CIMM Committee Report

Modernization of Client Service Delivery:

Supplementary Report by the New Democratic Party

Canada’s immigration system can be very complex for individuals to successfully navigate through. While Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada had made the modernization of client service delivery a priority, individuals and/or family members already in Canada often seek the help of their local Member of Parliament to provide needed assistance to ensure that applications and associated documentation are correctly completed and submitted. As a result, immigration related casework can be upwards of 90 percent of constituent casework for MPs. The volume of immigration related casework in MP offices, as well as the feedback from constituency office staff who provide these services, point to the need for reforms to be taken by IRCC to ensure that individuals can better understand how to navigate their way through the system.

With this need in mind, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration undertook a study to better understand what reforms could be undertaken to do this. The Committee had the opportunity to hear from 14 witnesses including IRCC officials, immigration lawyers, our international counterparts delivering similar services, comparable industries engaging in client service delivery improvements, professional immigration consultants, and refugee advocate organizations. Their valued testimony and recommendations formed the basis of the main report tabled by the Committee. New Democrats largely support the recommendations contained within that report. If undertaken by IRCC, the recommendations would significantly improve the ability for individuals within and outside Canada to successfully navigate through the application process, allowing the cases to be determined on merit and allowing for applicants to better understand what stage of the process their application was in.

However, it is also the opinion of New Democrats that there is more to be done to improve the system. Recommendations contained within this supplementary report will outline additional steps that IRCC can undertake to make the immigration system more accessible to those wishing to make Canada their home.

Providing More Useful Information

One of the biggest complaints that were brought to the attention of the Committee, as well as daily feedback from constituency office staff dealing with casework is that individuals going through the application process do not have access to enough information. Additionally, the information that applicants do have access to is not accessible enough for them to obtain and fully understand it. This can result in significant time being spent by applicants, constituency office workers, and IRCC staff, relaying basic information that should simple to find. This would provide more time for all involved to focus on more complex cases which actually need additional attention.

In a brief submitted by the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) to the Committee, it is explained that for vulnerable groups of immigrants such as refugees often lack the language skills and financial resources to be able to meaningfully engage with IRCC during application processes. For example, a refugee claimant might not have adequate access to internet, and even if they did, they might not have the English or French language skills required to understand the forms or other information that can be found on IRCC websites. Individuals in these situations often turn to settlement services organizations or other advocacy organizations that they have engaged with for other services to obtain assistance navigating the system.[i] Currently, these organizations are already financially stretched to provide the services that they are provide funding for, and these additional services to help individuals navigate the system are not part of their mandates. In order to address this issue, New Democrats recommend that,

Recommendation One:

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada provide funding to community organizations that provide support to refugees and other vulnerable persons as they negotiate immigration processes.

The Committee also heard from witnesses that the vague stages an application is identified within such as “pending” or “in process” can be a source of confusion and frustration as applications can remain in these vague stages for significant periods of time. In addition to providing more detailed information to applicants regarding the status of their application, immigration lawyer and policy analyst Richard Kurland provided a simple and low-cost recommendation for IRCC to undertake which would allow applicants to better gauge where their application was in the system in relation to other applications and in the context of Canada’s immigration targets. If IRCC published the number of permanent residence visas that had been issued during the current year, alongside the outstanding inventory and the target range for PR visas for the year, by each category, applicants would better understand where they were in the queue and would therefore have a better understanding of the approximate timeline for their application to be finalized should it be successful.[ii]This is because IRCC processes applications on a first come first serve basis. Therefore, New Democrats propose the following recommendation,

Recommendation Two:

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada make publicly available the available immigration targets for the year and outstanding inventories for each immigration class.

Processing Times

Processing times for all classes of immigration remain a source of frustration for many. The longer the time between application submission and the issuance of a visa the more resources in terms of constituency staff and IRCC staff time are spent inefficiently doing update checks because applicants become frustrated and concerned about the status of things and request checks to be made. While the Liberal government has made significant commitments to reduce processing times throughout the system, much work remains to be done. This is especially evident in immigration streams with significant inventory backlogs such as Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship under the Family Reunification Program.

In some cases, relatively simple measures can be undertaken independent of backlog reduction efforts or other processing time improvement initiatives that can also make significant improvements. In a brief submitted by the Canadian Bar Association  (CBA) to the Committee, it was highlighted in the case of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), that processing times for various stages of the overall process could not only vary, but were often excessive; for example, the issuance of work permits and the Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA).[iii] In cases where multiple permits or processes must be undertaken, IRCC should examine the feasibility of concurrent processing instead of starting the process for one stage only after the previous stage is completed. In the example highlighted by the CBA, doing so would provide an individual a work permit and implied status sooner, allowing them to begin working and contributing faster, reducing hardship on the individual and any dependents. It is the opinion of New Democrats that,

Recommendation Three:

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, when possible utilize concurrent processing of applications, permits, and the issuance of other documents.

Continuous Improvements in Customer Service

Outside of the frequent sources of frustrations within the immigration system,  such as accessibility of information and processing times, there are other more ‘back end’ improvements that can be made by IRCC. While less visible to the public, these types of improvement will make the overall system more modern, accessible, and efficient for individuals to engage with.

In their brief to the Committee, the CBA highlighted an issue at ports of entry with the ‘red flag’ system on individual files and the lack of a standardized procedure for removing these ‘flags’ once they are examined and cleared.[iv] Without a proper mechanism for removal, individuals can have inconsistent, and frustrating experiences at Canadian ports of entry, sometimes being stopped and interrogated for situations they know have been previously addressed. Therefore, New Democrats recommend,

Recommendation Four:

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada establish a clear, standard process for the removal of ‘red flags’ on individuals in the system, once investigations are completed

Finally, it was brought to the attention of the Committee that IRCC has been and continues to go through modernization efforts that have increased efficiency and which have allowed for more to be done in a timelier manner, and at a lower cost. These improvements are welcomed and this study was about finding ways to continue moving the system in that direction. However, it was noted that despite these efficiency improvements and cost reductions, savings are not being passed onto the individuals engaging with the system. In fact, under the previous government, many fees were actually subject to significant increases. Richard Kurland expressed his surprise that a comprehensive fee review had not been undertaken as a result of these efficiency improvements, stating,

“I don't think fees should be increased. I suspect that the dividends from information technology over the many years and the operational adjustments over many years have resulted in lower costs to deliver visas. It's rather incredible that no one has taken the time to re-examine why we're charging what we're charging.”[v]

In light of these improvements, the improvements already planned on being undertaken, and possible improvements stemming from IRCC undertaking any recommendations brought forward by the Committee, New Democrats strongly urge,

Recommendation Five:

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada undertake a comprehensive review of all user fees to ensure that fee levels are appropriate based on cost efficiency improvements that have been implemented in service delivery

Conclusion:

IRCC deals with millions of people on an annual basis through the variety of services it provides. Individuals engaging with IRCC come from all over the globe and have incredibly diverse backgrounds, including in some cases some of the most vulnerable groups of people in the world. As a result of the diverse client base, IRCC must make extensive efforts to ensure that services provided are accessible, efficient, and affordable. While improvements are ongoing, there is always more that can be done. It is the opinion of New Democrats that the recommendations provided in this report would lead to significant improvements in client service delivery and the IRCC should examine undertaking these steps.