Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has brought forth Canada’s plans to get the immigration system back on track.
In the 2021 Budget, Canada allocated $85 million so as to reduce processing times across all IRCC lines of business. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also called on Fraser to reduce processing times in the minister’s mandate letter. Fraser is now saying the budget will allow Canada to return to processing service standards for study permits, work permits, and permanent resident card renewals by the end of the year. Canada is also working to reduce processing times for visitor visas and proof of citizenship.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made decisions on over 500,000 permanent resident applications in 2021. Sean Fraser announced that Canada is planning to make 147,000 permanent residence final decisions in the first quarter of 2022—doubling that from the same period in 2021. Canada will also introduce a new Permanent Residence Application Tracker in February 2022 for spouses and dependents, to allow applicants to see their application information as well as their status online.
In recent weeks, internal IRCC documents have revealed the department’s actual anticipated processing times for economic immigration programs are longer than what it says on the government website. Fraser said Canada will update the online processing times tool in the coming months so that they can give IRCC clients more up-to-date estimates of how long it will take to process applications.
According to a November 24 memo, at the time, IRCC was expecting Foreign Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) application processing to take 20 months, well beyond the processing standard of six months for Express Entry-managed programs. The same memo said processing was expected to be nearly eight months for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates.
The memo also suggested that Express Entry draws would not invite FSWP and CEC candidates for the first half of 2022. Fraser did not give a date for when these draws would resume but said the measures introduced today were intended to speed up immigration processing. He said pausing these draws to process the Express Entry inventory will allow IRCC to eventually hold draws without further exasperating the backlog.
Immigration Canada is currently facing a huge backlog of more than 1.8 million people waiting on decisions. This includes citizenship applicants, temporary foreign workers, families, students, refugees, and visitors. The Express Entry backlog alone stands at about 119,000 applicants as of December 2021.
For Express Entry candidates in Canada who may have to leave their jobs or leave Canada while IRCC holds off on draws for certain candidates, Fraser said they are looking at options to keep workers in Canada, but they have not yet come up with a “perfect solution.”
“I know that processing delays have been incredibly frustrating for many individuals. Helping clients come to Canada quickly, with predictable processing times and efficient communication with IRCC, remains a top priority for me,” Fraser said in a media release. “Immigration benefits all Canadians—it helps grow our economy and strengthens our communities across the country. Many people are choosing Canada as the place to visit and build their future, and to ensure that we stay competitive, we have introduced concrete measures to make sure those who want to come to Canada have the client experience they deserve.”
For Express Entry candidates in Canada who may have to leave their jobs or leave Canada while IRCC holds off on draws for certain candidates, Fraser said they are looking at options to keep workers in Canada, but they have not yet come up with a “perfect solution.”
“I know that processing delays have been incredibly frustrating for many individuals. Helping clients come to Canada quickly, with predictable processing times and efficient communication with IRCC, remains a top priority for me,” Fraser said in a media release. “Immigration benefits all Canadians—it helps grow our economy and strengthens our communities across the country. Many people are choosing Canada as the place to visit and build their future, and to ensure that we stay competitive, we have introduced concrete measures to make sure those who want to come to Canada have the client experience they deserve.”
