Access to Information Act, Privacy Act, Annual Report 2021-2022

PDF version: Privacy Act, Access to Information Act, Annual Report 2021-2022 (PDF, 1.37 MB)

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Part I: General Information
  • ATIP Overview
    • IRCC ATIP Growth
  • IRCC Mandate
  • Organizational Structure
  • Access to Information and Privacy Delegation Order
  • Training and Awareness
  • Monitoring Compliance
  • Audits
  • Appeal to the Federal Court
  • Covid-19 Impact Statement
• Part II: Report on the administration of the Access to Information Act
  • Purpose of the Access to Information Act
  • Service Agreement Statement
  • Reporting on access to information fees for the purposes of the Service Fees Act
  • Performance 2021-22
    • IRCC ATI Growth
    • Meeting Legislated Timelines under the Act
    • Completion times of ATI requests
    • Requests Carried Over
    • Complaints Carried Over
    • Extensions
    • Consultations
    • Completion Times for consultations
    • Exemptions and Exclusions
    • Sources of requests under the Access to Information Act
    • Informal Requests under the Access to Information Act
  • Key issues and actions taken on complaints under the Access to Information Act
  • Update on the Systemic Investigation
  • Policies, guidelines, procedures and initiatives within the ATIP Division
• Part III: Report on the Privacy Act
  • Purpose of the Privacy Act
  • Service Agreement Statement
  • Performance 2021-2022
    • Meeting Legislated Timelines under the Act
    • Requests Carried Over
    • Complaints Carried Over
    • Extensions
    • Consultations
    • Exemptions and Exclusions
  • Summary of key issues and actions taken on complaints
  • Policies, guidelines, procedures and initiatives with the ATIP Division
  • Material Privacy Breaches
  • Privacy Impact Assessments
  • Summary of PIAs Completed in 2021-2022
  • Disclosures of personal information pursuant to paragraphs 8(2)(m) and 8(2)(e)
• Annex A: Signed Delegation
• Annex B: Delegation Order under the Access to Information Act
• Annex C: Delegation Order under the Privacy Act
• Annex D: Validated Statistical Report on the Administration of the Access to Information Act
• Annex E: Validated Statistical Report on the Administration of the Privacy Act
• Annex F: Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Introduction

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is pleased to present to Parliament its annual report on the administration of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and the Privacy Act (PA). This integrated report describes how IRCC administered and fulfilled its obligations under both Acts between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, and is presented in three parts:

• Part I (General Information) contains departmental information common to both the administration of the ATIA and PA.
• Part II (Report on the Administration of the Access to Information Act) contains reporting information specific to the administration of the ATIA.
• Part III (Report on the Administration of the Privacy Act) contains reporting information specific to the administration of the Privacy Act.

IRCC is committed to both the spirit and intent of the Access to Information Act to ensure openness and transparency within the Department. The Department is dedicated to upholding the trust that Canadians place in our organization to protect their personal information.

This report is tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 94 of the Access to Information Act and section 72 of the Privacy Act under the direction of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Part I: General Information

ATIP Overview

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) program at IRCC remains the most solicited ATIP program amongst all federal institutions and continues to receive over half of all ATIP requests made to the Government of Canada. During the reporting period, IRCC received 204,279 Access to Information and Privacy requests combined, which represent a 61% increase from the previous year.

Text version: IRCC ATIP Year in Review

• 204,279 New requests received this fiscal year
• 61% Increase in requests since 2020-2021

IRCC ATIP Growth

Cumulative growth since 2017
Year-to-year growth

Text version: IRCC ATIP growth

Year	Percentage of Annual Growth	ATIP request volumes	Percentage of growth since 2017
2021-2022	+61%	204,000	+163%
2020-2021	-4.3%	127,200	+63.9%
2019-2020	+36%	132,900	+71,3%
2018-2019	+26%	98,000	+26%
2017-2018	+23%	77,600	N/A

The majority of requests involve clients’ immigration, citizenship or refugee applications.

Despite the growing volume, IRCC maintained a steady service level by stabilizing its ATIP workforce and implementing Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Relative to the previous reporting period, IRCC’s performance rate increased by 38%. IRCC ATIP continues to develop and incorporate modernization initiatives to manage high ATIP volumes while also upholding the values of client service excellence, transparency and privacy protection.

