IRCC, Deputy Minister, Transition Binder, 2024 - Client Service and Processing Times

Issue

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is transforming the way it works to serve our clients more quickly, to communicate with them clearly and often, and to make sure our processes are efficient and easy to use.
• To address application backlogs in recent years, IRCC has improved processing capacity, while continuing to focus on leveraging technology, streamlining processes, and enhancing policies to achieve greater efficiencies and service.
• Extended processing times in recent years have also increased the volume of enquiries received at the Client Support Centre (CSC). The majority of enquiries are from clients wanting to know the status of their application.
• When it comes to processing times, research with IRCC’s clients shows that clients want IRCC to process applications faster, however, they also have higher satisfaction when they have access to clear and realistic information about how long they will likely have to wait for a decision.
• When client expectations do not meet reality, they are more likely to call or email, submit an Access to Information and Privacy request, or even litigate or needlessly reapply for the same service, diverting departmental resources from core activities.
• Client concerns related to processing delays also generate media and social media attention.

State of Play

Processing:

• IRCC has increased its production for the vast majority of lines of business. However, processing inventories for many lines of business have also grown.
• IRCC is using advanced analytics to identify applications for streamlined processing by an officer and automate certain clerical functions. This has resulted in increasing productivity, distributing workloads more efficiently, and redirecting staff to more value-added processing activities.
• By implementing technology-based solutions and streamlining processes, improving policy, re-examining risk tolerance and collaborating with provincial/territorial and other partners, inventories across the majority of business lines have decreased. IRCC continues to make progress in reducing application backlogs and increasing the number of applications processed within service standards.
  • In 2023, IRCC processed a total of 7.4M applications for permanent residents, temporary residents (excluding electronic travel authorizations) and citizenship. This is an increase in final decisions of 42% compared to the 5.2M processed in 2022.
  • Canada welcomed 471,400 new permanent residents in 2023 up from 437,600 in 2022. Our target for 2023 was to welcome 465,000 permanent residents.
  • Canada welcomed 293,200 new Canadian citizens from April 1 to December 31, 2023. That is an increase of almost 14,000 new Canadians compared to the same period in 2022.
• IRCC processed more than half a million more work permits and extensions in 2023 than it did the previous year. We also set a new record for study permit processing and by the end of December, 82% of study permit applications in the inventory were within service standards.

Client Support:

• A key way IRCC supports clients’ understanding of how long they can expect processing to take is by publishing information online through the Processing Times Tool. This tool is one of the most visited pages on the IRCC website. The tool is regularly tested with clients and updated to improve usability.
• In 2022, IRCC received a budget investment of $187.3M over five years and $32.7M ongoing to increase the capacity of the CSC and stabilize information technology tools to continue responding to rapidly growing volume of enquiries. This investment along with other initiatives have resulted in improved performance to respond to client enquires by email and telephone.
  • In 2023 (from January 1 to December 31), the IRCC CSC responded to 4.66M enquiries by phone and email, including enquiries received by the Ministerial Centre for Members of Parliament and Senators (MCMPS) and the dedicated crisis lines for Afghanistan, Ukraine, Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza strip. This was an increase of 684k enquiries (17%) compared to the same period in 2022.
  • The CSC call answer rate increased to 31% for 2023 (January to December), compared to 12% in 2022.
  • On December 21, 2023, a dedicated crisis line was introduced to support new measures for Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza strip and the CSC answered  3575 calls from December 21, 2023 to January 23, 2024.

Modernization of Client Support:

• In addition to efforts to increase capacity at the CSC to improve performance, IRCC has been working to address the root cause of enquiries by better managing client expectations. For example:
  • In December 2023, IRCC introduced a refreshed, modernized online self-assessment tool to make it easier for clients to find programs that best suit their needs.
  • In October 2023, IRCC provided Members of Parliament and Senator offices with self-serve access to case status information in order to better support their needs. This follows the 2022 implementation of an appointment system for the MCMPS, ensuring reliable and consistent access to IRCC.
  • To help clients and their representatives easily track the status of their application information online (without needing to call or email to get the information), IRCC has implemented application status trackers for multiple programs. Clients in citizenship, family class, and Express Entry, as well as Temporary Resident Visa, study permit and work permit lines of business can now self-serve to get this information.
  • IRCC has started proactively releasing officer decision notes to some temporary resident visa applicants to improve clarity on reasons for refusals. This work will be expanded through the Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) initiative. 
  • IRCC is also working on providing clients with more clear and concise correspondences, starting with the temporary residence line of business refusal letters, to ensure clients better understand the requirements and status of their application.
• Over the longer term, DPM will bring significant benefits to both client service and processing times.

Key Messages

• IRCC is committed to delivering quality client service across its global network as we continue to welcome historic numbers of newcomers.
• IRCC has made significant investments in processing and continues to work to reduce inventories to a healthy level and improve processing times for all lines of business while balancing response to ongoing international crises and increasing levels of application intake. As of December 31, 2023, 57% of all IRCC inventories were within service standards. IRCC’s goal is to process 80% of applications within service standards, which allows for expected delays in some very complex cases or when more information is required from clients before finalizing their files.
• Over the next few years, IRCC is undergoing business transformation to modernize the Department’s suite of programs and services to significantly improve the client experience.
• Publishing transparent, up-to-date, and accurate processing times provides clients the information they need to plan.

Next Steps

• Under the Digital Platform Modernization Programme, IRCC is working to modernize the Department’s suite of programs and services, including the way they are managed and delivered, to better meet the changing needs and expectations of clients.
• IRCC has already begun work to introduce a new modern online account to provide the tools and capabilities for a more seamless client experience via a single digital ‘front-door’. Once implemented, it will enable personalized services to clients and replace outdated and/or standalone client-facing portals and tools. This new account will begin roll-out to a subset of clients in winter 2024.
• IRCC is looking to leverage the DPM Programme to enable [Redacted] processing times within the client’s online account.
• The Department is evaluating a wide range of enhancements to the Processing Times Tool including, but not exclusively, alternative methodologies and user interface designs to provide clients with more relevant and easy to understand processing time information.
• In the meantime, IRCC continues to consult clients via surveys and usability testing to ensure that their feedback drives service improvements and transformation.

Background

• The CSC at IRCC provides personalized client support for clients seeking immigration information, application status, technical support and other services through three primary channels: telephone (in-Canada only), email (via a Webform), and the MCMPS.
• The Policy on Service and Digital requires departments to make available real-time processing times information (performance information) on the Department’s website.
• IRCC updates processing time information on a weekly basis, which is reflected in the Processing Times Tool on the IRCC website.
• Processing times are calculated by using the data of how long it took IRCC to process 80% of applications in the past six months for permanent residence and citizenship programs, and eight for temporary residence programs.
• Processing times can be heavily impacted by several factors, including complex applications, if they account for a significant portion (>20%) of the finalized applications. IRCC excludes from the total processing times the period when officers are waiting for applicants to submit biometrics.
• A breakdown of inventories and processing times by lines of business is available in Appendix A.

Appendix A: Breakdown of Inventories and Processing Times by Line of Business
December 31, 2023

A breakdown of inventories and processing times by lines of business is available in Appendix A.

Permanent Residents

Temporary Residents

Citizenship

Notes:

All values are rounded, as a result data may not sum to the totals indicated.

Permanent Resident and Citizenship processing times should read as 80% of cases finalized in the last six months were completed within X months or less. Temporary resident processing times should read as 80% of cases finalized in the last eight weeks were completed within X days or less.