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October 20 2023

Report by Canada’s Auditor General Addresses IRCC’s Backlogs in Permanent Residence

MethodImmigration Business, Express Entry, Parent & Grandparent (PGP), Post Graduate Work Permit, Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), Skilled Worker, Sponsorship, Uncategorized

Addressing Challenges in PR Application Processing: Auditor General’s Report and Recommendations

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has recently published its report regarding the processing of permanent residence applications by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This audit aimed to assess the efficiency and speed of PR application processing by IRCC.

The OAG plays a vital role in providing factual, unbiased information and expert guidance to Canada’s parliament. Parliament relies on these audits to gauge government performance and hold it accountable for public fund management.

The OAG report was initiated in response to the growing backlog of permanent, temporary, and citizenship applications during the pandemic, with more than 2 million individuals affected. This surge in applications led to significant processing delays across various categories.

The audit encompassed the processing of PR applications under different programs, such as Economic class (Federal Skilled Worker, Quebec Skilled Worker Program, Provincial Nominee Program), Family class (Sponsored spouse and Partner Program, Dependent Children program), and Humanitarian class (Government-Assisted Refugees program, Privately Sponsored Refugee program).

The report’s findings indicate that despite efforts to reduce backlogs during the pandemic, applicants for permanent residence in Canada still experienced lengthy waiting times, with refugee program applicants being the most affected.

Refugees faced particularly long waiting periods, with privately sponsored refugees waiting an average of 30 months for a decision, and overseas spouses or common-law partners waiting 15 months.

Additionally, the report highlights that IRCC assigned application workloads to regional offices without adequately assessing the office’s resources. Disparities in workload were evident, such as the workload in the Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) office being five times greater than the Rome (Italy) office, despite comparable staffing levels.

The report also noted differences in application backlog size and age based on applicants’ country of citizenship, with certain offices being consistently under-resourced for years.

Furthermore, the OAG criticized IRCC for not effectively monitoring the implementation of its automated eligibility-assessment tool, failing to assess its impact on processing times and address any disparities for applicants.

The report presents six key recommendations for improving processing times and backlog clearance:

  •                         Establish clear and achievable service standards for all PR programs, including refugee programs, and provide online information on processing times.
  •                         Address differential wait times in all PR programs and collect race-based and ethnocultural information to tackle racial disparities.
  •                         Evaluate backlogged applications to identify and address processing delays within the department’s control.
  •                         Ensure that application workloads align with available resources across IRCC offices.
  •                         Reduce disparities in processing times related to the use of automated decision-making tools and allocate sufficient resources for manual processing when needed.
  •                         Implement online application portals for refugee programs and advance the Digital Platform Modernization initiative.

In response, Immigration Minister Marc Miller welcomed the report, emphasizing that significant progress has been made in reducing the backlog and improving processing times.

IRCC aims to process 80% of applications within service standards, with the remaining 20% taking longer due to complexity. Express Entry applications should be processed within six months, while family-class sponsorships are expected to take a year.

As of August 31, there were 2,198,700 applications in inventory across all lines of business, with 45% of them in backlog. Economic class, Express Entry, and spousal applications showed varying levels of backlog.

The backlog primarily resulted from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with office closures affecting processing. Despite this, IRCC continued to accept applications, leading to a significant backlog.

IRCC has since increased processing capacity through digitization, staff recruitment, and automation. The number of applications in inventory has gradually decreased, but it remains above 2 million.

The ambitious Immigration Levels Plan has contributed to the high volume of applications, as Canada aims to admit a significant number of permanent residents in the coming years. The new plan for 2024-2026 is expected to maintain or even increase these targets.

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Application Review

Navigating an immigration application can be challenging. We provide a comprehensive application review service designed to help individuals and families submit accurate, compliant, and complete applications.

Each application undergoes a meticulous review. This includes examining documents for accuracy and consistency, verifying compliance with regulatory requirements, and ensuring all forms are properly completed. Our detailed approach minimizes the risk of errors that could delay or jeopardize your application.

Recognizing that every immigration journey is unique, we offer one-on-one consultations to understand your individual circumstances and objectives. This personalized service allows us to tailor our review process to meet your specific needs and ensure your application reflects your situation accurately.

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Discuss your situation with us, have your credentials assessed to see which route is best for you, and see if you qualify to immigrate to Canada.

We recommend an introductory consultation for any new clients who are looking for guidance on their immigration process.  

During these consultations, we explore the options available to you based on your situation, and provide a roadmap towards further actions and assistance that we can provide. 

  • 60 minute consultation with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant – $150.
  • 30 minute consultation with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant – $85.

Consultations will be conducted by zoom video call.

