and create more processing capacity when needed. TR processing efficiencies will be sought.

Temporary Resident (All Categories, Including Extensions) Annual Output - 2002 to 2021

Temporary Resident Visa Yearly Processing Time (days) - 2002 to 2021

Service Standard is 14 days

Processing time is the 80th percentile of applications processed during the indicated year (approved and refused only)

Operations Sector (4 of 7)

Performance – Citizenship

Where we were

• Inventory reduction efforts, significant investment, and program changes to increase efficiencies, resulted in improvements to the citizenship grant application process prior to the pandemic.

Where we are

• Covid-19 significantly impacted citizenship operations, and the current citizenship inventory is now at 413K applications down from the peak of 468K in October 2021.
• Average processing times are at 27 months which remains above the objective of 12 months. However, 39% of current applications now exceed 12 months, compared to 55% in May 2021. In addition, in May 2022 the 2005 Citizenship Grant processing record was beat, with 37,300 applications processed.
• Eliminated several processing chokepoints, including reduction of program integrity interviews, test reviews, and implementation of a waiver of the post-test physical file review.
• Implemented new initiatives to modernize the citizenship grants processing model, including online knowledge test, e-application, 2D barcode, video oath ceremonies, and citizenship application status tracker.

Where we are going

• A process for applicants to self-administer the oath of citizenship is being developed, and electronic proofs of citizenship (e-certificates) will begin rolling out for some applicants in late Q2 2022-23.
• The Citizenship Program also continues to advance work on foundational artifacts for the Biometrics for Citizenship project which will strengthen identity management and program integrity while supporting processing efficiencies.
• 271K Citizenship Grant applications are forecasted to be received in 2022-23, rising to 280K in 2023-24. The Sector is focused on addressing current inventories and preparing for more growth in the years ahead.

Citizenship Grant Application Inventory, FY 2012-13 to May 2022-23^{Footnote ***}

Citizenship Grant Application Processing Times (in months), FY 2012-13 to May 2022-23^{Footnote ***}

Operations Sector (5 of 7)

Passport

Where we were

• Pre-COVID, application volumes had remained steady for five years following the introduction of the 10-year e-passport in 2013. As expected, volumes decreased after 2018 due to the 10-year validity period.
• As of December 2021, 65% of Canadian population held a valid Canadian passport with approximately 24.6M in circulation.
• IRCC moved away from a largely paper-based Passport process towards digital services, including options for clients to renew their passports online.

Where we are

• The Program continues to advance several modernization projects including: a new passport issuance platform which enables automation and identity validation with Canadian Vital Statistic Agencies; the Passport Digital Services online application; and activities for the newly designed travel document and production systems
• The Sector remains focused on meeting processing challenges as it faces increasing volumes this year with travel resuming and demand returning to normal pre-pandemic levels.

Where we are going

• Continue to deploy the new passport issuance platform across the Service Canada network in 2022-23.
• Overall volumes are expected to further increase next year as the 10-year validity passports come up for renewal in 2023.
• Canadians’ travel will likely resume, increasing passport demand. For 2022-23, the forecasted range of passport applications received is 3.5 million to 4.1 million. For 2023-24, the forecasted range is 4.7 million to 5.2 million.

Canadian and Abroad Up To December 31, 2021

Canadian Travel Documents Issued by Channel Canada and Abroad - Fiscal Years 2010-2011 to December 31, 2021

Operations Sector (6 of 7)

Asylum

Where we were

• Due to border closures, irregular migration at the Canada-U.S. border decreased substantially in 2020-21.
• At the same time, the in-Canada asylum system faced significant operational impacts due to the pandemic. Office closures and capacity limitations meant delays to the in-person components of refugee intake such as biometrics collection and the eligibility interview, which resulted in a backlog of asylum claims awaiting an eligibility decision and referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Where we are

• Integrated Claim Analysis Centre pilot is ongoing, the assessment of its first 18 months highlighted impact on claim processing and provided recommendations for the future direction of the ICAC.
• Between November 21, 2021 and end of May, 2022 – with the removal of temporary measures that restricted asylum claims between designated land ports of entry – there have been ~16,800 migrant intercepts by RCMP.
• Continued focus on enhancing digital services. Asylum System business reintegration efforts remain in progress

Where we are going

• Continued implementation of the Asylum Interoperability Project to deliver system enhancement and interoperability, including implementation of the new and improved online portal for refugee claims applications.
• Continued efforts to reduce the eligibility inventory, as more claims are being received than processed on a monthly basis.
• Expansion of contingency planning into Ontario for claimants destined to Ontario to relieve pressure on Quebec irregular arrivals as well as ensuring interdepartmental preparedness for expected higher volumes in the summer and fall.
• Implementation of Budget 2022 asylum funding.

