IRCC’s Action Plan to Address the Backlog of Immigration Applications

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has revealed its action plan to implement suggestions from an Office of the Auditor General (OAG) report from October of last year. This plan aims to clear the backlog of immigrant applications for permanent residency across all business lines. For more details on related immigration pathways, see Express Entry System and Provincial Nominee Program.

The OAG serves various purposes, primarily holding the federal government accountable for public funds usage and performing audits that provide unbiased data, recommendations, and facts to Canada’s parliament. These help the parliament gauge the effectiveness of government operations.

According to the OAG report, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, the backlog of applications for permanent residency (PR) greatly exceeded permissible limits, disproportionately affecting refugees. The report included important suggestions for the IRCC to expedite applications for permanent residence. More information on specific immigration categories can be found under Family Class Sponsorship and Refugee Resettlement.

The IRCC aims to improve transparency by creating precise service standards for all immigration programs. To achieve this, they plan to establish guidelines by December 31, 2024. These guidelines will cover family class sponsorship, resettled refugee immigration, and federal and regional economic class immigrant programs. Consequently, these guidelines will provide applicants with reasonable processing times. Furthermore, by March 31, 2024, revised service requirements will be suggested for family class sponsorship applications and economic class permanent resident programs. Ultimately, this project aims to increase overall immigration process efficiency and ensure prompt decision-making.

For more detailed information on these updates, you can visit IRCC’s official website.