Departmental Results Report for the period ending March 31, 2023

ISSN: 2561-1984

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Table of contents

• From the Minister
• Results at a glance
• Results: what we achieved
  • Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
  • Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration
  • Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports
  • Internal Services
• Spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • Human resources
  • Expenditures by vote
  • Government of Canada spending and activities
  • Financial statements and financial statements highlights
• Corporate information
  • Organizational profile
  • Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Operating context
  • Reporting framework
• Supporting information on the Program Inventory
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions

From the Minister

As the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, I am pleased to present the 2022–23 Departmental Results Report.

Many countries are now confronted with labour shortages across a variety of sectors. Coupled with an aging workforce, this has ushered in a global competition for talent.

Canada continues to adjust to these economic realities, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has taken steps to address labour shortages, especially in priority sectors like healthcare. This includes refining permanent economic immigration programs, amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to be more responsive to labour force needs, improving processing times and client experience, developing facilitative measures for temporary foreign workers and international students and supporting communities across the country in attracting and retaining newcomers.

The Department is also leveraging technology and new initiatives. Since June 2023, eligible air travellers from 13 additional countries can apply for an electronic travel authorization—which is a low-cost, rapid, light-touch, pre-travel screening program—instead of a visa. Express Entry applicants can get more information about their applications through the expansion of the Application Status Tracker to the Express Entry system.

In 2022, Canada welcomed a historic number of newcomers. We reached our target and welcomed 437,539 new permanent residents, surpassing the previous year’s record. We also reached the target of 4.4% French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec in 2022, one year before IRCC’s 2023 commitment. We also introduced temporary measures to allow international students to work longer hours off campus and to allow foreign nationals with an expired post-graduation work permit to stay longer in Canada by extending their work permit or inviting them to apply for a new one.

Although IRCC achieved historic admission levels of permanent residents in 2022, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. These include large processing inventories for some lines of business that sometimes push the Department beyond its service standards. By implementing technology-based solutions, streamlining processes and improving policy, processing backlogs have been reduced following the pandemic. IRCC will continue its efforts to enhance efficiency and boost productivity going forward.

Throughout the year, we leveraged partnerships to help deliver a sustainable immigration system that anticipates the needs of the future. Federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for immigration meet regularly, most recently in March 2023, to advance Canada’s ambitious immigration agenda. Continued consultation and collaboration with colleagues both bilaterally and multilaterally are essential to the success of Canada’s immigration system.

The Department has continued robust engagement with international organizations and counterparts from other countries to uphold our international humanitarian objectives and to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration. In 2022, Canada also resettled over 46,500 refugees from around the world, which included welcoming refugees from Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, as well as ongoing responses to crises in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and elsewhere. The Government of Canada remains committed to welcoming at least 40,000 vulnerable Afghans by the end of 2023. This year marked an important milestone with Canada welcoming over 30,000 at-risk Afghans. As of April 1, 2023, close to 147,000 Ukrainians and their family members have arrived in Canada from abroad under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for emergency travel.

Within the Department itself, we continue to advance Anti-Racism and Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. IRCC launched its Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0 in July 2022 to continue to advance racial equity and inclusion for all clients and employees. In 2022–23, 25% of staffing actions at the executive level were completed for Indigenous, Black, racialized employees and employees with disabilities which was further supported through increased training and mentoring for a more diverse executive team.

The Department also recognizes the challenges that Canada’s international borders have placed on Indigenous communities. In early 2023, an Indigenous Border Crossing Division was established within IRCC. The Department is exploring potential solutions to complex border crossing issues in consultation and collaboration with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities as outlined under Chapter 1: Shared priorities measure 52 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan.

As we look to the future, immigration will continue to play an even greater role in supporting Canada’s priorities. In February 2023, the Department launched “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future,” a broad engagement, policy and research review to ensure we continue to meet our objectives in the context of changing demographic, socio-economic and international dynamics. We are committed to continuing to work together to position the immigration system for the future.

I invite you to read about the Department’s achievements over the past year in the Departmental Results Report.

Results at a glance

Canada’s immigration system provides an opportunity to respond to global humanitarian crises and help people when they need it most. This includes the ongoing crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine, responding to the earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye, and addressing the Iranian regime’s systemic violations of human rights. Migration measures and resettlement initiatives have continued to be part of the Government of Canada’s approach to international crises.

Canada has increased its international capacity building supports to strengthen migration and protection systems, notably in the Americas, to address regional challenges linked to a sharp increase in irregular migration and forced displacement.

The time-limited Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident pathway, developed in response to COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions and border closures, focused on recent international graduates and essential workers already in Canada. This innovative pathway helped Canada welcome roughly 63,000 new permanent residents (39,000 in 2022) since the program launch in 2021.

Regional economic immigration programs were leveraged to fill in labour shortages throughout the country. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows provinces and territories to responsively adapt their program streams to meet evolving labour needs that arise in their respective jurisdictions, such as the health-care sector.

Similarly, the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) and Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) responded to critical labour market needs. The AIP was designed with the needs of key sectors in mind and allows Atlantic provinces to prioritize sectors with immediate labour market needs. The RNIP is a community-driven program, launched in 2019, which helps participating communities attract and retain newcomers to address key labour shortages.

IRCC further continues to pursue a whole-of-government approach to immigration, which includes enhancing working relationships, for example, through the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration and other official levels tables and working groups. These relationships include key partners such as:

• Other federal departments and other levels of government (provincial, territorial, municipal).
• Health, business, housing and education sectors.
• Social, community and settlement services.

This approach provides the opportunity to achieve shared goals and an integrated government response from addressing current and future economic objectives to meeting humanitarian commitments and promoting social cohesion.

Achieving targets on Immigration Levels Plan for 2022–2024

As outlined in the December 2021 mandate letter for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Department continues to bring newcomers to Canada to drive economic growth and recovery, as set out in the multi-year Immigration Levels Plan.

At the same time, the Department continues to work with federal, provincial/territorial and other partners to ensure the supports and services are in place to ensure the successful settlement and integration of permanent residents.

In 2022, Canada welcomed a record number of permanent residents (over 437,000 against a target range of 360,000 to 445,000), following an earlier record-setting target in 2021 to recover from the loss of admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In supporting post-pandemic economic recovery, 58.4% of PR admissions in 2022 were under the economic category to grow the labour force and help Canada stay competitive.

Ensuring the vitality of Francophone communities outside Quebec continues to be a key priority. In 2022, IRCC reached the target of 4.4% French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec, one year before its 2023 commitment. The Department remains committed to maintaining or exceeding this target in 2023.

Commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees and vulnerable Afghans to Canada

Commitment to Ukraine

According to the UNHCR, as of June 26, 2023, more than 6.3 million Ukrainians have fled Ukraine since February 2022.

Reducing backlogs across all lines of business

Automation has helped IRCC gain efficiencies and achieve its annual immigration levels by automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks, such as application creation and document upload to the Global Case Management System (GCMS), while also improving data integrity by eliminating the potential for error as a result of manual data entry.

The strategies, innovations and tools implemented made it possible for the Department to set the bar higher for processing. IRCC met its 2022 admissions target range of 360,000 to 445,000 and welcomed over 437,000 new permanent residents, surpassing the previous year’s record. Furthermore, as of March 31, 2023, the Department had already achieved 145,300 admissions of the 2023 permanent resident target range of 410,000 to 505,000.

Canada also welcomed a record number of 364,166 new citizens in 2022–23 compared to 221,919 in 2021–22, making it a banner year for the Citizenship Program. These results were, in part, due to temporary funding and additional temporary hiring which helped to process inventories.

Continuing to revamp and implement new tools and initiatives, coupled with replacing the aging GCMS with a new Digital Platform (through the Digital Platform Modernization initiative), will enable business transformation and enhance service delivery for all lines of business.

Enhancing Express Entry to support economic growth

As announced in Budget 2021, IRCC is improving the Express Entry (EE) system, which will allow Canada’s immigration system to continue to better support economic growth and meet labour force needs.

On June 23, 2022, legislative amendments were made to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that authorize the Minister of IRCC to invite eligible foreign nationals to apply to one of the economic immigration programs through Express Entry. This new authority, referred to as “category-based selection,” will increase flexibility to select program-qualifying candidates in the Express Entry pool with the skills and attributes needed to respond to Canada’s evolving economic needs and government priorities. The development of categories for use in category-based selection rounds will be informed by data and labour market information, as well as engagement with provincial and territorial partners, and stakeholder consultations. Categories will be based on key factors, such as official language knowledge and work experience, and will evolve over time.

The first use of category-based selection will focus on helping address structural labour market shortages and supporting economic growth through francophone immigration outside of Quebec. Categories supporting these priorities will focus on selecting candidates with strong French language proficiency, or candidates with recent work experience in occupations experiencing projected shortages in health care, trades, transport, agriculture and agri-food, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

On August 25, 2022, IRCC announced a transition period and scope for measures that were in place during the pandemic period, to allow international students to pursue their studies online from abroad while remaining eligible for Canadian Educational Credential points in Express Entry, thereby improving their chances of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence following the completion of their studies.

