IRCC, Deputy Minister, Transition Binder, 2024 - Crisis Response and Recent Humanitarian Initiatives

Issue

• As global displacement intensifies and becomes more complex, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is increasingly being called upon to respond to a range of unique humanitarian situations that necessitate a migration response, including facilitative measures (e.g., waiving of requirements for existing programs) and/or the creation of new programs, using the Minister’s public policy authority under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
• Recent efforts include the completion of the Government’s public commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals [Redacted], special measures to facilitate the arrival of Ukrainians and their family members affected by the Russian invasion, as well as other facilitative measures for individuals affected by natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes in Türkiye, Syria, and Morocco), political crises (e.g., Iran), human rights violations, and conflict (e.g., in Sudan and between Israel and Hamas) among other situations (e.g., the Americas).
• In recognition of the need for a more proactive and coherent approach to unprecedented levels of forced displacement, the Department is developing and advancing a Crisis Response Framework (CRF) that will enable IRCC and its partners to better anticipate, respond to, and manage emerging humanitarian crises and other international situations while protecting its ability to deliver on existing refugee commitments and facilitate in-Canada Humanitarian & Compassionate cases. The development of a CRF is a key commitment of the Department’s Strategic Immigration Review, as well as measures to improve operational readiness within IRCC and with its partners.
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State of Play

Current Crisis Responses:

Israel and the Palestinian Territories

Facilitative measures:

• In response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Department has supported Global Affairs Canada (GAC) led assisted departure efforts by introducing temporary immigration measures to support family members of Canadians and permanent residents (PRs) from the region, as well as Israelis and Palestinians already in Canada. This includes fee-exempt study or open work permits for Israelis and Palestinians already in Canada, as well as for family members of Canadian citizens and PRs who have left Israel and the Palestinian Territories on or after October 7, 2023. These measures are currently set to expire June 12, 2024.
• In addition, PRs who face a waiting period for provincial/territorial coverage and foreign national family members who come to Canada as temporary residents (TRs) as part of the assisted departures out of Israel or the Palestinian Territories are eligible to apply for time-limited healthcare coverage through the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). Coverage under IFHP is for 90 days from when the person arrived in Canada and includes retroactive coverage to support immediate medical needs upon arrival.

Special Temporary Resident pathway for extended family affected by the crisis in Gaza:

• On January 9, 2024, IRCC launched a special temporary resident pathway for extended family members of Canadian citizens and PRs currently residing in Gaza. This public policy will provide a family-based temporary refuge for Palestinian nationals directly affected by the crisis in Gaza and who have Canadian citizen or permanent resident family members in Canada. This public policy is set to expire after one year, or when 1,000 temporary resident visa applications are received and accepted for processing.
• Eligibility criteria includes extended family members of Canadian citizens or PRs who are in Gaza holding Palestinian passports, and their immediate family members. The applicant must be the spouse, common law partner, child (regardless of age), grandchild, parent, grandparent or sibling of a Canadian citizen or PR in Canada who are willing to support them during their stay.
• Their anchor in Canada must sign a statutory declaration signalling they are willing and able to support them once in Canada for one year, including committing to providing supports once applicants arrive in Canada such as airport arrival assistance, housing assistance, and providing orientation to life in Canada.
• Applicants who are approved to come to Canada through this pathway will also have access to a number of services under IRCC's Settlement Program. These services include Language assessments and language classes in English or French, and Employment-related services to help applicants find a job. Applicants will also have access to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) for a period of three months, which will cover the cost of basic health services (e.g., hospital and physician services) and supplemental health services (e.g., vision and dental care, mental health care, disability supports), as well as prescription drugs, along with coverage for the cost of an immigration medical exam if needed.
• The Department is closely monitoring the situation in Israel and the Palestinians Territories in case the conflict escalates and/or spreads into neighbouring countries. For example, IRCC is working [Redacted]

Sudan

Facilitative measures:

• In response to the conflict in Sudan, the Department supported GAC-led assisted departure efforts by introducing a series of special measures, including exempting eligible foreign national family members who have left Sudan since the violence erupted from the requirement to pay the applicable Temporary Resident Visa and Temporary Resident Permit processing fee, as well as biometrics collections fees, to facilitate their travel to Canada. If they arrived by July 15, 2023, eligible foreign nationals under this public policy who have been admitted as temporary residents have access to apply inland for fee-exempt study permits and open work permits, and, having followed this pathway to settle in Canada, can apply, fee-exempt, for permanent residence under the family class, should they choose to make such an application.
• Sudanese nationals already in Canada at the time of the conflict are also eligible to extend their temporary status in Canada without fees, and to apply inland for fee-exempt study permits and open work permits. Sudanese nationals in Canada who are temporary residents continue to have access to facilitative measures until October 28, 2024, and foreign nationals of any nationality who fled Sudan with Canadian citizen or PR family members have access to facilitation measures until April 30, 2024, provided they arrived in Canada before July 15, 2023.

