CIMM Committee Report

Liberal Party Opinion on the Report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration Concerning Immigration Application Backlogs

The Liberal Party of Canada supports the need to study and review the issues surrounding the immigration application backlogs. The study clearly indicated that the high demand from individuals to immigrate to Canada was the source of the backlogs rather than any perceived lack of resources to process applications. With an existing backlog of approximately one million applications, it is necessary for the government to facilitate the reduction of the backlog while maintaining Canada’s tradition in supporting family reunification. Regrettably, the recommendations presented in the report were not based on a full consensus and we therefore have reservations concerning some of the items put forth.

The Liberal Party is not satisfied with how the Department has chosen to handle the existing backlogs particularly, in the areas of the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the parents and grandparents category under the Family Class. The Minister’s decision to implement mechanisms such as the 10 year multi-entry visa as a remedy to the parent and grandparent backlog whilst the study was underway undermined the work of the Committee.  We also believe that other administrative issues including the gross discrepancies in processing times of varying overseas missions requires immediate attention.

Federal Skilled Worker Program

As indicated in the report, the first set of Ministerial Instructions (MI) caused a backlog to buildup in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP).  In an attempt to remediate the situation, a 2^nd as well as 3^rd set of Ministerial Instructions was released. Consequently, applications received under the 2^nd and 3^rd set of Ministerial Instructions were unfairly prioritized and processed over applications under MI1. We propose that the Committee adopt a recommendation that prioritizes the processing of applications under MI1 while also focusing on Canada’s labour market needs. Furthermore, increasing the intake in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (FTWP) can alleviate some of the backlog issues in relation to the existing demand in the FSWP.  Immigrating to Canada under the FTWP is an exhaustive process and as such, we believe that candidates who fulfill the FTWP eligibility requirements and are able to meet the few other basic requirements should have the ability to apply for permanent residency after a working period of two years. 

Parent and Grandparent Category

We believe that the Department’s decision to pursue the use of the 10 year multi-entry visa as a backlog reduction mechanism in the parent and grandparent category is flawed. The visa is not a viable solution in dealing with the backlog. Changes to its eligibility requirements are necessary in order for the visa to act as an effective tool that will allow individuals to visit Canada for extended periods. Paired with the Government’s decision to place a two year moratorium on parent and grandparent sponsorship applications, it is clear that the Government is pursuing policies that are not conducive to family reunification. 

Recommending that the 10 year-multi entry visa be adopted as permanent government policy when adequate and proper monitoring of the visa has yet to be substantiated is cause for concern. The Government’s decision to pursue the implementation of such policies in this manner demonstrates a lack of regard for evidence-based decision making. We suggest that eligibility requirements for the visa be re-examined to allow greater fairness and accessibility to people who wish to apply.

The Government side also indicated that they recommend studying the Australian government’s “balance of family” test in order to gain insight into changes for a redesigned parent and grandparent sponsorship program. Our party believes that the study should not be limited to the “balance of family” test and should include the exploration of other models as well. 

Standardizing Processing Times

The current discrepancies between missions in processing family class applications overseas varies greatly and requires immediate changes in order to rectify this issue. Modernization measures such as the implementation of the Global Case Management System represents a step in the right direction.  Furthermore, we believe a focus on centralizing application processing in Canada can greatly contribute to reducing the variance in processing times among countries.

Application Intake: Numbers & Mixtures

The Government has a set an immigration target range of 240,000-265,000 for 2012.  With regards to the admissions target, it is in our view that the figure should be based on factors such as the size of the Canadian population as well as having the right mixture of immigrants. With population growth, it is necessary to ensure that admission targets are adjusted to accommodate the change in demands of Canada’s economic, cultural, and social needs.