CIMM (Canadian Parliament’s Standing Committee) on citizenship and immigration starts a study this month. This study is on time and backlogs of application processing time by IRCC.
CIMM wants to provide monitoring of the immigration system. It also wants to issue studies that include a recommendation for improvement.
Since the start of the pandemic, the number of backlogs has doubled to 2.1 million people. Included applicants are permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship. Of course, an increment in backlog weakened Canada’s economy. It also undermines the ability of Canada to provide humanitarian aid to those who need it.
No doubt the major reason for the increment in backlog is the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, government employees of Canada needed to do work from home due to which their ability to process applications was limited. However, we can’t say that pandemic is only the reason for the backlog, and at the very least, the pandemic does not explain why (IRCC) has provided such poor customer service for more than two years.
some steps that may help to improve the immigration operations of Canada.
Respect the applicants
Canada needs to take prevent it from spiraling out of control in the future. And treat all of its applicants with more respect. If we talk about the backlog then we often think about the number of pending files but we never think about the human lives that are affected negatively.
Taking a more human-centered approach to the immigration system of Canada is an essential step towards progress. There is no justification for the end of months or years leaving IRCC without responding to inquiries from its customers.
Due to some reason, we can’t see immigration applicants as eligible to receive quality customer service, even though IRCC has legal instructions to process applications. Applicants should receive quality service, as they will have to pay a fee to IRCC to process their papers.
Just as companies put customers at the fore and center of everything they do, so should IRCC. The department must work in accordance with the customers and take concrete decisions using a customer-centric approach.
Align supplements with a capacity of the process
The next step is for Canada to reduce backlogs by aligning its supplement with its processing capacity. Canada already does this with various programs like the Economics class pilot of IRCC, PNP programs, and PGP programs. Federal and provincial governments operate within the allocation limits for a given program and ensure that they do not seek more applications than their capability of processing within the allocation. This is not an ideal model and frequently leads to frustration, as is the case with the parents and grandparents program, but at the same time, it helps us to limit the possibility of excessive processing time.
The IRCC made lots of big mistakes at the start of the pandemic, due to which the backlog was made worse. It continued to seek applications even when its capacity of processing slowed, which means it had a huge mountain to climb once its processing capacity returned to normal.
Speed up technological transformation
The third step is for Canada to accelerate the much-needed technological transformation of its immigration system. Most of the immigration system remains paper-based, which slows things down. Additionally, it becomes difficult for employees to process applications from home and transfer files to other offices. IRCC should endeavor to make all applications online shortly, at the same time as providing housing for people who have disabilities, the elderly, and others who may need to submit paper-based applications. Technology is an important advantage for the immigration system and it will speed up many processes. At some point, we should try to complete as many immigration processes as possible online.
Be transparent
Fourth is for Canada to be more transparent on immigration policies and operating conditions. The IRCC has kept us in the dark for much of the pandemic, rather than fulfilling its obligation to inform the public about its policy priorities and state of operations. For example, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) went between December 2020 and April 2022 before candidates were told they would be invited again under express entry. It did the same for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates between September 2021 and April 2022. Going forward, IRCC should provide regular public updates, preferably every month, explaining its current policy priorities are, and the status of its backlog. This will allow all stakeholders to be able to plan accordingly, including the applicants themselves, employers, post-secondary institutions, and more.
Managing an independent study
The fifth step is for Canada to be more accountable for the shortcomings of its immigration system during the pandemic. An independent study should be launched to evaluate what the IRCC did right, what it did wrong, and what it could do better. While the pandemic is a valid excuse, it is not the only explanation for why the backlog has increased over the past two years.
An independent study can shed light on the policy and operational reasons for the backlog and provide recommendations so that mistakes do not recur. Being more accountable will also help restore confidence in Canada’s immigration system. Many stakeholders have had bad experiences during the pandemic, which has hurt the reputation of our immigration system. Showing the public that the Canadian government is capable of accepting and correcting its mistakes will likely result in more applicants looking at Canada more positively.
Setting up of a National Advisory Council on Immigration
Sixth, the Canadian government needs to collaborate more with Canadian immigration experts. Canada has a large immigration ecosystem filled with experts from many different industries such as law, business, settlement sector, research, education, government, post-secondary institutions, and much more. Still, there has been little meaningful immigration counseling during the pandemic, which has led to avoidable consequences.
Creating the National Advisory Council on Immigration (NACI) would be a positive step toward harnessing all this expertise so that Canada can make the best immigration decisions possible. Similar expert councils exist in other Canadian government departments. Creating one on immigration will be a major asset for IRCC.
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, we should feel optimistic that Canada’s immigration system will eventually be back on track. Immigration is so important to Canada’s prosperity that the system remains disrupted for long periods of time.
Canada is making technological investments, as well as recruiting more IRCC employees, and increased public scrutiny by the likes of the media, CIMM, employers, post-secondary institutions, and applicants, is expected to provide a better experience for immigrants to Canada. Hopefully applicants in the coming years.