Family-Based Permanent Residence Pathway:

• On December 28, 2023, Minister Miller announced a new family-based humanitarian pathway for Sudanese and non-Sudanese nationals who resided in Sudan when the conflict began on April 15, 2023. This public policy will provide a pathway to permanent residence for foreign nationals directly affected by the conflict in Sudan who have family in Canada so that they can find safe haven and build their lives in Canada with support for their settlement and integration. This pathway will open on February 27, 2024 and is set to expire after one year, or when 3,250 applications (principal applicants) have been accepted for processing, whichever comes first.
• Eligibility includes those who were in Sudan on April 15, 2023, and outside of Canada at the time of application. Principal applicants must be the child (regardless of age), grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling of a Canadian citizens or PR in Canada that is willing attest to their intention to assist applicants and their family members for one year.
• The anchor must also meet financial requirements that demonstrate their ability to support the principal applicant and their family members for one year. In addition, the anchor must be able to provide additional in-kind supports such as airport arrival assistance and assist with integration to life in Canada.
• Applicants who are approved to come to Canada through this pathway will have access to a number of services under IRCC's Settlement Program as PRs, such as information about and orientation to life in Canada such as help with enrolling children in school, information and services to help access the labour market including mentoring, networking, and employment counselling, providing information to newcomers to assist them with finding housing, language training and assessments of other needs Sudanese people may have and referrals to the appropriate agencies.

Ukraine

Facilitative measures:

• CUAET: In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Government of Canada launched the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) to provide streamlined temporary resident visa processing and in-Canada benefits to Ukrainians and their foreign national family members seeking to come to Canada temporarily.
• Over 1.1M CUAET applications were received, and as of January 2, 2024, over 219K Ukrainians and their family members have arrived in Canada under the CUAET. Overseas intake for the CUAET ended on July 15, 2023,and those with a visa under CUAET have until March 31, 2024, to travel to Canada under the special measures to be eligible for various supports offered under CUAET.
• Settlement services that are normally reserved for PRs will continue to be available to all Ukrainians and their family members until March 31, 2025.
• As of July 16, 2023: Ukrainians and their family members seeking to come to Canada must now apply for temporary residence as per standard requirements and programming. Once in Canada, and until March 31, 2024, these clients may apply for extended stays in Canada (up to three years); and will have access to study permits and open work permits, for a fee. They will be eligible for settlement services upon arrival, but not transitional financial assistance or temporary accommodations.

Family reunification permanent residence pathway:

• A new family reunification pathway was launched on October 23, 2023 for Ukrainians in Canada. To qualify, Ukrainian nationals must be in Canada with temporary resident status and have relatives in Canada, including spouses, common-law partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children or grandchildren of a Canadian citizen or PR.
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Afghanistan

• In response to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the Government of Canada made a public commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghans by the end of 2023 [Redacted].
• Canada’s immigration response to the situation in Afghanistan has two policy objectives: 
  • facilitate Afghan nationals who supported the Government of Canada via special programs, and
  • provide resettlement to other vulnerable Afghans via a humanitarian program.
• Three primary Afghan Resettlement Initiative pathways have been established as follows: (1) Special Immigration Measures for Afghan nationals who closely supported the Government of Canada; (2) family reunification for extended family members of former Afghan interpreters previously resettled in Canada; and (3) humanitarian programs to resettle vulnerable individuals from priority groups as government-assisted and privately sponsored refugees.
• Demand for these programs far exceeds available spaces, and many of the special programs and measures under the Afghan Resettlement Initiative (ARI) have received enough applications to fill all available spaces or have otherwise expired. The Department continues to process applications submitted under these programs and measures on a priority basis. Approximately [Redacted], clients still remain in Afghanistan, adding complexity to processing and requiring sustained diplomatic and international engagement to enable safe passage.
• The initiative is one of the most complex resettlement efforts undertaken by IRCC. Unlike most other refugee situations, a large number of individuals captured under Canada’s commitment – particularly those who closely supported Canada during its time in Afghanistan – were still in Afghanistan at the beginning of the crisis. In addition, Taliban exit requirements, terrorism financing restrictions, and entry and exit requirements in third countries (e.g., Pakistan) have, and continue, to pose significant challenges.
• Given the absence of Canadian diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, IRCC cannot conduct key processing steps relating to identity verification and security reviews, notably biometrics collection. To address this, IRCC and security partners created a multi-stage security screening process utilizing additional biographic information for vetting clients in Afghanistan, followed by complete biometric screening and security reviews in third countries before travel to Canada. [Redacted].
• Canada met its commitment to welcome at least 40,000 Afghans in October 2023, and is [Redacted]. As of January 6, 2024, nearly 46,000 Afghan individuals have arrived under all pathways. As programs under the Afghan Resettlement Initiative are fully subscribed, the Department is also encouraging Afghans who continue to press for resettlement to explore pathways under regular programming.
• Going forward, IRCC will continue to process applications received under the ARI to completion on a priority basis. [Redacted].

Other Crises Responses

IRCC has also provided facilitative measures in response to some global natural disasters, such as the earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria in February 2023 and Morocco in September 2023. These measures ensured nationals from the affected countries who were already in Canada on temporary status had the ability to apply inland for fee-exempt status extensions and to change streams (e.g. to access study permits and open work permits).