IRCC Mandate

IRCC’s mandate comes from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act. The Minister of IRCC is responsible for the Citizenship Act of 1977 and shares responsibility with the Minister of Public Safety for the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). Effective July 2, 2013, primary responsibility for Passport Canada and the administration of the Canadian Passport Order and the Order Respecting the Issuance of Diplomatic and Special Passports moved from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to IRCC.

Organizational Structure

The ATIP Division is part of the Integrated Corporate Business branch (ICB), under the Corporate Services Sector at IRCC. The ATIP Director reports to the Director General of ICB who also holds the title of Chief Privacy Officer. Five units within the Division administer the Department’s responsibilities under the Access to Information and Privacy Acts. The Division’s workforce comprised 137 employees in the 2021-2022 reporting period.

Text version: Organizational Structure

ATIP Operations (88 Employees)

Carries out administrative functions and processes the majority of ATIP requests for client records. Responsible for disclosures under 8(2)(e) of the Privacy Act.

ATIP Director’s Office (4 Employees)

Provides management oversight, support and guidance to the division; ensures ATIP deliverables are met; and manages ATIP led projects/initiatives and provides support to senior management.

ATIP Corporate Records, Complaints and Informal Requests (27 Employees)

Processes complex and sensitive ATIP requests, responds to ATIP request-related complaints, reviews material for proactive disclosure and prepares packages for informal requests. Includes Training Project and ATIP Support Team (TPAST).

ATIP Modernisation (7 Employees)

Conducts data and trend analysis, produces statistical reports, leads ATIP technology projects and transition efforts to optimize and redefine the ATIP process.Coordinates the Departmental efforts to provide solutions to contain and address the growing number of requests

ATIP Privacy, Policy and Governance (11 Employees)

Develops privacy policies; provides advice, guidance and support within IRCC and externally regarding ATIP legislation; promotes privacy awareness; and develops privacy tools to assist the department and manages the lifecycle of privacy breaches.

Access to Information and Privacy Delegation Order

The Minister of IRCC is responsible for administering requests made to the Department under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. In accordance to section 95(1) of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, the Minister delegates authority to departmental senior management, including the ATIP Departmental Coordinator (the Director of the ATIP Division), to carry out the Minister’s powers, duties, or functions under the Acts in relation to ATIP requests. Certain authorities are delegated to particular positions in the ATIP Division at National Headquarters as shown in Annex B and Annex C of this report.

Training and Awareness

To address the ongoing training needs of the Department, the ATIP Division created a Training Project and ATIP Support Team. The team delivers all formal and informal ATIP training within IRCC. Formal training is managed and advertised by IRCC’s Learning Academy, whereas informal training, which tends to focus on specialized areas within the ATIP program, is managed by IRCC’s ATIP Division.

Training and Awareness

The Division collaborated with IRCC’s Learning Academy to identify which ATIP courses would be mandatory for departmental employees and added monthly privacy breach training sessions to the course catalogue.

In addition, a new administrative process was developed for the Department’s ATIP liaison officers, including the introduction of Kofax. Kofax is a digital tool (comparable to the Adobe Pro) that facilitates the creation, conversion and compilation of PDF documents in response to the ATIP paperless request process.

The team also designed and implemented a new response to the ATIP Request form and reviewed and restructured the corporate repositories for improved information management practices.

Policy work on defining Subject Matter Expert roles and responsibilities, defining and refining the scope of new requests and new procedures for voluminous files is underway.

Monitoring Compliance

The ATIP Division makes use of frequent and comprehensive reporting tools to monitor compliance and maintain accountability. On a daily basis, statistical reports are distributed to ATIP management to help manage workflow. The following more specialized reports are distributed to Senior Management at regular intervals:

Weekly

• A snapshot report that looks at the ATIP request volumes received and closed, on time compliance rates, backlog volumes, etc.
• A summary of weekly received corporate ATI requests
• A summary of requests related to COVID-19

Monthly

• A report on each sector’s compliance with internal standards for providing responsive records to the ATIP Division
• A privacy breach report^{Footnote *}
• Public disclosures report (8(2)(m))^{Footnote *}

Audits

No audits were concluded during the fiscal year.