Facilitating transitions to permanent residence for physicians

On September 23, 2022, IRCC announced facilitative measures for foreign national physicians providing publicly funded medical services in Canada, so that they are more likely to be eligible for our Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class and relevant Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System points. This change makes it possible for physicians to leverage faster processing times through the Express Entry system, including when they are nominated by provinces and territories through Express Entry.

Welcoming more refugees and other displaced individuals through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP)

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) combines refugee resettlement and economic immigration. The EMPP

• helps skilled refugees and other displaced individuals, and their families, immigrate to Canada through three regional economic programs or through two new immigration streams under the federal EMPP pathway, and
• gives employers access to a new pool of qualified candidates to fill a wide range of in-demand jobs.

To date, the EMPP has resulted in a total of 116 permanent resident admissions (Phases 1 & 2). IRCC is continuing to work with participating provinces and territories, as well as communities and employers across Canada, to grow the pilot to welcome greater numbers of skilled refugees and other displaced individuals to fill labour shortages in high-demand sectors such as health care.

In addition to expanding eligibility to the EMPP pilot, in 2022–23, IRCC

• enabled the use of the Permanent Residence Digital Intake Portal for intake of EMPP applications,
• approved partner organizations to issue referral letters to EMPP clients who meet refugee related criteria,
• funded Non-Government Organizations (NGO) partners with $6.2M for work to grow the pilot, including candidate identification abroad, and domestic employer engagement,
• launched two new economic streams under the new Federal EMPP pathway, and
• continued to provide EMPP candidates with pre-departure medical services coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program.

Besides supporting skilled refugees and other displaced people in accessing existing regional economic programs, IRCC launched two new economic streams under a new federal EMPP pathway on June 12, 2023. These new streams allow Canada to increase its economic immigration and fill a wide range of in-demand jobs in critical sectors, such as health care, while also complementing its existing humanitarian commitments.

Supporting international migration and protection

IRCC continues to support capacity building internationally to strengthen migration and protection systems.

IRCC continues to engage in regional migration and protection capacity building in origin, transit, and destination countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region. This helps them better respond to and manage large-scale irregular migration and forced displacement movements, and to support safe, orderly and regular pathways for migration in the region.

This work builds on the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership, which was jointly declared in February 2021 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden, and includes a commitment to provide a safe haven to refugees and asylum seekers through various means, including resettlement.

Canada also endorsed the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection at the Summit of the Americas on June 10, 2022, alongside 20 other countries. The Declaration sets out shared principles to address the challenge of irregular migration and forced displacement in the Americas. As part of Canada’s support for the Declaration, Canada announced at the summit a number of concrete actions on labour pathways, which include promoting regular pathways, increasing the resettlement of refugees from the Americas, promoting complementary pathways for refugees, and providing international assistance to support migration and protection related capacity building in the Americas. Through 2022–23, Canada contributed to implementation of the Declaration by leading work related to: “Investing in Asylum” and “Refugee Resettlement and Complementary Pathways” Action Packages. 

In 2022–23, IRCC led Canada’s ongoing implementation of the Los Angeles Declaration, advanced collaboration on migration and protection issues with the U.S. and Mexico through the North American Leaders’ Summit, and continued to support the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration as a Champion Country, including through the first ever International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) in May 2022. Canada also served in international leadership roles, such as Chair of the Central America and Mexico Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework or Marco Integral Regional para la Protección y Soluciones (MIRPS) Support Platform until September 2022 and providing support as Past Chair through the rest of the year.

Since March 25, 2023, individuals who cross between ports of entry into Canada from the U.S. along the land border will be returned to the U.S. to pursue their asylum claim unless they meet an exemption or exception from the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), such as having a family member in Canada. This expansion in the application of the STCA across the entire land border, including internal waterways, now enables the STCA to:

• be applied consistently to all individuals entering Canada at the land border, regardless of where they enter;
• ensure orderly and consistent handling of asylum claims in line with the principles of STCA; and
• discourage irregular crossings and reinforce border integrity between Canada and the U.S.

In 2022–23, IRCC continued to advance Canada’s strategic migration and refugee protection objectives through active engagement in global, regional, and bilateral activities, as well as through capacity building in targeted countries in Asia and Africa. Capacity building efforts also continued in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria to increase migration and border management systems, including to promote regular migration pathways, and deter irregular migration, migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons.

Intergovernmental Relations

Through the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration, which met twice at the Ministerial level this year, federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers of immigration continued to advance joint initiatives to respond to pan-Canadian immigration priorities to improve the effectiveness of Canada’s immigration system in strengthening the positive economic and social benefits of immigration in all parts of Canada. 

In collaboration with provincial immigration partners and other stakeholders, IRCC renewed the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Immigration Agreement (July 2022) and concluded the Extension of the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (November 2022). These bilateral immigration agreements serve to define mutual priorities and effective mechanisms for sharing responsibility for immigration.

IRCC also ensured ongoing collaboration with the government of Quebec in all immigration categories, as this relationship is defined by the 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord and guided by the principle that immigration should support the preservation of Quebec’s demographic weight in Canada and its distinct identity.

Delivering health screening services and protecting public health in Canada

In 2022–23, IRCC processed over 1.5 million immigration medical examinations (IME) globally. That same year, we increased our global footprint of panel physicians and radiologists by almost 800 members in an effort to improve IME services and keep pace with growing immigration volumes. To support the protection of public health in Canada, we also completed more than 16,000 medical surveillance referrals to our provincial and territorial public health partners. 

Positioning the immigration system for the future

Building on these achievements, the Department is also looking to the future. In February 2023, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship launched, “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future”. What we heard through broad engagement, complemented by research and policy analysis, will inform the way forward. Ultimately, we need to work together to ensure that the immigration system is positioned to support Canada’s demographic and socio-economic needs and to underpin Canada’s continued leadership on the global stage.

For more information on IRCC’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.

Results: what we achieved

Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

Description

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) facilitates the entry of migrants who wish to come to Canada temporarily, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. The Department works with partners to verify that individuals meet admissibility requirements. IRCC processes visas, electronic travel authorizations, and work and study permits for tourists, business travellers, international students and temporary workers, whose spending and presence in Canada benefit the economy.

Results

Gender-based analysis Plus

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) is a tool for understanding how multiple factors, such as sex, race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, income, language, indigeneity, and age shape health, social, and economic outcomes for people and influence access to programs and services. It is used in the design and implementation of policies, programs, and other initiatives so that they are more inclusive and responsive to the different needs of people. IRCC remains committed to working toward the full implementation of GBA Plus throughout its business lines to ensure that its initiatives are developed with equity, diversity, and inclusion in mind.

IRCC Sex and Gender Client Identifier Policy

The IRCC Sex and Gender Client Identifier Policy, introduced in 2021, continued to help IRCC become more inclusive and better serve its diverse clientele in 2022–23. For all IRCC programs, the policy establishes how to collect, record and display a client’s sex or gender identifier as accurately as possible. The sex or gender identifier includes female (“F”), male (“M”) and another gender (“X”). As this policy provides more accurate and representative data of the Department’s clientele, it allows for robust GBA Plus to be conducted on IRCC programs and services. This additional information also aids in uncovering potential negative impacts or barriers to accessing IRCC programs and how best to mitigate them.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

IRCC’s Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers is aligned with Canada’s efforts to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Canada facilitates the entry of foreign nationals to work and study in Canada through programs such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the International Student Program, Post-Graduate Work Program, Global Skills Strategy, and International Experience Canada (IEC) program. These programs contribute to promoting inclusive and sustained economic growth, productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8), and reducing inequality within and among countries (SDG 10).

IRCC continued to leverage immigration to meet the needs of Canadian workers and employers while ensuring labour protection mechanisms and employment standards apply to temporary foreign workers in Canada. In 2022–23, IRCC continued to examine issues of labour rights and worker protection, including options for combatting unethical labour recruitment practices. The Department will also continue to provide training and resources to address these issues. These efforts support Canada’s commitments under the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs 8 and 10).

Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers

In 2022–23, IRCC continued to implement the Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers (OWP-V) program, which supports GBA Plus and contributes to the pillar of the Government of Canada’s Gender Results Framework on eliminating gender-based violence and facilitating access to justice.

In particular, the Open Work Permit helps to facilitate Temporary Foreign Workers in leaving abusive employment situations and gives them the ability to work for another employer, without compromising their authorization to work and live in Canada. Overall, the OWP-V program aims to promote the security of temporary foreign workers.

For OWP-V holders, qualitative and quantitative data on gender, age, country of citizenship, ability to speak in English or French, prior and subsequent work permits, and location of work (in Canada) are collected.

