Federal policy: Ottawa copes with 'frustrating' immigration delays

Federal policy: Ottawa copes with ‘frustrating’ immigration delays

Posted On: August 29, 2022

Realize that “processing times [des demandes] were incredibly frustrating for a lot of people,” German Immigration Secretary Sean Fraser vowed on Monday to return to the standards by the end of the year.

US$85 million will be invested to speed up immigration application processing, thereby reducing the number of waiting files. Despite a record number of immigrants admitted in 2021, more than 1.8 million files are awaiting processing due to factors related to the pandemic, according to the minister.

The sum invested for this was already announced last December in the economic and budget update. Additional resources, particularly staff, will be added for study permits, temporary work permits and permanent resident card renewals, Mr. Fraser explained this time. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will also launch an online portal “to a larger number of customers” next summer to accelerate the transition from paper to digital.

The work permits of essential workers are also prioritized to reduce labor shortages. The agricultural sector In particular, he said he was very concerned about the next growing season because computer failures “put the entire food chain at risk,” according to the Union of Agricultural Producers of Quebec.

An “advanced data analysis” system will also be used more widely to screen visitor visa applications, Secretary Fraser continued during Monday’s announcement. This type of computer tool has sped up the processing of files by 87 percent, but has been heavily criticized by lawyers’ associations and immigrants.

It’s the lack of transparency about its implementation and its worrying legal oversight. In response to this criticism, Mr. Fraser asserted that “the final decision [sur un dossier] is always taken over by an IRCC officer”.

Foreign students

The so-called “chinook” system has been linked in particular to the increase in rejection rates for foreign student records. The duty revealed last November that these rates were particularly high for French-speaking students from Africa and are rising. The Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had promised a “detailed investigation” into this problem.

Mr Fraser said he was “not particularly concerned” about these IT tools, stressing the efficiencies they offer. Data presented to the minister did not confirm those concerns, he said, but data has not yet been made public. “Foreign students make excellent permanent residents,” he reiterated.

The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration will consider the issue this week at the initiative of Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe.

Can’t follow his record

The Information Commissioner last May blamed IRCC for the “dramatic” increase in access to requests for information in that department. This growth stems “directly from the fact that applicants are unable to obtain the information they seek otherwise,” concluded Commissioner Caroline Maynard after an inquiry.

To address this issue, a case tracking system for the Family Reunification Program will be introduced in February, providing updates on application status. The “long-term vision” is to expand this type of follow-up to other permanent immigration programs, said Secretary Fraser, without giving a precise timetable.

He also acknowledged that the turnaround times shown online “do not quite reflect actual performance,” which he assures is being recovered. Permanent residents, in particular, wait up to six months for their card proving their status to be revealed The duty last July when the online deadlines were 60 to 70 days.

An internal memo dated November 24, 2021 and received from English media, also showed that the delays for skilled workers were 20 months. the However, the standard online registration is six months also called “express input” for this program.

After making these announcements entirely in English, Mr Fraser eventually expressed his difficulty understanding journalists’ questions in French, arguing that he would take French lessons “every week” to improve.