Appeal to the Federal Court

There were no appeals to the Federal Court filed against IRCC regarding the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act during the 2021-2022 reporting period.

Covid-19 Impact Statement

The Access to Information and Privacy Division was not disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in this reporting period. The division remained fully operational in a mostly telework capacity. A limited number of employees worked on site to process files containing secret information, process mail out requests and provide Information technology (IT) support.

Part II: Report on the administration of the Access to Information Act

Purpose of the Access to Information Act

The Access to Information Act came into force on July 1, 1983, and was amended by Bill C-58 on June 21, 2019. The purpose of this Act is to provide a right of access to information in records under the control of a government institution in accordance with the principles that

• government information should be available to the public
• exceptions to the right of access should be limited and specific
• decisions made on the disclosure of government information should be reviewed independently of government.

Service Agreement Statement

IRCC had no service agreements under section 96 of the Access to Information Act.

Reporting on access to information fees for the purposes of the Service Fees Act

The Service Fees Act requires a responsible authority to report annually to Parliament on the fees collected by the institution. With respect to fees collected under the Access to Information Act, the information below is reported in accordance with the requirements of section 20 of the Service Fees Act.

Enabling authority: Access to Information Act
Fees Payable for 2021-22: $5.00 application fee is the only fee charged for an access to information request
Total revenue: IRCC collected $735,665.00 on 176,814 access to information requests
Fees waived: In accordance with the Interim Directive on the Administration of the Access to Information Act, issued on May 5, 2016, and the changes to the Access to Information Act that came into force on June 21, 2019, IRCC waives all fees prescribed by the Act and Regulations, other than the $5 application fee set out in paragraph 7(1)(a) of the Regulations. A total of $2,755 in fees were waived during this reporting period.
Cost of operating the program: $9,607,654.00

Performance 2021-22

IRCC continues to receive the largest volume of Access to Information (ATI) Act requests of all Government of Canada institutions. During the reporting period, the Department received 177,473 ATI requests, which represents a 65% increase from the previous reporting period.

IRCC ATI Growth

Text version: IRCC ATI Growth

Year	Percentage of Annual Growth	ATIA Request Volumes	Percentage of growth since 2017
2021-2022	+23%	177,437	+176.2%
2020-2021	+23%	107,845	+67.9%
2019-2020	+23%	116,928	+82.0%
2018-2019	+23%	82,387	+28.3%
2017-2018	+23%	64,234	N/A

Pages processed under the Access to Information Act
2021-2022

11,564,878

Meeting Legislated Timelines under the Act

The compliance rate for completed access to information requests was 36.09% for the reporting period, a decrease of 37.52% from the previous reporting period which was 71%.

Completion time of Access to Information Act Requests

Text version: Completion time of Access to Information Act Requests

Completion Time	Number of Requests	Percentage of Requests
30 Days or Less	37,793	25.5%
31 to 60 Days	74,693	50.5%
61 to 120 Days	27,736	18.7%
121 Days or More	7,490	5.0%

Requests Carried Over

IRCC ATIP carried over 49,392 requests from previous reporting periods. Of these, 19,829 files were still within the legislative timeframe.

Complaints Carried Over

IRCC carried over 63 active access to information complaints from previous reporting periods.

Extensions

Section 9 of the Access to Information Act permits the statutory time limits to be extended if consultations are necessary or the request involves a large volume of records that cannot be processed within the original time limit without unreasonably interfering with the operations of the Department. IRCC invoked 5,487 extensions during the 2021-2022 reporting period.

Consultations

IRCC received 170 consultations from other government departments (OGDs) under the Act. IRCC responded to 198 consultation requests from other GoC institutions and one request from an organization outside the GoC during the reporting period. Some files were carried over from the previous reporting period.

Completion Times for consultations

Exemptions and Exclusions

The Department released records in their entirety in 18,432 requests (12.5%) and invoked one or more exemptions in 122,078 requests (82.6%). The remaining 7,202 requests (4.9%) were either transferred, abandoned, had no existing records, or the Department could neither confirm nor deny the existence of these records, as doing so could reveal information that is protected under the Act.