Innovation

To help support the reduction of application inventories, the Department launched the positive decision automation to fully automate approvals for straightforward, low-complexity study permit extension applications.

In March 2023, IRCC expanded the Application Status Tracker to the Temporary Resident lines of business allowing clients to be better informed about the history and processing activities related to their work permit, study permit and temporary resident visa applications.

In terms of leveraging advanced analytics to improve how IRCC interacts with its clients, over the course of 2022–23, the Department deployed tools tailored to over 40 IRCC offices, such as Beijing, Cairo, New York, to enable faster replies to client enquiries by providing publicly available information.

Key risks

There is a risk that with IRCC’s continued innovative use of automation and advanced analytics in support of leaner processes and improved service quality, that there may be some resulting intense public scrutiny (e.g., privacy concerns, public misunderstanding of the field). In response, IRCC is conducting data-driven risk assessments on the visitor, international student and temporary worker programs. These assessments identify evidence-based risk trends which can be leveraged to allow for facilitative processing while maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and security of Canadian society.

Results achieved

Departmental Result 1: Entry to Canada of eligible visitors, international students and temporary workers is facilitated

In 2022–23, IRCC continued to introduce measures to assist international students, including those already in Canada and those studying abroad, and to support the entry of temporary foreign workers, especially in essential services.

Facilitating visitors entry

To meet the re-emerging demand for travel post-pandemic, IRCC continues to create ways to manage the application of inventories that had accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic to help facilitate travel to Canada for clients. At the core of this approach is the commitment to process all new applications in a timely manner, while processing applications in the temporary resident visa backlog.

Extending Visitor stays in Canada

IRCC successfully deployed advanced analytics in October 2022 to streamline the eligibility assessment for all visitor record applications and help IRCC decision makers process applications more efficiently.

Special measures regarding Ukrainian, Iranian, Afghan, Turkish and Syrian nationals

Special measures: Ukraine

On March 17, 2022, Canada implemented the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) suite of measures. The CUAET measures allow Ukrainian nationals and their family members to apply to live, work and study in Canada for a specified period.

As of April 1, 2023, IRCC has approved over 661,700 applications (including extensions) and Canada welcomed close to 147,000 Ukrainians and their families via the CUAET program. IRCC also led the implementation of the three charter flights that brought nearly 1,000 Ukrainians and their family members to Canada, specifically to Winnipeg on May 23, 2022, Montreal on May 29, 2022, and Halifax on June 2, 2022. 

In April 2022, access to federally funded settlement services was expanded to Ukrainian and CUAET clients. Key services available to Ukrainians as they settle into their new communities include:

• language training;
• information about and orientation to life in Canada, such as help with enrolling children in school;
• information and services to help access the labour market, including mentoring, networking, counselling, skills development and training;
• activities that promote connections with communities;
• assessments of other needs Ukrainians may have and referrals to appropriate agencies;
• services targeted to the needs of women, seniors, youth and LGBTQI+ persons; and
• other settlement supports available through the Settlement Program.

Between April 2022 and March 2023, over 74,400 Ukrainian and CUAET clients accessed services provided by service provider organizations funded by IRCC. Dedicated service channels (web, email, phone) were also activated to provide clients with the most up to date information.

Since June 2, 2022, IRCC has been providing one-time payments of transitional financial assistance to eligible clients under the Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative (CUTAI), in partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada and Service Canada. The benefit consists of a direct one-time payment of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child (17 years and under). As of April 1, 2023, 147,397 individuals have been approved for payment under the CUTAI.

The Department has also been offering up to 14 nights of emergency temporary accommodations to eligible individuals, facilitated under the CUAET. From July 4, 2022, to March 27, 2023, 14,920 clients have received federally funded accommodation up to 14 nights; 86,436 total nights have been booked.

In 2022–23, certain measures were also extended under CUAET, including:

• overseas application intake being extended until July 15, 2023;
• those with approved CUAET visas having until March 31, 2024, to travel to Canada under the special measures to be eligible for various supports offered under CUAET (financial supports and temporary accommodations); and
• Settlement services will be available until March 31, 2025.

Special measures: Afghanistan

In addition to the commitment to welcome at least 40,000 Afghans as permanent residents, IRCC implemented special measures, such as fee waivers for certain types of applications and priority processing. These special measures remained in place in 2022 and fee waivers for all Afghan nationals applying for or seeking to renew their temporary resident status, work permit, or study permit from within Canada were extended until the end of 2023 in recognition of the ongoing situation in Afghanistan.

Special measures: Iran

In response to the gross and systematic human rights violations being committed by the Iranian regime, IRCC introduced temporary special measures to make it easier for Iranians who wish to extend their temporary status in Canada and to move between temporary streams, allowing Iranians to continue studying, working or visiting family by applying for a new permit from inside Canada, free of charge. Clients are also able to apply for a fee-exempt open work permit.

On December 19, 2022, IRCC announced that individuals from Iran could be eligible to apply for a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) and exempt from the 12-month requirement if they received a final negative decision on a refugee protection claim from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, a PRRA decision from IRCC, or an application for leave or for judicial review of a PRRA decision or refugee claim from the Federal Court.

In addition, the Government of Canada is also waiving passport and permanent resident travel document fees for citizens and permanent residents of Canada in Iran.

Special measures: Türkiye and Syria

In response to the earthquakes of February 6, 2023, IRCC introduced temporary special measures to support Turkish and Syrian nationals who are already in Canada and who may be unable to return home at this time. These measures allow eligible clients to apply for an extension of their status, free of charge, to continue to study, work or visit family. Clients are also able to apply for a fee-exempt open work permit.

In addition, the Government of Canada is also waiving passport and permanent resident travel document fees for citizens and permanent residents of Canada in Türkiye and Syria who wish to leave.

IRCC further prioritized temporary resident, permanent resident, and refugee applications in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes – while also introducing new pathways for Turkish and Syrian nationals in Canada to receive an open work permit.

Global Skills Strategy

To improve overall client experience, IRCC collaborated with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to promote the use of visitor records for individuals coming for short periods of time through the Global Skills Strategy work permit exemption. These changes ensure clients are able to apply for a social insurance number from Service Canada upon arrival in Canada and increase departmental consistency on how these clients are served. Reports on how many clients are impacted by these changes are to be obtained based on future IT changes.

Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents

In a July 2022, the Ministers of IRCC and Public Safety extended the maximum period of authorized stay per entry for Parent and Grandparent Super Visa holders from up to two years to up to five years. This measure further promotes family reunification for parents and grandparents wishing to come visit their children or grandchildren temporarily.

Facilitating International Students Entry

The talents and skills of international graduates play a vital role in addressing Canada’s labour shortage, while contributing to its labour market and key industries across the country. The Department is seeing an ever-increasing demand for studying in Canada. With more than 806,200 valid study permit holders at the end of 2022, we have reached an all-time high for the number of international students in Canada. From January to April 2023 alone, the Department received close to 262,000 applications for new study permits (excluding extensions), compared to approximately 190,000 submitted for the same period in 2022.

In Spring 2023, new Ministerial Instructions were signed and published regarding language testing requirements for the Student Direct Stream (SDS). The SDS is an expedited study permit processing program launched in 2018 and that has grown to include 14 high-volume low-to-medium risk countries. It was created to increase operational efficiencies, mitigate workload pressure, and lower processing times by requiring applicants to provide upfront documentation demonstrating that they meet specific language, and financial requirements. The SDS requires upfront documentation from applicants, including language test results demonstrating competency in English or French, and specify which academic and general language test results will be accepted.

Extended measures

In 2022–23, IRCC extended until August 31, 2023, with a reduced scope distance learning facilitation measures that were put in place during the pandemic to allow international students to study online from abroad without it negatively impacting their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit or its duration.

New measures

On October 7, IRCC announced a public policy to provide an exemption to eligible international students from the 20-hour-per-week cap on the number of hours that eligible post-secondary students are allowed to work off-campus while class is in session. From November 15, 2022 until December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule, as long as they submitted their application by October 7. This temporary lifting of the cap will allow international students to continue contributing to the Canadian economy and helping address our labour shortage, while gaining valuable work experience and preparing their Express Entry profiles.

In addition, the Department introduced new measures giving foreign nationals whose post-graduation work permit expired between September 20, 2021, and December 31, 2022 the opportunity to work in Canada for an additional 18 months by either extending their work permit or applying for a new one.

Leveraging Technology to Enhance Client Service

The Temporary Resident eApp (TR eApp) is a dynamic online application that allows overseas applicants to apply online for a study permit. The eApp provides a tailored experience and requests documents and fees based on the information provided by the applicant. It also allows students to apply within a group.

IRCC also successfully deployed automation tools in 2022–23 to facilitate the entry of international students on two key areas:

• by distributing study permit applications between officers based on available capacity or the characteristics of the application (e.g., one that requires a decision maker with local knowledge); and,
• by identifying study permit applications that may require additional verification.

