IRCC, Deputy Minister, Transition Binder, 2024 - International Affairs

Fundamental Brief

Context

• Increasing global migration and displacement create opportunities and challenges for Canada internationally:
  • Migration and international protection are transnational issues that require global cooperation.
  • Canada is recognized as a global leader on migration and refugee protection - upholding safe, orderly and regular migration and international protection obligations.
  • Strong international engagement by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) advances Canadian priorities, builds support for Canada’s position on migration and protection, allows Canada to learn and share best practices, builds capacity internationally, and contributes to good multilateral governance.
• Immigration measures are increasingly part of Government of Canada responses to international crises and other humanitarian situations.

Engagement with international government counterparts, organizations, and partners, is crucial to effectively deliver the Department’s mandate, including maintaining public support for immigration, and to address global migration challenges.

Shifting Global Migration and International Protection Landscape

The global landscape, trends, and emerging issues in migration and international protection are changing rapidly, with increasing complexity due to multiple crises, more people on the move, competition for talent for labour market gaps, and differing public perceptions of migrants and refugees.

Current Context:

• Migrants: Estimated 281 million people live outside their country of origin (3.6% of the world’s population), where the majority are migrant workers, with most living in high-income countries. (The International Organization for Migration World Migration Report 2022).
• Global forced displacement: There are 110 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide as of mid-2023. The number of refugees worldwide increased from 27.1 million in 2021 to 35.3 million at the end of 2022, the largest yearly increase ever recorded. (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Global Trends 2023).

Key Trends and Cross-Cutting Issues:

• Drivers of migration and displacement: Constant series of crises, conflicts, and authoritarian regimes have displaced people. At times, this is also due to their race, ethnicity, gender, political affiliations, or religious beliefs. Tremendous pressure being put on protection systems around the world, and on countries hosting large numbers of migrants and those seeking protection.
• Dangerous irregular migration journeys and forced displacement: States increasingly interested in better responses to and management of irregular migration journeys and mixed movements flows, including through increased regular migration pathways as alternatives.
• Migration and development: Countries of origin may be looking to migration and diaspora networks to increase development, particularly through ‘circular’ temporary labour migration pathways. Global remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries are estimated USD $669 billion in 2023. (World Bank 2023)
• Climate change and human mobility: International awareness and engagement on the impacts of climate change on human mobility continue to increase.
• Gender: Access to migration is unequal and gendered, as women, men, girls, boys and LGBTQI+ persons experience different opportunities and face different vulnerabilities.

International Relations – Why and How We Engage

IRCC engages internationally through:

• Bilateral and Regional Relationships
• Multilateral Forums
• Capacity Building

Through broad participation:

• Minister and Deputy Ministers
• Senior-level executives
• Subject matter experts
• IRCC representatives abroad

Active international engagement and cooperation provides opportunities to:

• Advance whole-of-government initiatives and Canada’s international migration and refugee protection objectives and priorities – while strengthening cooperation to deter irregular migration and address the root causes of forced displacement.
• Strengthen Canada’s international relationships (bilateral, regional, and multilateral) and cooperation with key government counterparts and organizations; manage migration-related irritants; and support IRCC’s operational needs.
• Encourage well-managed migration and international protection by other countries, and build their capacity to strengthen migration and protection systems.
• Leverage connections with international development, humanitarian assistance, gender equality, and human rights to advance Canada’s migration and protection objectives and priorities.
• Grow public support for immigration, including by fostering a balanced, evidence-based migration narrative.
• Promote skilled and francophone immigration.
• Enable Canada to respond to international crises and other humanitarian situations with migration measures.

International Bilateral and Regional Engagement

IRCC conducts regular engagements with other governments, Embassies and High Commissions in Ottawa to advance bilateral and regional migration relations.

Recent key engagements by IRCC include:

• The United States (U.S.), on regular collaboration on issues relating to border management, information sharing, and asylum in the North American perimeter, as well as regional and multilateral migration and refugee protection issues (including: Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, Safe Mobility Offices).
• The European Union (EU), including with Germany, which has consistently used Canada as a public example of good migration management.
• Mexico, on capacity building of asylum systems and dialogues on mobility.
• Cooperation on addressing irregular migration in the Americas through active participation at the Regional Conference on Migration, and on forced displacement through the Comprehensive Regional Protection  Solutions Framework (MIRPS) Support Platform, including through our role as Chair (2021-2022) and Past Chair (2022-2023)
• Advancing Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, by bolstering immigration application processing and enhancing the International Student Program.
• Managing migration-related irritants such as visa facilitation requests, visa processing delays, high visa refusal rates, calls for increased responsibility-sharing and perceived bias in decision-making.

Recent measures in response to international crises / humanitarian situations (in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada):

• Afghans: Engaging bilaterally with third country partners and like-minded states to increase protection space, facilitate safe passage and resettlement.
• Ukrainians: The Canada-Ukraine Emergency Authorization for Travel (CUAET) for temporary residence, and other measures.
• Americas: Achieving the commitment to welcome 15,000 people on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere.
• Sudan: A family-based humanitarian pathway for Sudanese and non-Sudanese nationals who resided in Sudan when the conflict began on April 15, 2023, so they can reunite on a permanent basis with their family in Canada.
• Gaza: A temporary resident pathway for extended family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Gaza.

International Multilateral Engagement

Engagement and participation in various international multilateral forums support IRCC’s and Canada’s mandate, including the resettlement of refugees, to identify collective solutions to global challenges, to support regular migration pathways, and to promote a positive narrative on migration.