Disposition of completed requests

Text version: Disposition of completed requests

18,432 were fully disclosed (12.5%);
122,051 were partially disclosed (82.6%);
13 were entirely withheld (less than 0.01%);
14 was excluded in its entirety (less than 0.01%);
10 were transferred (less than 0.01%); and
7 could not be confirmed nor denied (less than 0.01%)

The most frequently used exemptions were Subsection 19(1) – personal Information (invoked 51,105 times), Section 17 – safety of Individuals (invoked 38,595 times) and Subsection 15(1) – international affairs, defence and prevention of subversive activities (invoked 22,236 times).

The Access to Information Act does not apply to records that are already available to the public (Section 68), or to confidences of the Queen’s Privy Council (Section 69). IRCC excluded records pursuant to section 68 in 10 requests and section 69 in 28 Requests.

Sources of requests under the Access to Information Act

The majority of requests made under the Act (43.9%) originate from the business sector, primarily immigration lawyers and consultants.

Text version: Sources of requests under the Access to Information Act

43.9%: Business sector (mainly immigration lawyers and consultants)

39%: General public

7.1%: Media, organizations and academia

9.9%: Requesters who declined to identify themselves

Informal Requests under the Access to Information Act

IRCC posts summaries of completed access to information requests pertaining to corporate records on the Open Government portal. In 2021-2022, IRCC closed 3,153 informal requests (copies of previously released requests).

Key issues and actions taken on complaints under the Access to Information Act

During the 2021-2022 reporting period, the Department was notified of 4,150 Access to Information complaints received by the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC). This volume represents a 58% increase since the last reporting period, and is equivalent to 2.4% of all requests processed.

Complaints Closed

Text version: Complaints Closed

Year	Received	Closed
2021-2022	4,150	4,380
2020-2021	2,612	2,674
2019-2020	4,220	3,450
2018-2019	555	594
2017-2018	227	201

The majority of complaints were related to extensions and delays. The ATIP Division processed and closed 4,380 complaint investigations. Of these, 68 complaints were abandoned, discontinued or unsubstantiated, and 27 were deemed not well founded by the OIC . The remaining 4,105 complaints were resolved, and 180 were deemed well-founded.

The majority of complaints received (97%) were related to ATIP requests for immigration client files. Of these, 95% of the complaints were delay or extension complaints.

Throughout the reporting period, IRCC has continued to maintain a positive, collaborative relationship with the OIC. The rise in extension and delay complaints is directly related to IRCC’s high ATIP volumes concerning client immigration case files. IRCC is addressing this challenge by implementing the key recommendations made in the wake of the OIC's systemic investigation of IRCC, discussed below. The full report can be accessed here: https://www.oic-ci.gc.ca/en/resources/reports-publications/access-issue-challenging-status-quo.

Update on the Systemic Investigation

In May 2021, the OIC published the results of an investigation into IRCC’s processing of access to information requests, in particular the requests for immigration application files. The purpose of the investigation was to better understand and address the dramatic surge of incoming requests and complaints lodged against IRCC.

In December, IRCC informed the Commissioner that it had completed three of the five recommendations and is working closely with internal stakeholders to complete the remaining action items. IRCC’s Management Action Plan in response to the OIC’s recommendations can be found on IRCC’s external website here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/management-action-plan-oic-recommendations.html

The following initiatives were undertaken to respond to the systemic investigation:

Policies, guidelines, procedures and initiatives within the ATIP Division

IRCC undertook several projects related to improving its processing of requests made under the Access to Information Act:

For more information on IRCC’s performance in administering the Access to Information Act, please see the Statistical Report on the Administration of the Access to Information Act in Annex D.

Part III: Report on the Privacy Act

Purpose of the Privacy Act

The Privacy Act came into effect on July 1, 1983 and was amended by Bill C-58 on June 21, 2019. The purpose of this Act is to protect the personal information of individuals under the responsibility and control of federal institutions, and to provide individuals with a right of access to that information.

Service Agreement Statement

IRCC had no service agreements under section 73.1 of the Privacy Act.

Performance 2021-2022

IRCC remains one of the most accessed federal institutions, receiving a total of 26,806 new requests under the Privacy Act in 2021-2022. This volume represents an increase of 38.5% from the previous year. IRCC responded to 38% of requests received under the Privacy Act within the legislated timeframe.