Facilitating Temporary Workers Entry

In 2022–23, IRCC implemented a number of facilitation measures to help Canadian businesses bring in temporary workers to fill jobs in key sectors more quickly and to support broader economic, social and cultural goals of the Canadian government.

The International Mobility Program  allows employers in Canada to hire foreign workers in support of Canadian economic, social and cultural interests, while the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW) provides a means for employers to fill temporary labour needs when no Canadians or permanent residents are available. To support Canada’s economic success in 2022–23, IRCC prioritized certain applications under these programs, including seasonal agricultural workers, essential occupations in critical sectors such as health care and transportation, and vulnerable workers.

In May 2022, IRCC introduced a new work permit pathway called the International Mobility Program Plus to allow eligible foreign nationals who have received a letter of invitation from the province of Quebec to work for nearly any employer in the province before or after submitting their application for permanent residence. This allows selected workers to begin working and settle in the Province of Quebec more quickly. The processing of this new pathway is capped via Ministerial Instructions.

On January 30, 2023, IRCC implemented a temporary two-year measure to expand eligibility for open work permits to the spouses and dependent children of workers at all skill levels, with the exception of workers in the Low-Wage Stream or Agriculture stream of the TFW Program. This includes families of workers in health care, trades, and hospitality. This measure offers a greater opportunity for both foreign workers and their families seeking to work in Canada and for employers looking to fill their labour needs.

Extended measures

On February 26, 2023, IRCC extended and expanded the open work permit measure for eligible Hong Kong residents, until February 7, 2025. The extension applies to eligible Hong Kong residents who have graduated within the past 10 years from a post-secondary learning institution in Canada or abroad. Under the Hong Kong open work permit public policy, spouses or common-law partners and dependent children are also eligible to apply for a study or work permit.

Initially introduced in August 2020, the public policy allowing certain visitors in Canada to apply for an employer-specific work permit was extended for a fourth time until February 28, 2025. While all temporary residents can apply for an employer-specific work permit under this public policy, only those who held a work permit in the last 12 months may request interim authorization to work, which allows these foreign nationals to being working for their new employer more quickly.

Youth mobility through International Experience Canada

The International Experience Canada (IEC) program gives Canadian and foreign youth from 18 to 35 years old the opportunity to gain international travel and work experience. In November 2022, the new Canada-Italy Youth Mobility Agreement came into force. It is now possible for Canadian and Italian youth to participate and gain work experience under the three IEC categories–Working Holiday, International Co-op, and Young Professionals. A new agreement was signed with Finland in March 2023 and is expected to come into force in 2024.

In December 2022, IRCC also announced an increase of 20% in the number of applicants who can apply under the IEC program to come to Canada. This increase means that up to 90,000 youth will be able to work and travel in Canada, including Francophone youth, which will help employers fill labour gaps, and seasonal work opportunities in sectors such as Canada’s tourism industry.

Results Achieved

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Performance indicator analysis

Indicator 1: In 2022, the number of visas and electronic travel authorizations (eTA) issued to visitors, international students and temporary workers was 4,789,693. This is a two and a half times increase from the 2021 volumes. While 2022 volumes are below the target and are lower than the volumes between 2017 and 2019, the significant increase from 2021 volumes indicates that the volume of visas and eTAs issued is recovering from the impact of COVID-19, as travel restrictions have eased and global demand for travel continues to rebound.

Indicator 2: In 2022, a very small percentage (0.04%) of visitors, international students and temporary workers were found to be inadmissible on health grounds and 1.6% of those admitted to Canada overall had a condition on their visa related to health surveillance. Results have been fairly consistent over time, which demonstrates that even with the unpredictable nature of temporary residence applications in terms of volumes and country of origin, the general health profile of applicants has been stable. This year, while the proportion of applicants admissible with surveillance had a small increase (+0.3%), the proportion who were inadmissible on health grounds decreased (-0.06%). Protecting public health is an integral part of Canada’s immigration system, and these results demonstrate that IRCC’s health screening program is achieving the parallel goals of protecting the health of Canadians while facilitating the arrival of foreign nationals for temporary residence.

Indicator 3: The percentage of visitors, international students, and temporary worker applicants found inadmissible on safety and security grounds was 0.04%. The Department continues to monitor and review its programs regularly and to address new risks or issues as they rise.

Indicator 4: In 2022–23, 60% of temporary resident applications met their service standards for temporary residence applications, which is below the 80% service standard target. IRCC incurred significant backlogs primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, IRCC responded to various needs which diverted resources, such as the war in Ukraine, the commitment to welcome Afghans after the Taliban take-over of Afghanistan in 2021, and the increase of permanent residence goals. Government of Canada has committed more resources and IRCC has made technological advances to reduce backlogs for the coming years.

Indicator 5: In 2022–23, 83% of clients surveyed indicated that they were satisfied with the services they received. This percentage rate is the same as 2021–22 but is a slight decrease from previous years. COVID-19-related impacts on travel and processing likely impacted client satisfaction. The Department will continue to implement and explore initiatives to improve services, processing times and program integrity by leveraging automation and advanced data analytics, where appropriate.

Results achieved

Departmental Result 2: Temporary entry helps to generate economic benefits

Temporary residents contribute to our economy by filling job vacancies, creating jobs and supporting local businesses. Visiting family members also provide socio-economic benefits by supporting their hosts (i.e., child care) and enabling them to enter the labour market.

International students generate economic benefit

In 2022–23, IRCC took concrete actions to address labour needs as employers were facing unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining workers. On October 7, 2022, the Department announced it would provide a temporary exemption from the 20-hour restriction for off-campus work for eligible international students who applied for a study permit on or before that date. The temporary measure is in place from November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023.

In addition to facilitating labour retention for Canada’s economy, this temporary public policy provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable workplace experience while they study and make connections with employers, increasing their likelihood of gaining employment after graduation. Increased work hours can also help international students offset incidental costs they may face during their stay. IRCC is working with provinces and territories to assess the impacts of this temporary public policy before it expires at the end of 2023.

In April 2022, IRCC also announced a new temporary public policy that provides an opportunity for foreign nationals with expiring post-graduation work permits (PGWP) to get another 18-month open work permit. At the time, it was announced that anyone with a PGWP that expired between January 31, 2022 and December 31, 2022, would be eligible. The January 31 date was chosen as it was the date that IRCC announced an extension of the Express Entry pause. On August 2, 2022, the scope of the public policy was expanded to also include anyone whose post-graduation work permit expired since the Express Entry pause began on September 20, 2021.

Canadian employers and the Canadian economy also benefited from this measure, as it prevented workers from having to leave their jobs during the labour shortage.

IRCC is currently working on redesigning the international student program and exploring options for expanded pathways to permanent residence for international student graduates to support Canada’s economic growth and address labour market demands.

Temporary Workers (International Mobility Program and Temporary Foreign Workers Program)

To help address labour shortages, as of January 2023, IRCC expanded eligibility for work permits for spouses and working-age children of temporary workers at all skills levels to work in Canada for two years. This new measure will assist employers in finding the workers they need as well as improve the well-being, physical health and financial stability of workers by keeping families together.

Processing times for Global Skills Strategy work permits and related applications continued to be affected by the number of applications we received while COVID-19 health and travel restrictions were in place, and an increase in applications as health and travel restrictions in Canada and around the world were removed. In 2022–23, IRCC continued to recover and brought processing times down closer to the 14-day standard.

New regulations came into force in September 2022 to better protect temporary foreign workers and help to prevent mistreatment or abuse during their stay in Canada by

• mandating that employers provide all temporary foreign workers with information about their rights in Canada;
• prohibiting reprisal by employers against workers (e.g., against those who come forward with complaints); and
• prohibiting employers from charging recruitment fees to workers and requiring them to ensure that recruiters do not charge these fees.

In addition, employers are now required to make reasonable efforts to provide access to health care services (e.g., accessible phone to call an ambulance) when the worker is ill or injured at work. Most employers using the temporary foreign worker program are also required to provide private health insurance when needed.

Results Achieved

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Performance indicator analysis

Indicator 1: Given the lag in data availability for this indicator, which corresponds to 2020 and as such, fall outside of the reporting period for this Report. In 2020, visitors and international students contributed an estimated total of $15.4 billion to Canada’s economy. The study, ^Footnote1 which assessed the economic impact of COVID-19 on Canada’s international education sector in 2020, showed a significant negative economic impact. The decline in the number of international students studying in Canada led to an estimated $7.3 billion loss in the total student expenditures, which translated to a decline of $7.1 billion in Canada’s GDP in 2020. As well, the monetary contribution from the visitors has decreased significantly from 2019. Collectively, 2020 monetary contribution is below the $31 billion target and is below the $46.9 billion monetary contribution in 2019. Travel restrictions and border closures impacted the number of visitors and students to Canada.