Current Special Migration Responses:

Americas

• The Prime Minister announced Canada’s commitment to welcome 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere, as an alternative to irregular migration. This commitment includes a one-time humanitarian pathway for permanent residency (up to 11,000 persons), existing Temporary Foreign Worker streams (4,000 persons), and leveraging the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (up to 1,000 persons).
• On November 17, 2023, a new family-based humanitarian pathway to facilitate permanent residence for Colombian, Haitian and Venezuelan nationals was launched. This pathway will provide an alternative to irregular migration for those who have family (a spouse, common-law partner or child [regardless of age], grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling) who is a Canadian citizen or PR in Canada. The public policy will expire on October 5, 2024, or when 6,600 applications have been accepted for processing, whichever comes first.
• To be eligible, principal applicants must be Colombian, Haitian or Venezuelan nationals living in Central and South America, Mexico, or the Caribbean, and have a family tie in Canada (“anchor”) that agrees to support them for one year. The anchor must commit to providing supports once applicants arrive in Canada such as (but not limited to) meeting them at the airport, providing support for their basic needs (e.g., food, clothing, housing, etc.), orientation to life in Canada, finding housing, enrolling children in schools and adults in language classes, accessing employment services, and registering family members for provincial or federal benefits and programs.

• Successful applicants will also receive a number of government supports, including: no fees for the application, biometrics, nor Right of Permanent Residence Fee; a one-time payment equivalent to three months of income support under the Resettlement Assistance Program; pre-departure medical services (including covering the cost of the Immigration Medical Exam); and a pre-arrival skills assessment to start the labour integration process earlier. Upon arrival, successful applicants will be eligible for federally funded settlement services as a PR in Canada. These services include language assessments and language classes in English or French, and employment-related services to help applicants find a job.

Crisis Response Framework

• The Department is developing a CRF to ensure the tools, authorities, and skillsets are available to better anticipate, respond to, and manage emerging crises and other pressures, while supporting the Government’s foreign policy priorities and whole-of-government responses.
• As part of this framework, the Department is looking closely at our existing legal/regulatory, operational, and funding toolkit to ensure that IRCC’s policies and programs can respond to crises without undue impact on the delivery of pre-existing commitments. This includes reviewing the lessons learned from recent responses, including Afghanistan, Ukraine, and others, to identify recurrent gaps and areas where short- and/or longer-term improvements may be advanced.
• The CRF will also seek to improve operational readiness across the Department and put in place new monitoring and assessment criteria to inform analysis of emerging crises and other situations. This work is underway and aims to address equity and transparency concerns raised by the Canadian public, stakeholders, and in parliamentary committees.
• The development of a CRF is a key commitment of the Strategic Immigration Review. The public report includes actions to position the immigration system to adapt quickly and to respond equitably and sustainably to growing global humanitarian crises, including:
  • Develop a CRF that includes a transparent and evidence-based assessment mechanism to inform when a rapid immigration response is triggered for foreign nationals in need of urgent protection.
  • Develop a global incident response team, working in close collaboration with GAC and the Department of National Defence to better anticipate, assess and manage emerging crises.
  • Partner with organizations working on the ground to refer people to Canada in need of humanitarian and other pathways.

Key Messages

Crisis Response Framework

• Canada is a leader and innovator in addressing global protection and humanitarian needs.
• IRCC is advancing a new CRF that will help guide our response to emerging crises and other pressures. As part of this framework, we’ll be looking closely at our toolkit to ensure that our policies and programs are built for crisis response.

Crisis Responses

• When responding to international crises, Canada tailors each response according to the unique needs of those who require our support and departmental capacity.
• Our recent initiatives have focused on facilitating family reunification and providing facilitative measures or pathways to Canada for those with humanitarian needs. However, a framework is needed in order to help promote greater consistency, equity, and efficiency across future responses.

Next Steps

• You will be briefed on IRCC’s humanitarian initiatives in the coming days/weeks, as well as options for the proposed CRF as work progresses.
• The Department will provide you with the necessary support, including communications support, as we continue to deliver immigration responses to humanitarian crises around the globe.

Background

• In 2023, global forced displacement reached a record level of 110M individuals. As displacement continues to rise, Canada is increasingly being pushed to adopt immigration measures in response to people escaping persecution, war, state failure, and natural disaster. At the same time, many states are implementing new border management practices and measures to restrict asylum spaces.
• The first Report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan (June 2021) recommended “[ …] that IRCC creates an emergency mechanism ready to be deployed in the event of future humanitarian crises [ …].” The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration also made recommendations to ensure fairness and impartiality for populations in situations of vulnerability.
• Numerous external stakeholders, including the Canadian Council for Refugees and the Sponsorship Agreement Holders Council, have called on IRCC to develop a coherent framework for responding to emerging crises in a manner that is equitable, transparent and limits the displacement of other populations in situations of vulnerability. These stakeholder groups have also voiced keen interest in being consulted and involved in future humanitarian response decision-making as well as implementation.
• One of the key outcomes of both the Strategic Immigration Review and the Department’s realignment has been a concerted focus on crisis response, including the establishment of a new International Affairs and Crisis Response Sector.