Key international forums and organizations for IRCC:

• Migration Five: Composed of senior officials from the immigration agencies of Canada’s closest partners – the “Five Eyes” countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States) and serves as a platform to collaborate in addressing common migration challenges. The Migration Five receives direction from the Five Country Ministerial, an annual meeting of “Five Eyes” public safety and immigration ministers.
• United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR): IRCC’s primary referral partner for Government Assisted Refugees. Canada is a member of UNHCR governance committees and engages in regular, high-level discussions to strengthen international refugee protection policies, programs, technical and legal frameworks.
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM): The IOM has a key role in developing responses to the shifting dynamics of global migration and it is an essential partner in Canada’s refugee resettlement efforts, providing transportation, pre-departure medical services, and orientation to refugees.

Key areas of IRCC engagement:

• Upholding and championing the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, and the Global Compact on Refugees.
• Leading/chairing various international initiatives: the Global Task Force on Labour Mobility on complementary pathways for refugee labour mobility; and promoting balanced narratives on migrants and refugees to counter xenophobia.
• Participating actively in global migration and protection discussions through: the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC); the United Nations Network on Migration (UNNM); Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD); and, Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

International Capacity Building

Through capacity building, IRCC helps countries develop tools and policies to manage migration, strengthen asylum systems, and deal with migration and protection challenges. These efforts support both safe and regular pathways for migration, the deterrence of irregular migration, as well as strengthen protection systems.

Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI)

• IRCC shares its experience in private sponsorship of refugees with other countries to support their efforts to design and launch similar programs, expanding the number of resettlement spaces available globally. Since GRSI’s establishment in December 2016, an estimated 1,000+ new protection spaces have been created worldwide with 15 countries establishing similar pilot or permanent programs.

Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solution (MIRPS) Support Platform

• This mechanism supports responsibility-sharing on forced displacement in the seven MIRPS countries (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Mexico) to offer protection, seek solutions and to mobilize support from other conventional and unconventional players in these efforts. Canada was the chair of the MIRPS Support Platform in 2021-2022.

International Migration Capacity Building Program (grant program)

• Through financial support, Canada works with partners to strengthen migration and asylum management systems worldwide and influence the global discourse on international mobility, to advance Canada’s migration and protection priorities.
• Funding envelopes under the program include core funding for migration or protection-related projects and to fund Canada’s membership in multilateral organizations, and separate funding envelopes to: strengthen removal cooperation; address irregular migration and forced displacement in the Americas; support countries hosting Venezuelan refugees and migrants; support efforts in countries neighbouring Afghanistan; and, contribute to addressing climate mobility.

Regional Asylum Capacity Building Initiative (RACBI)

• Since 2015, Canada, the U.S., Mexico and UNHCR have worked collaboratively to support and strengthen Mexico’s asylum system policy and procedure development through technical expertise.

Migration and Protection Diplomacy

Active and strategic engagement on the international stage is key to advance Canada’s priorities in international migration and protection.

Promote well-managed migration systems and deterring irregular migration

Facilitate economic growth and addressing labour market needs

Contribute to international efforts  for refugee protection

Support other states’ efforts on settlement and integration

Promote balanced public narratives on migrants and refugees

Respond to emerging policy issues (e.g., climate change, global health)

Support Canada’s foreign policy priorities and bilateral relations by leveraging IRCC’s migration and protection efforts

• Migration and protection are transnational issues that require global cooperation, while recognizing the sovereignty of states to determine who can enter their territory.
• IRCC uses specialized expertise to achieve Canada's migration and protection diplomacy goals.
• Strong international engagement advances Canadian priorities, builds support for Canada’s positions on migration, allows Canada to learn and share best practices, and builds capacity internationally.

Key Takeaways

• Engagement with international partners is key to the effective delivery of the Department’s mandate, as well as to address global migration challenges and the historically high numbers of refugees and forcibly displaced people across the globe.
• Worldwide, increasing global migration flows without a corresponding increase in regular pathways for immigration have led to an increase in irregular migration, which has posed challenges for receiving countries in terms of managing arrivals, returns and growing anti-immigrant sentiment.
• Canada strives to have a balanced narrative on migration and refugees that is viewed positively and allows us to present a positive approach to migration and refugee protection on the world stage.
• International engagement to deter irregular migration and support returns is an important component of efforts to support the integrity of Canada’s migration and asylum system and to help preserve public confidence in Canada’s capacity to effectively manage migration, while upholding its commitments to refugees under international law.

Annex - Map of IRCC Missions and Biometric Points of Service

United States

Area Office: Washington DC
Responsible for: 4 overseas offices

Latin America And Caribbean

Area Office: Mexico City
Responsible for: 8 overseas offices

Northern Europe

Area Office: London
Responsible for: 9 overseas offices
(Including P.M. to the UN in NYC)

Southern Europe & The Maghreb

Area Office: Paris
Responsible for: 6 overseas offices and the Bucharest Global Operations Centre

North Asia

Area Office: Beijing
Responsible for: 4 overseas offices

South Asia

Area Office: New Delhi
Responsible for: 4 overseas offices

South East Asia & Oceania

Area Office: Manila
Responsible for: 9 overseas offices and the Manila Global Operations Centre

Middle East

Area Office: Ankara
Responsible for: 8 overseas offices

Sub-Saharan Africa

Area Office: Nairobi
Responsible for: 9 overseas offices

Havana is not included as an overseas office as it does not have Canadian-based staff

GN Staff on Strength as of 02/01/2024

IRCC International Network

61 overseas Offices
9 Area Offices Overseas
292 Biometric Collection Points in 110 Countries
1050 Locally Engaged Staff Overseas
350 Canada Based Staff Overseas