Indicator 2: All TFW permits are issued against an Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) provided Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and it is a demand driven program. Work permits issued through the TFW exceeded the target due to ESDC’s Workforce Solutions Road Map, announced in April 2022, which introduced a series of facilitative measures to address labour and skills shortages in Canada, including: permanently removing caps on the number of low-wage positions that employers can fill in seasonal industries; increasing LMIA validity from nine months to 18 months; increasing the maximum duration of employment for TFWs in High-wage and Global Talent streams from two to three years; and, for seven sectors with demonstrated labour shortages, enabling employers to hire up to 30% of their workforce through TFW Program (up from 10%). In addition to the Workforce Solutions Road Map, ESDC/Service Canada implemented a series of measures to reduce backlogs and expedite the processing of LMIA applications.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as actual spending for that year.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources the Department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

The difference between planned and actual spending for 2022–23 is mainly attributable to new in-year funding received by the Department to:

• Provide temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada;
• Improve processing times and reduce inventory of applications across many programs that have accumulated as a result of COVID impacts;
• Improve client access at the Client Support Centre via telephone, eliminate the email inventory, and reduce the email response time; and
• Internally reallocate resources to respond to the increased demand in all temporary residence lines of business.

A portion of the funds provided to support Canada’s response to the Ukrainian crisis has been carried over to 2023–24 in order to meet operational requirements associated with the noticeable increase in Ukrainians seeking access to the temporary accommodations, as well as a high number of applications for the transitional financial assistance seen during the last quarter of the 2022–23 fiscal year and into 2023–24.

Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

Description

IRCC facilitates the admission and economic and social integration of immigrants and refugees who intend to stay in Canada permanently, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. The Department selects economic immigrant applicants to contribute to the Canadian economy, processes family member applicants to reunite families, and processes refugee and protected person applicants to provide a safe haven for those facing persecution. IRCC works with partners to verify that individuals meet admissibility requirements before they enter Canada. In order to support immigrants and refugees in integrating into Canadian society, IRCC offers a variety of settlement support services through a network of service providers.

Results

Gender-based analysis Plus

IRCC’s ongoing work to maintain the processing capacity of the in-Canada asylum system has contributed to more timely protection for those fleeing persecution. For instance, more timely protection has a beneficial effect on women (particularly those who have experienced oppression and/or gender-based violence), LGBTI individuals (increasing confidence to be who they are), and youth (allowing them to maximize their education/skill acquisition potential). Reducing the inventory of pending claims and working to stabilize the system as a whole has mitigated some of the vulnerabilities that asylum seekers face, which includes alleviating anxiety and uncertainty that draws from long waits for claims to be heard and shortening wait times for family reunification.

Asylum claims data that are recorded may be broken down by age, gender and family size to best analyze how vulnerable groups may be affected. IRCC and its partners continue to collect, analyze and disseminate disaggregated data based on the various vulnerable groups mentioned above. Asylum system partners, together with IRCC, have also continued their country monitoring and analysis with an emphasis on vulnerable populations.

GBA Plus has also been completed for a processing automation tool that IRCC launched for the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program to help reduce processing time. GBA Plus assessed the potential for bias to be introduced in the different stages of the lifecycle of the tool (tool design, rule development and selection, tool performance, human use of tool outputs). The analysis identified data and indicators that can be measured to assess the impacts of the tool on the sponsor and refugee principal applicant population, including gender, country of birth, marital status, age, family size, official language ability, and first language. Race was also included as an intersectional factor of analysis. GBA Plus did not find any significant impacts on either the sponsorship or refugee populations. Subsequent analysis will occur one year after implementation so any further impacts of the tool can be measured, and the model adjusted as needed.

In 2022–23, IRCC continued applying GBA Plus to all business lines to support inclusive outcomes for newcomers and refugees and to advance Departmental priorities in Anti-Racism, Gender Equality, and Truth and Reconciliation. Settlement service providers expanded and customized their services to address gaps and build on best practices for diverse newcomers, including persons with disabilities, women, children and youth, seniors, refugees and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals. The Settlement Program also plays a key role in advancing Truth and Reconciliation by facilitating meaningful connections, building shared understanding and promoting social cohesion between Indigenous peoples, newcomers and all Canadians.

A wide range of targeted measures were implemented within the Settlement Program, including women’s only language programming; peer mentoring for youth; child-care services to enable participation in settlement services; social connection activities for seniors; and targeted employment resources to improve economic opportunities for newcomers facing distinct barriers.

Addressing Gender-based Violence

In 2022–23, IRCC continued to support targeted programming within the Settlement Program to address Gender-based Violence (GBV). Under Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-based Violence, IRCC received $1.5 million in funding from 2017 to 2022. This funding was used to implement a settlement sector strategy on GBV through a coordinated partnership of settlement and anti-violence sector organizations.

The Gender-based Violence Strategy Partnership is continuing through Budget 2021 investments with an additional $2 million in funding for five years, until 2026. The GBV Partnership is a unique collaboration between the settlement and anti-violence sectors to build the capacity of the settlement sector to effectively respond to gender-based violence. The GBV Partnership has created a sector strategy, online training, and tailored resources through an effective, multi-sectoral approach. IRCC continued to work closely with other federal departments and agencies to include newcomer needs through various horizontal initiatives.

GBA Plus on the international scene

Through statements and meetings with key UNHCR officials and other delegations, Canada continued to monitor and encourage the UNHCR’s commitments to women and girls. Canada remains active in the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS, as per the Spanish acronym), which includes our role as Past Chair, where we remain committed to supporting the protection and empowerment of women and girls who have been forced to move.

In May 2022, IRCC attended the International Migration Review Forum of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM). At the review, Canada co-sponsored a side event to encourage the gender-responsive implementation of the GCM. The event brought together stakeholders around the goal of building capacity for the operationalization and implementation of the guiding principle of gender-responsiveness in times of stability and crisis. For the Government of Canada, it served as an opportunity to share best practices and resources, including those from the Canadian funded Gender + Migration Hub. Canada, supported by its multi-stakeholder delegation, also took on an informal rapporteur role on gender-responsiveness for the review. During the year, IRCC also supported the IOM in developing and launching a research report on the impacts of COVID-19 on migrants from a gender perspective.

In addition, the Department continued to support and promote Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security as the lead department on international migration issues. This encompasses providing support for the protection of women and girls through Canada’s immigration processing, programs, and services. IRCC also provides targeted settlement supports for populations that experience increased vulnerability, including women and refugees. These services address the settlement and integration barriers for these populations—empowering individuals to participate in Canada’s social, cultural, civic and economic life.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

IRCC’s continued participation in the federal initiative called It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence supports SDG 5 (gender equality) by enhancing the Settlement Program to provide services and resources to newcomers experiencing gender-based violence. In 2022–23, the Department continued to support the GBV Partnership, a coordinated partnership of settlement and anti-violence sector organizations.

For promoting peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16), IRCC continues to explore ways to support migrants who may be in vulnerable situations, which includes supporting migrant workers who are experiencing abuse or who are at risk of abuse with employer-specific work permits. The Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers provides an authorization to leave their employer and to stay in Canada to work for other employers. IRCC will continue to maintain the fee-exempt temporary resident permit (TRP) and expedited humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) permanent residence pathway for out-of-status foreign nationals experiencing family violence. Both of these measures extend access to an initial fee-exempt work permit while TRP holders are provided Interim Federal Health Program coverage if the conditions warrant such a response (SDG 5).

Innovation

In 2022–23, IRCC continued to pursue innovations in the asylum system. In September 2022, the functionality to make a claim for refugee protection inside Canada by using the IRCC Portal was launched. It allows claimants to complete their application for protection and submit documentation online. The portal allows for increased efficiency by rendering the intake process mostly paperless and decreasing manual data entry.

The asylum online application (eApp) makes registration and refugee intake processing at inland offices more efficient and includes the ability for asylum claimants to track the status of their application. Expanded use of IRCC’s online portal will reduce processing times compared to paper forms, contribute to timely decision-making, and provide claimants with simplified, 24/7 case tracking. The goal is to regularize online asylum claim applications in a way that preserves program integrity, while allowing for a more nimble asylum intake process in the post-pandemic environment.

The interdepartmental NOVA-to-GCMS interface implemented in 2022, facilitates communication between IRCC, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). This innovation allows all three partner organizations to securely, accurately and efficiently share documentation and information electronically regarding asylum cases.

On November 16, 2022, IRCC announced a new temporary public policy to exempt refugee claimants in Canada for certain requirements for open work permit issuance. The lifting of COVID-19 pandemic-related border restrictions and the high level of claimants seeking Canada’s protection led to a renewed surge in refugee claims in Canada, resulting in critical delays in the early stages of refugee claim processing. The implementation of this temporary public policy provides asylum claimants with timely access to open work permits that allows them to enter Canada’s labour market sooner and provide for themselves while they await a decision on their asylum claim.

Additionally, in terms of using automation, IRCC successfully deployed tools in December 2022 to facilitate the Department’s processing of privately sponsored refugee applications.

