Weekly Digest | October 22, 2023

Key Highlights:

IRCC News Updates

IRCC Reduces Staffing in India: On October 19, 2023, IRCC announced a reduction in its staff in India from 27 to 5. This action follows India’s decision to remove immunities for most Canadian diplomats in Delhi. While IRCC will continue to process applications from India, the reduced staffing levels are expected to impact processing times, including delays in overall timelines, responses to inquiries, and the return of visas or passports. Read more

CAN Work Philippines Pilot Program Announced: On October 19, 2023, Minister Marc Miller announced the CAN Work Philippines pilot program, designed to expedite work permit processing for Canadian employers recruiting in the Philippines. The pilot targets employers hiring 50 or more workers in sectors such as healthcare and agri-food and aims to uphold ethical recruitment practices. Read more

International Experience Canada: The 2023 International Experience Canada (IEC) season is drawing to an end with the final round of invitations set for the week of October 23, 2023. Profiles must be submitted before 9 a.m. Eastern Time on that day for consideration. Rounds of invitations will proceed until all available spots are filled or the season concludes. Read more

Minister Miller’s Response to Auditor General’s Report: On October 19, 2023, Immigration Minister Marc Miller formally acknowledged the findings of the 2023 Auditor General’s report. The report, conducted in 2022, focused on IRCC’s inefficiencies and backlog issues. Minister Miller highlighted that the department is committed to meeting established service standards for 80% of all applications. He noted that the IRCC has made significant progress in 2023, including the digitization of applications, staff expansion, and the integration of new technologies. He also revealed that IRCC is finalizing an online Permanent Residence Portal designed to streamline applications from private refugee sponsors. Read more

Auditor General’s 2023 Report on IRCC Permanent Residence Processing: The report uncovers persistent delays in processing applications, particularly affecting refugee programs where the average wait time is nearly three years. As of the end of 2022, approximately 99,000 refugee applications remained unprocessed. The report’s key recommendations focus on establishing reliable service standards across all programs, aligning workloads with available resources, and critically assessing automated tools to avoid negative differential outcomes for applicants. Read more

Citizenship Instrument of Delegation: On October 18, 2023, IRCC announced an administrative update to the Instrument of Designation and Delegation (IDD) as well as the Citizenship Instrument of Delegation, effective October 16, 2023. The update includes renaming divisions for newly created sectors and branches due to organizational restructuring, along with corrections to grammatical and typographical errors. Read more