The majority of Privacy Act requests received were for information relating to client records.

Requests received and completed

Text version: Requests received and completed

Year	Received	Closed
2021-2022	26,806	22,220
2020-2021	19,358	18,687
2019-2020	15,963	15,349
2018-2019	15,655	16,846
2017-2018	13,168	12,698

Pages processed under the Privacy Act
2021-2022

951,125

Meeting Legislated Timelines under the Act

The compliance rate for completed Privacy Act requests was 35.78% for the reporting period, a decrease of 31.93% from the previous reporting period.

Completion time of Privacy Requests

Text version: Completion time of Privacy Act Requests

Completion Time	Number of Requests	Percentage of Requests
30 Days or Less	6,892	31%
31 to 60 Days	10,848	49%
61 to 120 Days	3,093	14%
121 Days or More	1,387	6%

Requests Carried Over

IRCC ATIP carried over 8,100 requests from previous reporting periods. Of these, 2,160 files were still within the legislative timeframe.

Complaints Carried Over

IRCC carried over 4 active Privacy Act complaints from previous reporting periods. All 4 complaints are from the 2020-2021 reporting period.

Extensions

Section 15 of the Privacy Act permits the statutory time limit to be extended if consultations are necessary, translation is required, or if the request is for a large volume of records and processing it within the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the Department.

IRCC extended the legislative timeframe on 1,238 requests pursuant to 15(a) during the 2021-2022 reporting period.

Consultations

Other federal government institutions consulted IRCC 49 times under the Act. IRCC responded to 52% of those consultations within 30 days.

Exemptions and Exclusions

The Department released records in their entirety in 3,889 requests (17.5%) and invoked one or more exemptions in 13,528 requests (60.9%). The remaining 4,803 requests (21.6%) were transferred, abandoned, had no existing records, or existence of these records could neither be confirmed nor denied as doing so could reveal information that is protected under the Act.

The most frequently used exemptions were:

• Section 26 – Personal Information (invoked 7,428 times)
• Section 21 – International relations, defense and subversive activities (invoked 8,226 times)
• Paragraph 22(1)(b) – law enforcement criminal investigations (invoked 3,922 times).

The Privacy Act does not apply to records that are already available to the public (Section 69), or to confidences of the Queen’s Privy Council (Section 70). IRCC did not exclude any information under the Act in the reporting period.

Disposition of completed requests

Text version: Disposition of completed requests

3,889 were fully disclosed (17.5%);
13,528 were partially disclosed (82.6%);
1 was entirely withheld (less 0.1%);
0 were excluded in its entirety (0%);
4,688 were abandoned (21.1%);
113 had no existing records (0.5%); and
1 could not be confirmed nor denied (less than 0.1%)

Summary of key issues and actions taken on complaints

During the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) notified the Department of 15 formal Privacy Act complaints and 17 informal complaints (i.e., complaints that are not formally investigated under section 31 of the Privacy Act). The majority of complaints under the Privacy Act were related to delays.

The ATIP Division responded to 14 formal and 18 informal complaint investigations. Of the informal complaints, 5 were not substantiated, 4 were well founded, and 9 were settled or resolved to the satisfaction of the requester.

Due to the small number of privacy-related complaints, it is not possible to pinpoint one single issue and no remedial actions were needed.

Policies, guidelines, procedures and initiatives with the ATIP Division

The Privacy Policy and Governance Team within the ATIP Division undertook multiple projects and initiatives to provide internal and external guidance and support on privacy policy, promote privacy awareness, and develop tools to assist IRCC manage privacy breaches.

Material Privacy Breaches

A privacy breach refers to the improper or unauthorized collection, use, disclosure, retention or disposition of personal information. A material privacy breach is a privacy breach that involves sensitive personal information and could reasonably be expected to cause injury or harm to the individual.

The ATIP Division provided advice and guidance to departmental staff on containment and mitigation strategies to improve the protection of personal information. In addition, senior officials were notified of all material breaches to facilitate communication within the Department and raise awareness of issues that could hinder the public’s right to privacy.