Moreover, IRCC is implementing a Renewed Risk Management Framework that seeks to identify, assess, mitigate, and monitor risks through data-driven risk analyses and standardized risk management practices, throughout the Department as well as an overall coordinated response to risk.

The Department is working towards implementing a new Crisis Management Framework to improve IRCC’s ability to anticipate, respond to, and comprehensively manage emerging crises where a variety of protection needs may be present. The Department is actively working to elaborate the potential scope of this framework with a view to equipping itself with the policy and program tools, and operational readiness planning to enable nimble and sustainable immigration responses to humanitarian crises. Through these actions, IRCC is committed to more responsive, consistent, and equitable responses to emerging crises.

Through a Request for Quotations process launched in 2022 under the Settlement Program, IRCC is also funding 17 new projects in the area of Anti-Racism, mainstreaming gender equality and GBA Plus with the settlement sector. These projects will enhance the ability of the settlement sector to identify, examine, and analyze the barriers and obstacles which diverse newcomers face as they settle and integrate into Canadian society. In addition, the projects will identify best practices that can contribute toward improved integration outcomes for racialized newcomers. These projects are currently ongoing.

Key risks

As future levels in permanent resident admissions increase, the Department may experience challenges in providing sufficient supports available to newcomers. For instance, rising immigration levels, and ongoing crisis responses are creating pressure on program delivery. Other risks that could potentially be considered are humanitarian disasters and future refugee crises, as well as growing asylum pressures due to global instability and high numbers of people on the move. Settlement agencies are facing challenges in recruiting and maintaining staff. The increased demands along with the complexity and diversity of client needs is also putting pressure on strained systems and increasing wait times for services.

IRCC continues to collaborate with the provinces and territories and other stakeholders to support successful settlement, integration, and citizenship acquisition of permanent residents. Successful integration is achieved through a whole-of-society approach that supports immigrants in their social and economic outcomes by providing the right supports at the right time; and offering dedicated programming for populations experiencing greater situations of vulnerability and barriers to integration.

Results achieved

Departmental Result 3: Potential permanent residents are selected for immigration to Canada

Immigration targets

The 2022–2024 multi-year Immigration Levels Plan, tabled in February 2022, set out a path for increases to permanent immigration targets to help the Canadian economy recover and to fuel post-pandemic growth. It set a target range of welcoming 360,000 to 445,000 new permanent residents in 2022, with a total increase in immigration of over 1.3 million newcomers over the three-year plan. This ambitious plan was developed to continue the post-pandemic economic recovery, and to address labour market needs in different regions across the country. It also aimed to support family reunification and maintain Canada as a safe place for those fleeing conflict and persecution, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians.

Canada met its 2022 target, and its mandate letter commitment, by welcoming 437,539 new permanent residents. This result was within our target range of 360,000 to 445,000, and also represents the highest number of permanent residents welcomed to Canada in a year. In 2022, IRCC also reached the 4.4% proportional target of French-speaking immigrant admissions destined outside Quebec, ahead of the 2023 deadline.

In 2022–23, IRCC implemented a Temporary Public Policy to exempt certain low-risk, in-Canada foreign nationals from undergoing a subsequent Immigration Medical Exam (IME) as part of their application for permanent or temporary residence. To mitigate the possible impacts on public health in Canada, clients must have made their application from within Canada and undergone an IME within the last five years that was assessed as posing no risk or low risk to public health or safety. This temporary public policy helps streamline processing for low-risk applicants, aims to provide better client service and supports faster processing of applications, contributing to reduction of inventories and supporting the achievement of immigration levels targets.

Economic immigration

Of 368,824 permanent resident admissions in 2022 (excluding Quebec admissions), 57% (210,119) were from the Federal and Regional economic immigration classes, which exceeded the target range of 170,800 – 227,000 set for these streams.

The Government of Canada recognizes the essential role of economic immigration in labour force growth and in attracting the range of in-demand skills and talent to meet the current and future needs of the economy. In 2022–23, as post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts gathered momentum, IRCC continued to explore and develop new approaches to select permanent residents in response to specific regional and labour market needs.

This includes innovative approaches to economic immigration, such as the Government’s announcement in June 2021 of the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) to ease barriers faced by skilled refugees in accessing existing economic immigration pathways, specifically the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.

Express entry

As announced in Budget 2021, IRCC is improving the Express Entry system, which will allow Canada’s economic immigration system to better support economic growth and meet labour force needs. An enhanced Express Entry system will also continue to help IRCC achieve the Government’s annual permanent resident admissions targets.

Amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act were passed on June 23, 2022, and have introduced new authorities to make category-based selection possible, enhancing responsiveness and flexibility in candidate selection for skilled worker programs managed in Express Entry. The new authorities require consultations prior to the establishment of categories, along with regular reporting.

With post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts well underway in 2022–23, the Express Entry system was leveraged to support a growing proportion of skilled immigrants from overseas to complement the ongoing efforts to retain talent already in Canada.

In February 2023, the Application Status Tracker was expanded to include Express Entry lines of business, allowing clients to be better informed about the history and processing activities related to their Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trade, and Provincial Nominee Program applications.

Facilitation of temporary resident to permanent resident

In light of border closures and restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it challenging to admit new permanent residents from overseas, in 2021–22 IRCC focused on temporary residents in Canada who could contribute to economic immigration objectives.

In 2022, close to 125,000 former temporary residents, including nearly 20,000 former international students, became permanent residents across economic, family and humanitarian, and compassionate pathways.

Strategy to Expand Transitions to Permanent Residency

On September 20, 2022, the Strategy to Expand Transitions to Permanent Residency was introduced, which outlines measures focused on increasing transition opportunities to permanent residence and to strengthen Canada’s ability to meet a range of labour needs. A five-pillar approach is used to fulfill this Strategy:

1. Use the increased immigration levels to provide Canada with a larger, permanent labour supply.
2. Involve legislative amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that increase flexibility to better address labour market needs through Express Entry.
3. Improve permanent economic immigration programs to help the transition, from temporary to permanent residence, of essential workers in high-demand occupations.
4. Support communities in attracting and retaining newcomers, including through Francophone immigration.
5. Increase processing capacity, improve client experience, and modernize the immigration system through technological improvements.

Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway

In 2022, over 39,000 temporary residents and their families were welcomed under the time-limited Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway, for a total of roughly 63,000 admissions since the launch of the program in 2021. The Department continues to process applications throughout 2023.

In June 2022, new measures came into effect for those who applied for permanent residence through the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway and are waiting for their application to be processed. These changes include:

• Applicants are no longer required to remain in Canada while their application is being processed.
• Applicants who apply for a work permit while waiting for their permanent residence application to be finalized are now able to get open work permits facilitated under a temporary public policy that is valid until the end of 2024. This will facilitate access to an open work permit until the processing of permanent residence applications under this pathway is finalized.
• To support family reunification, family members who are outside Canada and who were included in a principal applicant’s permanent residence application, are eligible for their own open work permit.

Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilot Programs

In 2022, IRCC finalized permanent residence applications for more than 6,000 caregivers and their family members under all caregiver pathways—over 4,330 caregivers and family members obtained permanent residence. This includes caregivers processed under the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots, the Interim Pathway for Caregivers, the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots, and the Live-in Caregiver Program.

Improvements were made to the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots to enhance inventory management and support immigration targets. On January 1, 2023, category sub-caps were introduced that more equitably distribute intake between new arrivals and applicants with in-Canada work experience. This shift will better support the access to the pathway to in-home care providers that have contributed to the sector in Canada, while also providing the opportunity for new in-home care providers to arrive in Canada and join Canada’s workforce.

Additionally, on February 10, 2023, IRCC announced a reduction in the amount of Canadian work experience—from 24 months to 12 months—required for caregivers to qualify for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots. This change makes it possible for caregivers and their families to benefit from a faster path to permanent residence and successful settlement in Canada.

Agri-Food Pilot

In 2022, roughly 1,000 newcomers were welcomed under the Agri-Food Pilot, including workers in the agricultural and agri-food sector and their families, which is a significant increase from 187 admissions in 2021. The number of applicants continues to increase. Work is underway to explore possible adjustments to the pilot program to continue to facilitate transitions to permanent residence of experienced workers in the agri-food sector. To this end, an extension of the pilot to continue to accept applications for up to two additional years and removal of the occupational sub-caps were measures implemented this spring.

Provincial Nominee Program

In 2022, Canada welcomed 88,257 provincial nominees and their families. Provinces and territories maximized their nomination allocation, as 99% of nomination allocations were used by all provinces, inviting those candidates most needed in their local labour markets.

Under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), provinces and territories can design and implement specific streams targeting skilled workers, international graduates, and entrepreneurs who want to live in that jurisdiction with the skills, education and/or work experience necessary to contribute to its economy.

Provinces and territories also continued to design innovative streams to test new approaches to regional economic immigration to meet specific needs, such as new approaches to attracting immigrants to smaller centres or designing streams to address specific labour shortages (i.e., Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Nurses Aides and Orderlies).