Historical Eligibility Inventory

Operations Sector (7 of 7)

Moving Forward

Key areas of near-term focus:

• Meet ambitious Permanent Resident admissions (Multi-Year Levels Plan).
• Address pressures caused by pandemic including reduction of processing times and inventories across PR, TR, and Citizenship programs.
• Achieve the 4.4% target for French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023.
• Hire staff on large scale with new funding to deliver on the Department’s ambitious priorities in the year ahead.
• Continued focus on resettling Afghanistan refugees and achieving Ukraine commitments.
• Expand Digital Intake for all PR lines, and advance Citizenship and Passport modernization/service initiatives.
• Develop case status trackers for additional lines of business, and foster transparency to our Canadian constituents through proactive reporting of operations.
• Continue fulfilling the ADM’s Operations Sector Anti-Racism Sector Commitments.
• Actively foster change management and employee wellness.
• Identify, quantify and improve program integrity risk to support effective risk management.
• Advanced Analytics models are being extended to all study permits, work permits, visitor records and the private sponsorship of refugees.
• Preparing for the Future of Work including the post-COVID workforce reintegration.

Key areas of medium-term focus

• Establish sustainable and robust temporary resident and asylum system funding models.
• Establish enduring solutions for the Parents and Grandparents Program.
• Secure legislative and regulatory changes to facilitate operational efficiencies, including for visitor transformation.
• Adhere to Service Standards for most lines of business.

Annex A

Organizational Chart for the Operations Sector as of June 13, 2022:

• Senior ADM Operations, Daniel Mills
  • Domestic Network (DN), Alexandra Hiles
  • Client Experience Branch (CEB), Sylvain Beauchamp
  • International Network (IN), Pemi Gill
  • Centralized Network (CN), Tara Lang
  • Operational Planning and Performance Branch (OPP), Marie-Josée Dorion
  • Citizenship & Passport Programs Branch (CPP), Maxine Ifill
  • Digital Platform Modernization – Phase 3, Blair Haddock
• ADM Operations, Nicole Giles
  • Migration Health Branch (MHB), Craig Shankar
  • Immigration Program Guidance Branch (IPG), Jean-Marc Gionet
  • Integrity Risk Management Branch (IRM), Martin Rubenstein
  • Resettlement & Asylum Strategic Operations (RASO), Carol McQueen
  • Case Management Branch (CMB), Natalie Clayton
  • Litigation Management Branch (LMB), Annie Crousset

Annex B

Operations Sector Branches/Networks

Daniel Mills – Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations Sector

• Centralized Network is the Department’s cross-Canada network responsible for centralized processing functions (such as intake) across multiple lines of business through its four processing centres and one support centre.
• Domestic Network is responsible for immigration, citizenship, and passport program delivery through 23 offices across Canada, including asylum.
• Citizenship and Passport Programs Branch is the functional authority for Passport and for Citizenship program delivery. The Branch provides strategic program direction, operation policies and functional guidance to ensure effective program management, service excellence, transformation and continuous improvement for both the Citizenship and Passport Programs.
• International Network delivers Canada’s immigration program and provides support for IRCC international priorities abroad in 59 locations around the world (Canadian embassies, high commissions, and consulates).
• Client Experience Branch is a centre of expertise dedicated to delivering client support and understanding and improving the client experience, with a focus on service strategy as well as client-centric research and design.
• Operations Planning and Performance Branch is a horizontal operational hub for that provides innovative data analytics, data visualization, and relevant/timely data-driven products and services to support Operations decision–making. OPPB plays a key role in coordinating/leading business planning and reporting activities across the Sector, and also carries out a central production management role for the Permanent Resident, Temporary Resident, and Citizenship programs by overseeing and maximizing production in order to deliver optimal performance and achieve planned targets.
• Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) – Phase 3 is a key enabler for transformation bringing a new digital platform with modern capabilities that is being developed and eventually delivered by the DPM programme. Phase 3 will begin post Spring 2023 with a multi-year roll out of technical capabilities and features of the new digital platform and ensure that IRCC is “digital-ready” in areas beyond just technology.

Dr. Nicole Giles – Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations Sector

• Case Management Branch provides direction, support, and decision making for complex, high-profile, and sensitive cases; conducts employer compliance inspections under the International Mobility Program and large-scale investigations; provides guidance/oversight and coordinates with partners on interpretation of COVID-19 travel restrictions and National Interest Exemptions.
• Immigration Program Guidance Branch provides timely and quality functional direction for temporary and permanent resident programs under its area of responsibility, domestically and internationally, in support of a coherent and integrated global network, as well as operational coordination of emergency response initiatives.
• Resettlement and Asylum Strategic Operations Branch was created in Spring 2021 to provide operational advice through strategic and tactical intelligence gathering, coordination, reporting, and asylum contingency planning. Provides streamlined functional direction for Refugee Resettlement and Asylum operations.
• Migration Health Branch is the center of expertise for the management of health-related aspects of migration. It delivers health screening and related services under the authority of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), and administers the Interim Federal Health Program to provide coverage of overseas medical services for refugees destined to Canada for resettlement, as well as in-Canada health care coverage for eligible beneficiaries.
• Litigation Management Branch is a new branch – formerly known as the Litigation Management Division – that was created due to increasing and more and more complex and high-profile litigation against the Department. This branch will continue to provide instructions and advice on current litigation cases and greater strategic oversight and guidance on litigation risk by informing our policies and programs, and ensuring that officers are well informed and able to continue to render legally defensible decisions.
• Integrity Risk Management Branch is responsible for ensuring the integrity of IRCC’s programs and service delivery, as well as managing associated operational risks.