The ATIP Division monitors all privacy breaches reported at IRCC. The Division also reviews how and where they are occurring within the Department. ATIP addresses trends and provides tailored privacy breach training sessions to raise awareness and increase privacy breach prevention.

In 2021-2022, IRCC notified the OPC and TBS of seven material privacy breaches. IRCC monitors all privacy breaches closely and has established notifications and remedial measures to address each situation. The majority of material breaches were of small scale and affected a limited number of individuals.

• Three material breaches involved sensitive personal information disclosed to the wrong individual(s). In each case, employees were reminded of the importance of privacy and the protection of personal information. The affected individuals were notified.
• Three material breaches involved personal information that had gone missing/lost. Despite extensive searches, the information could not be located. The affected individuals were notified.
• One material privacy breach involved the inadvertent collection of personal information. Once the issue was known, IRCC implemented a fix so that these types of clients would no longer be asked to provide the personal information involved in the breach. The affected individuals were notified.

Privacy Impact Assessments

To fulfil its mandate and effectively deliver its programs and services, IRCC collects, uses and discloses personal information. In accordance with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) policy, the Department undertakes Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act and identify privacy risks present in new or existing departmental programs, initiatives or projects that collect and use personal information.

Descriptions of PIAs completed during the 2021-2022 fiscal year are found below. The full PIA summaries can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/access-information-privacy/privacy-impact-assessment.html.

Summary of PIAs Completed in 2021-2022

Pilot Project: Testing Online Recruitment Services for Staffing Processes – Vidcruiter

This privacy impact assessment identifies and assesses privacy risks relating to a third party provider of applicant tracking, asynchronous video interviewing and online testing services as part of the assessment stage of staffing processes. The provider will also deliver related training and technical support services.

Disclosure of citizenship data to Elections Canada for updating the Register of Future Electors

This privacy impact assessment is an addendum to the initial PIA conducted on the sharing of citizenship information with Elections Canada for updating the National Register of Electors. The Register of Future Electors contains information on Canadian citizens aged between 14 and 17 who consented to register with Elections Canada. Upon turning 18, eligible individuals will be added to the National Register of Electors.

Disclosure of immigration data to Elections Canada for updating the National Register of Electors

This privacy impact assessment is an addendum to initial the PIA conducted on the sharing of immigration information with Elections Canada for updating the National Register of Electors. It identifies and assesses the privacy risks concerning the implementation of a two-way data exchange to enhance efforts to validate the data quality shared, as well as a one-time disclosure of certain related information from a legacy IRCC system.

Disclosures of personal information pursuant to paragraphs 8(2)(m) and 8(2)(e)

In accordance with subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act, under certain circumstances, a government institution may disclose personal information under its control without the consent of the individual to whom the information relates.

Paragraph 8(2)(e) provides that personal information may be disclosed to an investigative body specified in the regulations on the written request of the body for the purpose of enforcing any law of Canada or any province or carrying out a lawful investigation. The request must specify the purpose and describe the information to be disclosed.

During the reporting period, IRCC disclosed the personal information of 2159 individuals to investigative bodies pursuant to paragraph 8(2)(e).

Paragraph 8(2)(m) provides that personal information may be disclosed for any purpose where, in the opinion of the head of an institution, (i) the public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs any invasion of privacy that could result from the disclosure, or (ii) disclosure would clearly benefit the individual to whom the information relates.

During this reporting period, IRCC disclosed personal information in 188 instances under paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act:

For more information on IRCC administering the Privacy Act, please see the Statistical Report on the Administration of the Privacy Act in Annex E.

Annex A: Signed Delegation

Text version: Signed Delegation

Official Document

Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada

Delegation of Authority

Access to Information Act and Privacy Act

I, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby authorize the officer and employee of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship whose position or classification is set out in the attached Schedule to carry out those of my power, duties or functions under the Acts that are set in the Schedule in relation to that officer and employee.

Dated at Ottawa

This 30 day of August 2019

Ahmed Hussen, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Annex B: Delegation Order under the Access to Information Act

Delegation of Authority under the Access to Information Act and the Access to Information Regulations. The delegation includes acting appointments and assignments to these positions made pursuant to the Public Service Employment Act and regulations.