The Department will continue to work closely with provinces and territories in developing streams that meet their current and future labour market needs. 

Atlantic Immigration Program

The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers and international graduates from an Atlantic Canadian institution who want to work and live in one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador. The program helps employers hire qualified candidates for jobs they have not been able to fill locally. Most significantly, a 2020 evaluation of the pilot found that over 90% of AIP applicants were still living in the region after one year: a much higher retention rate than other programs. Since the pilot phase, the AIP has brought over 17,131 newcomers to the Atlantic region, with participating employers making over 11,000 job offers in key sectors.

The new permanent Atlantic Immigration Program continues to build on the strengths of the pilot and retains the core objective of attracting skilled immigrants to Atlantic Canada to address demographic and economic needs, as well as to continue to increase retention in the region. In 2022, Canada welcomed 4,874 AIP candidates and their families. Since transitioning to a permanent program in January 2022, over 1,500 employers have been using the Atlantic Immigration Program to fill their labour market vacancies and have presented over 1,600 job offers to skilled foreign nationals.

Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) aims to address Canadian labour shortages while providing durable solutions for refugees and other displaced individuals with the skills and qualifications that Canadian employers need.

The EMPP is Canada’s model for refugee labour mobility. In 2022–23, IRCC continued to expand the pilot, which included expanding eligibility, launching a new federal pathway with two new economic streams, and providing $6.2 million in funding to NGO partners to build their capacity in key areas, including candidate identification abroad and domestic employer engagement. 

Capacity building and knowledge sharing

In December 2022, IRCC announced new funding for partner organizations to build their capacity in key areas, for example by identifying qualified candidates overseas and supporting candidates and employers throughout the interview, hiring and immigration processes. Canada has also started rolling out a more flexible process with trusted partners to make it easier for qualified candidates to apply to the EMPP.

As the chair of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility, Canada is sharing the EMPP experience and lessons learned with other countries and is championing refugee labour mobility around the world.

Francophone immigration to Canada

The Government of Canada recognizes that immigration is key to supporting the vitality of Francophone minority communities across the country. Francophone immigration plays an important role in upholding Canada’s linguistic duality.

IRCC continues to work with provinces and territories to advance cross-jurisdictional efforts in support of its Strategy for Francophone Immigration and to strengthen the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec, adopted in 2018.

The Department continued to welcome new permanent residents through the time-limited Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway (applications received between May to November 2021) which included dedicated streams for French-speaking and bilingual temporary residents, whereby an unlimited number of applications were accepted. In 2022, 2,817 permanent residents were welcomed under the French-speaking streams.

Progress on 4.4% target

In 2022, the Department reached its target of 4.4% French-speaking permanent residents among all immigrants admitted to Canada outside Quebec—a year ahead of schedule. In 2022, Canada welcomed 16,381 French-speaking newcomers outside Quebec, three times as many as in 2018.

IRCC reached its target through concrete actions with successful impacts, including:

• increasing the additional points allocated to Francophone and bilingual candidates under the Express Entry system in 2020;
• introducing the time-limited temporary resident to permanent resident pathway in 2021 that had no cap for the French-speaking streams; and
• improving promotional activities in Canada and abroad, including the Destination Canada Mobility Forum.

Promotional activities

In 2022–23, the Department pursued a range of targeted promotional activities in Canada and abroad to attract, recruit, and retain qualified French-speaking foreign workers to Canada. IRCC offices abroad organized approximately 290 events and activities to promote immigration and study opportunities to French-speaking or bilingual candidates, including:

• The 18th edition of Destination Canada Mobility Forum, which focused on information and networking, was held in Paris and, for the first time, in Rabat, Morocco, with a subsequent online edition. This was IRCC’s largest promotional event for Francophone immigration outside Quebec.
• From November 17 to 30, 2022, in hybrid format:
  • The attendance of a delegation of 20 Francophone community organizations;
  • more than 83,000 requests to participate;
  • 15,000 candidates invited to participate in person and online;
  • 20 conferences and workshops; and
  • 656 available position profiles.
• In March 2023, the Destination Canada Mobility Forum was followed by two specialized online recruitment fairs, targeted at the information and communications technology and hospitality sectors, with the aim of attracting French-speaking and bilingual talent to fill Canada's labour needs.
• Collaboration with the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne and promotion of French post-secondary education outside Quebec in Africa, Europe and Asia.
• Promotion of Welcoming Francophone Communities at the Village de la Francophonie (November 13 to 22) at Parc Djerba Explore, as part of the Sommet de la Francophonie in Tunisia.

In Canada, 540 awareness activities were held in which the benefits of Francophone immigration were presented to stakeholders, including employers, economic development organizations and international students and their advisers in designated learning institutions. In addition:

• In November 2022, IRCC inaugurated the Centre for Innovation on Francophone immigration (CIIF) in Dieppe, New Brunswick. The Centre is one of seven measures proposed in the new Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 to improve Francophone immigration in Canada and act on the continuum of immigration as a whole, from promotion to settlement.
• The first hybrid version of the Tournée de Liaison was held from September to October 2022, with the objective of promoting the benefits of Francophone immigration, the Destination Canada Mobility Forum, and overseas pools of Francophone talent. In-person events were held in Sudbury, Ontario and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and on the Acadian peninsula in New Brunswick. Participants could also take part in certain online events. In total, 242 stakeholders registered, including 92 businesses, 58 municipal organizations, and 12 provincial and territorial governments.
• IRCC completed a web-based advertising campaign in 2022 and 2023 to promote Express Entry in countries with large Francophone populations.

Family reunification and modernization efforts

Throughout 2022–23, IRCC implemented several measures to facilitate the immigration of family through the Family Reunification Program.

IRCC devoted considerable resources to achieve higher volumes and faster processing of new spousal applications. These measures included file digitization, remote processing, conducting remote interviews, introducing an online application portal, using automation and advanced analytics to facilitate processing, and increasing the number of decision makers assigned to permanent residence applications. The Department also launched a new digital case status tracker that allows some family class permanent residence applicants, sponsors and their representatives to more easily check their application status online. Furthermore, the Department is conducting an Evaluation of the Family Reunification Program, focusing on the achievement of social, cultural and economic outcomes of clients, as well as identifying potential barriers to newcomer and sponsor access to the program. The Evaluation report and Management Response and Action Plan is anticipated to be completed in late 2023–24.

The total number of admissions within the family class for 2022 increased significantly compared to 2021, with 97,338 admissions in 2022 versus 81,423 in 2021.

Spouses, partners and dependent children reunification

IRCC welcomed 70,076 persons under the spouses, partner and children reunification category.

In alignment with the 2021 mandate letter commitment to introduce electronic applications for family reunification, the Department introduced the Permanent Residence Portal to allow applicants to apply digitally. A well, in October 2022, the Department announced the transition to online applications for most permanent residence applications, including those for spouses, partners and dependent children. As a result of our efforts on backlog reduction, while also processing new applications, processing times have improved for new spouses, partners and children applications in 2022–23.

To provide spousal sponsorship clients with increased flexibility, the Department has continued to offer virtual interviews to clients where possible. We are also working to expand the availability of virtual interviews at our overseas offices, including through a pilot project allowing spousal sponsorship and other clients to take part in virtual interviews at some visa application centres, rather than having to travel to a visa office.

In December 2022, the Department introduced the use of new and dedicated processing tools for spouses applying for a temporary residence visa (TRV) while they wait for the processing of their permanent residence application. Faster TRV processing enables families to reunite sooner and help to fulfill the 2021 mandate letter commitment related to spousal TRVs. The Department continues to monitor the results of this initiative.

Finally, the Department recently introduced a temporary public policy to facilitate the issuance of open work permits to spouse and partner applicants and their dependent children who reside with their sponsor in Canada and have valid temporary resident status.

Parents and grandparents reunification

IRCC welcomed 27,262 persons in the Parents and Grandparents category in 2022 and continues to process applications according to the admission targets in the Multi-year Levels Plan.

Potential sponsors randomly invited to apply as part of the 2021 and 2022 parent and grandparent intakes were directed to use the Permanent Resident (PR) Portal or Representative PR Portal, which allows applications to be submitted electronically. This is part of IRCC’s commitment to modernize Canada’s immigration system and simplify the application process. In 2022, IRCC conducted an application intake by issuing 23,100 invitations to apply to randomly selected potential sponsors who had submitted their interest to sponsor in 2020. Since sponsors are required to meet an income requirement over the previous three consecutive tax years before the date they apply, sponsors from the 2022 intake continue to be assessed under the reduced income thresholds for the 2020 and 2021 tax years, which were reduced due to the economic challenges posed by COVID-19.

Lengthy processing times for parent and grandparent applications are a result of the high inventory levels compared to the number of applications to be finalized on an annual basis to meet admission targets. Measured application intakes combined with the increased admission targets in the 2023–2025 Multi-year Levels Plan will have a positive impact on processing times for parent and grandparent applications.