 

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Study Permits

If you are a student that wants to come to Canada to study at a Canadian institution (school, college or university), this category may be for you.  You can study for a degree/diploma or any other accredited course on a study permit which is valid for the full length of your course.  You may also be allowed to work in some circumstances to gain extra money on the side to fund your student lifestyle in Canada.  We also process extensions to existing study permits for those of you who are already in Canada and have an expiring study permit.  We also process Post Graduate Work Permits (PGWP) that are for recent graduates who may wish to work in Canada after they have completed their studies.  If you want to see Canada while learning something new, then this category may be for you.

Express Entry

Express Entry is for skilled people that want to come to Canada and gain permanent residency.  It is an online points-based system – you get points for your education, work experience, age, and language skills.  Once you’ve added up your points, you will get placed in a pool of candidates.  The candidates with the most points will then get picked out of this pool and will be invited to apply for their permanent resident visa.  The more points you get, the more chance of you receiving an invitation to apply.

There are several categories for express entry, these include:

Canadian Experience Class (CEC) – this category is for people that have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience.
Foreign Skilled Worker (FSW) – you don’t need Canadian work experience for this category, but you do need foreign work experience.  

Foreign Skilled Trades (FST) – you don’t need Canadian work experience for this category but you do need work experience in a skilled trades role.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – See PNP.

Temporary Work Permit

If you are looking to come to Canada and work on a temporary basis, this may be for you.  You may have the intention to come to Canada on a temporary basis but then look into becoming a permanent resident – then this category also may be for you.  

You may have a job offer in Canada that you want to accept or you may just want to work a ski season on the Mountains – whatever the reason is, this program may be for you.  

We process open work permits as well as employer specific work permits.  We also process extensions to existing workers for those of you who are already in Canada and have an expiring work permit.  We also deal with companies and corporations who may be looking to hire temporary foreign workers in Canada – see LMIA.

LMIA

If you are an employer who is looking to hire temporary foreign workers in Canada, then you must obtain an LMIA.  We process LMIAs and also the work permit Applications for your temporary foreign workers.  An LMIA is also used to support a skilled worker achieve their permanent residency status.  If you are a current employee and your employer is willing to support you in your permanent residency application, then this program is for you.  We can process the whole application including your permanent residency file.  The LMIA process is a long and complex one, but hiring us to assist you in this process will make it much more stress free and easy to deal with.

Parent/ Grandparent Supervisa

Parent/Grandparent Supervisas are a helpful way to be able to see your children/grandchildren without being limited to only a visitor visa (usually only granted for 12 weeks). You are able to visit your children/grandchildren up to 5 years at a time for a period of 10 years.

It is also a much quicker application than a sponsorship application and is not subject to paying a permanent residency fee. 

Book a consultation to discuss if this might fit your case, and we will provide a step by step process, as well as guidance, on applying for the supervisa. 

Caregiver Visas

 

If you are currently a care giver for children, elderly or other people that may need care, you can apply for a Caregiver visa. This allows carers to become permanent residents of Canada while doing the job they love. Whether you are a home child care worker or home support worker you may apply if you already have a job.

Family Sponsorship

The Family Sponsorship category is for Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents to be able to sponsor a family member to come to Canada and gain their permanent residency.  It could be spouses, children, parents, grandparents and in some cases Brothers, Sisters, Uncles, Aunties, Cousins, Nephews & Nieces.  Similarly if you are a foreign national that has a family member in Canada who is already a permanent resident or Citizen, this category may be for you. 

This category also includes the parent/grandparent super visa, which allows parents/grandparents of a permanent resident or Canadian Citizen to come to Canada for several months throughout the year without actually having to sponsor them.  Finally, the family sponsorship category also allows you to adopt a child to Canada. 

We have completed a whole range of family sponsorship applications so please let us know your situation and we may be able to help.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Are you considering immigrating to Canada and looking to apply under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)? Each province and territory in Canada has its own unique PNP and the eligibility criteria and minimum requirements for each program can vary. Some of the different streams that provinces and territories may have under their PNP include entrepreneur programs, graduate streams, in-demand skills streams and French speaker programs.

When it comes to applying under the PNP, you have two options: Express Entry or paper-based application. If you choose to apply through Express Entry, you can indicate your interest in a specific province or territory and if they are interested in your profile they may send you a Notification of Interest (NOI). If you receive an NOI, you can then apply for a nomination from the province or territory.

If you are nominated by a province or territory, and you meet the eligibility criteria and minimum requirements, you will be able to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry. It’s worth noting that 80% of Express Entry PNP applications are processed within 6 months, making it a fast-track option for applicants looking to immigrate to Canada.

It’s important to research and compare the different PNP streams offered by each province and territory to determine which program is the best fit for you. Some provinces and territories have more frequent rounds of invitations than others and some programs may have a lower minimum requirement for language or experience. Also, Keep in mind that some provinces and territories may not be accepting applications at all times.

In any case, the immigration process can be complex, so it’s always a good idea to seek professional help if necessary. With the right research and guidance, you can increase your chances of success and find the perfect program to help you achieve your goal of immigrating to Canada.