Full delegation

Partial delegation

Access to Information Act – Part 2 only - Proactive disclosures

Access to Information Act

Access to Information Act Regulations

Annex C: Delegation Order under the Privacy Act

The delegation includes acting appointments and assignments to these positions made pursuant to the Public Service Employment Act and regulations.

Full delegation

Partial delegation

Privacy Act – Part 2 only - Proactive disclosures

Privacy Act

Privacy Act Regulations

Legend:

ATIP / PM-05 OPS

Senior ATIP Administrators, ATIP Operations

ATIP / PM-05 CRCI

Senior ATIP Administrators, Corporate Records, Complaints and Informals

ATIP / PM-04 OPS

ATIP Administrators, ATIP Operations

ATIP / PM-04 CRCI

ATIP Administrators, Corporate Records, Complaints and Informals

ATIP / PM-03 OPS

ATIP Officers, ATIP Operations

ATIP / PM-03 CRCI

ATIP Officers, Corporate Records, Complaints and Informals

Annex D: Validated Statistical Report on the Administration of the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2022-03-31

Section 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests

1.2 Sources of requests

1.3 Channels of requests

Section 2: Informal requests

2.1 Number of Informal requests

2.2 Channels of Informal Requests

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

2.4 Pages released informally

2.5 Pages re-released informally

Section 3: Applications to the information commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests

Section 4: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

4.1 Disposition and completion time

4.2 Exemptions

4.3 Exclusions

4.4 Format of information released

4.5 Complexity

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed

4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per requests disposition for paper and e-record formats by size of requests

4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

4.5.4 Relevant Minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

4.5.6 Relevant Minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

4.5.7 Other complexities

4.6 Closed requests

4.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines

4.7 Deemed refusals

4.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

4.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

4.8 Requests for translation

Section 5: Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

5.2 Length of extensions

Section 6: Fees

Section 7: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada

Section 8: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Section 9: Investigation and Reports of finding

9.1 Investigations

9.2 Investigation and Reports of finding

Section 10: Court action

10.1 Court actions on complaints

10.2 Court actions on third party notification under paragraph 28(1)(b)

Section 11: Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated Cost

11.2 Human Resources

Annex E: Validated Statistical Report on the Administration of the Privacy Act

Name of institution: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2022-03-31

Section 1: Requests Under the Privacy Act

1.1 Number of requests

1.2 Channels of requests

Section 2: Informal requests

2.1 Number of Informal requests

2.2 Channels of Informal Requests

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

2.4 Pages released informally

Section 3: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

3.1 Disposition and completion time

3.2 Exemptions

3.3 Exclusions

3.4 Format of information released

3.5 Complexity

3.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and the e-record format

3.5.2 Relevant pages processed per requests disposition for paper and e-record formats by size of requests

3.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

3.5.4 Relevant Minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

3.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

3.5.6 Relevant Minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

3.5.7 Other complexities

3.6 Closed requests

3.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines

3.7 Deemed refusals

3.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

3.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

3.8 Requests for translation

Section 4: Disclosures Under Subsections 8(2) and 8(5)

Section 5: Requests for Correction of Personal Information and Notations

Section 6: Extensions

6.1 Reasons for extensions

6.2 Length of extensions

Section 7: Consultation received from Other Institutions and Organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations

Section 8: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Section 9: Complaints and Investigation Notices Received

Section 10: Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) and Personal information Banks (PIBs)

10.1 Privacy Impact Assessments

10.2 Institution-specific and Central Personal Information Banks

Section 11: Privacy Breaches

11.1 Material Privacy Breaches reported

11.2 Non-Material Privacy Breaches

Section 12: Resources Related to the Privacy Act

12.1 Allocated Cost

12.2 Human Resources

Annex F: Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Name of institution: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2022-03-31

Section 1: Capacity to Receive Records

Section 2: Capacity to Process Records under the Access to information Act and the Privacy Act

2.1 Number of weeks IRCC was able to process paper records in different classification levels.

2.2 Number of weeks IRCC was able to process electronic records in different classification levels.

Section 3: Open Requests and Complaints under the Access to Information Act

3.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

3.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the information commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Section 4: Open Requests and Complaints under the Privacy Act

4.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

4.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Section 5: Social Insurance Number (SIN)