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441-01151 (Citizenship and immigration)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Whereas:

  • The application backlog since 2015 has grown to over 2.2 million applications;
  • Work permit applications submitted under International Experience Canada have a service standard of 56 days, but only 24% met this standard;
  • Skilled Trades Programs applications via Express Entry have an 80% goal of reaching the service standard of 180 days, but only 8% met this standard;
  • New visitor visa applications have an 80% goal of reaching the service standard of 14 days, but only 27% met this standard;
  • New parent and grandparent Super Visa applications have an 80% goal of meeting the service standard of 112 days, but only 41% met this standard;
  • Certificate of identity applications have a 90% goal of meeting the service standard of 20 days, but only 15% met this standard;
  • Refugee travel document applications have a 90% goal of meeting the standard of 20 days, but only 15% met this standard; and
  • An updated immigration system, where reuniting families, allowing Canadian charities to have a more responsible role in bringing persecuted refugees to Canada, and addressing the nation's workforce needs through employer driven processes, is needed.

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to update the immigration system to pave the way for efficient and streamlined processes that address Canada's ongoing needs.

Response by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Marie-France Lalonde, M.P.

With unprecedented interest in Canada from people looking for a new place to work, study and build their lives with their families, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues to receive high volume of applications across all our programs. We’ve had a record-breaking year in 2022, rendering more than 5.2 million final decisions for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship applications and nearly doubling the number of final decisions produced in 2021 (2.7 million).

Nevertheless, the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and successive international humanitarian crises have led to increased processing times for many applicants, including long waits for application updates. We understand how difficult and frustrating this can be for our clients, sponsors, and representatives, and we are committed to improving the client experience.

Over the past year, the Department has taken steady action to reduce application backlogs and help build a more modern, client-focused immigration system. We hired more than 1,250 employees1, introduced 100% online intake for key permanent residence lines of business2, digitized applications, and harnessed automation technologies to increase processing efficiency while protecting the safety and security of Canadians. In support of client service, the Department recently rolled-out client application status trackers for Express Entry applicants, in addition to those already in place for Family Class and Citizenship. This online service allows clients to securely view the status of their application. We have also made improvements to our client support centre, including hiring additional staff, and automating the triage of email correspondence.

In 2023 and beyond, we will continue to implement various initiatives supporting our nation’s commitments to: reunite families, allow refugees and their families to find safe and permanent resettlement pathways, and address the needs of the rapidly changing Canadian labour market. Some planned initiatives include:

  • A policy review of Canada’s immigration system to better respond to the needs of a 21st century, as announced in Budget 2022.
  • A commitment of $50 million in funding for 2022–2023, a portion of which will be dedicated to address ongoing application backlogs, speed up processing and allow skilled newcomers to fill critical labour gaps faster.
  • Examination of broader regularization pathways for undocumented migrants and their families. Pathways to permanent residence will offer more opportunities for individuals to enter or stay in the job market and fill labour shortages. 
  • Reforms to Express Entry system which allow the Minister more flexibility to invite Express Entry candidates that meet Canada’s labour market needs.
  • Digital Platform Modernization to replace the Department’s aging IT platform, while redesigning business processes and advancing policy simplification, enabling us to improve the client experience and respond quickly to changing conditions and new priorities.
  • A commitment of  $6.2 million over three years (2022-2023 to 2024-2025) to Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) NGO partners that will increase their capacity to help refugees, and people in refugee-like situations, access economic immigration programs (e.g. client identification and referral).

As this work progresses, the Department will continue to engage key program stakeholders and update Canadians on its backlog and processing time reduction efforts, publishing monthly data on our website.

1 Hired between spring and fall 2022 to help reduce inventories, with additional hires planned for 2023.

2 Alternative formats remain available for all who request that option.   

Presented to the House of Commons
Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard)
February 15, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01151)
Government response tabled
March 31, 2023
Photo - Tom Kmiec
Calgary Shepard
Conservative Caucus
Alberta

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.