For those interested in bringing their parents and grandparents to Canada, the Super Visa remains an effective multi-entry temporary resident visa that allows parents and grandparents to reunite with their adult children in Canada for extended periods. In 2022, IRCC made significant enhancements to the Super Visa to further promote family reunification, including increasing the length of stay per entry from up to two years to up to five years over the course of the validity of the visa. Parents and grandparents visiting on a Super Visa can also apply for two-year extensions to their stay while still in Canada.

Humanitarian and Compassionate and Discretionary Immigration

The Humanitarian and Compassionate and Discretionary immigration category is for those individuals and their families with humanitarian needs who would not otherwise qualify under a regular immigration category for permanent residence.

In 2022–23, 10,199 admissions were under the Humanitarian and Compassionate program. In addition, a large portion of admissions under the Humanitarian and Compassionate and Discretionary immigration category were for eligible applicants through various temporary public policies in effect throughout the year.

Temporary Public Policy to further facilitate access to permanent resident status for Out-of-Status Construction Workers in the Greater Toronto Area

The Temporary Public Policy for Out-of-Status Construction Workers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was originally established in January 2020 to recognize the economic contribution of long-term resident construction workers who faced vulnerabilities due to their undocumented status. The public policy was renewed in 2021, and subsequently in 2023 to further facilitate permanent residency for a total of up to 1,000 construction workers in the GTA and their family members. In 2022, 226 principal applicants and 310 dependants were admitted into Canada, for a total of 536 admissions.

Temporary public policy creating two pathways to permanent residence to facilitate the immigration of certain Hong Kong residents

On June 30, 2020, China imposed a national security law for Hong Kong, which criminalizes “secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces,” leading to discriminatory or arbitrary interpretation and enforcement of Hong Kong residents. In response, the Government of Canada committed to measures to help Hong Kong residents come to Canada.

One of these measures included the public policy that created two pathways to permanent residence to facilitate the immigration of certain Hong Kong residents to Canada. This public policy, in effect from June 1, 2021 to August 31, 2026, recognizes the contributions made by Hong Kong residents to Canada’s economy and social-cultural landscape through human capital, while also promoting democratic values. In 2022, 1,020 individuals were admitted as permanent residents in both streams.

Health-care workers permanent residence pathway

In close collaboration with the government of Quebec, IRCC created a temporary public policy to provide a pathway to permanent residence for certain refugee claimants working in the health-care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic (known as Guardian Angels). This one-time initiative, implemented between December 2020 and August 2021, recognized the extraordinary contribution of refugee claimants working in Canada’s health-care sector when there was an urgent need for help. In 2021 and 2022, 8,747 persons have been granted permanent residence under this initiative.

Pathway to permanent residence for families of Canadian victims of recent air disasters

In 2021, IRCC introduced a temporary public policy to offer a pathway to permanent residence for grieving families of victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 tragedies. In-Canada families of victims who were Canadian citizens, permanent residents or foreign nationals who were found eligible on their permanent residence application were able to apply for permanent residence under this public policy. The policy was in effect from May 12, 2021, to May 11, 2022. A total of 104 persons have been admitted as permanent resident under this public policy.

Building on this measure, IRCC developed a pathway to permanent residence for families of certain victims of these flights, who are outside Canada, to provide vital support to the surviving families of a Canadian victim. This pathway was launched on August 3, 2022 and will remain in effect for one year until August 2, 2023. As of March 31, 2023, two persons have been admitted under this public policy.

Fulfilling Canada’s humanitarian traditions and commitments by welcoming refugees

Canada has two distinct but complementary programs to provide protection to refugees: the Refugee Resettlement Program for those seeking protection from outside of Canada and the in-Canada Asylum Program for people making refugee protection claims from within Canada.

Resettlement

Canada’s continued commitment to refugee resettlement is part of its positive contribution to global refugee protection. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), for the fourth year in a row, Canada was the top resettlement country in the world, welcoming over 46,500 refugees from over 80 countries in 2022.

In 2022–23, IRCC worked with international partners, such as the International Organization for Migration and the UNHCR, as well as domestic partners that include Sponsorship Agreement Holders and the wider sponsorship community, to facilitate the ongoing resettlement of refugees to Canada.

Canada’s world-leading refugee resettlement programs provide opportunities for persecuted people around the world to find safety in Canada. Eligibility under the program covers all people facing persecution on a ground specified under the Refugee Convention, including religious minorities, ethnic minorities, people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, political dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders, scholars, and many other groups.

The Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) program delivers high-impact protection by focusing on the refugees most in need of resettlement among the tens of millions of refugees displaced by persecution and crises around the world. This program maximizes its impact on the lives of refugees by relying primarily on objective determinations by the United Nations Refugee Agency regarding which refugees are most in need of resettlement globally. This equitable approach to resettlement, whereby selection is based on an objective determination by a third-party expert with a mandate to protect refugees all over the world, makes Canada’s Resettlement Program a world leader not only in terms of impact on the people with the greatest need, but also in fairness, transparency, and non-discrimination.

In 2022, 23,911 refugees resettled in Canada under the GAR program, responding to the needs of refugees from around the world. Government-assisted refugees of dozens of nationalities were resettled, including people affected by events in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Syria.

The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program is a pioneering Canadian program dating back to 1978 that permits Canadian citizens and permanent residents to provide additional opportunities for refugees living abroad to find protection and build a new life in Canada. Interested sponsors can form their own group (Group of Five, Community Sponsor), or work alongside established sponsorship organizations, which are usually faith-based, ethnic or humanitarian organizations. Refugee cases are identified by the sponsoring groups themselves, often through a family or community connection.

Sponsors commit to providing monthly income support and emotional and social support for up to one year, including assistance finding housing and employment, orientation to life in Canada, and registration for essential services such as health care and education.

In 2022, Canada welcomed 22,517 refugees from dozens of countries all over the world through the PSR program, with the largest numbers arriving from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Syria, Iraq and Somalia.

Responding to the crisis in Afghanistan

The World Report 2023 by Human Rights Watch warns about the deepening humanitarian, political, and economic crisis in Afghanistan: with over 90% of the population facing food insecurity, the systematic targeting of ethnic and religious minorities such as Hazaras and Shia Muslims, and the grave degradation of the fundamental rights of women and girls, including the rights to expression, movement, work, and education. Acknowledgement of those at unique risk is reflected in the Government of Canada’s mandate commitment to resettle vulnerable Afghans, including women and members of religious and ethnic minorities. Extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, war crimes, and suicide bombings continue to impact ordinary Afghans within the country and remain significant push factors for migrants.

Throughout 2022–23, as part of a coordinated response to the crisis in Afghanistan, IRCC continued to collaborate with key federal departments, including Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence, allies and likeminded countries, regional partners, and international organizations, to bring Afghans to safety.

Hundreds of staff members have contributed to the Government of Canada’s efforts to support the Afghan people. IRCC has mobilized existing staff and hired additional resources to support Canada’s special immigration programs for Afghan nationals, including for the purposes of program development, application intake, and processing. This work leveraged both in-Canada resources and the broader global network to support expedited processing of applications. IRCC has also sent officers to a variety of locations across the globe to provide surge capacity and support the processing, biometric collection, and movement of Afghan clients.

IRCC actively participates in the Expert Platform on Safe Pathways for Afghans, a European Union Agency for Asylum initiative established in October 2021. The Expert Platform meets regularly to share experiences and discuss various issues such as resettlement, reception arrangements for Afghan refugees and integration.

IRCC continued to welcome Afghan refugees to Canada through the implementation of several new pathways, as well as the delivery of immediate and essential resettlement supports and services. IRCC has established several special programs for Afghan refugees. These include pathways for Afghan nationals who assisted the Government of Canada and their families, eligible extended family members of former Afghan interpreters, as well as Government Assisted and Privately Sponsored refugee pathways for vulnerable Afghans, with a particular focus on women leaders, LGBTI individuals, ethnic and religious minorities, journalists, and human rights defenders.

Throughout 2022–23, many Afghans continued to face great risks in attempting to leave Afghanistan and required assistance to make the journey. The Department continued collaborating with non-governmental organizations on the ground, and Journalists for Human Rights, to help facilitate the safe passage of Afghans to third countries. The Department also worked with the IOM to organize onward travel to Canada via charter flights and regular commercial air travel.

The Department recognizes the important role of international partners and NGOs on the ground and will continue collaborating with them to help facilitate the safe passage of Afghans through third countries and onwards to Canada. To this end, in line with the recommendations of the House Special Committee on Afghanistan, the Department provided support for parliamentary consideration of Bill C-41, which would remove the barrier linked to the potential criminal liability for the provision of humanitarian aid, immigration activities, and other government operations in Afghanistan and other geographic areas controlled by a terrorist group. These changes will remove an impediment to IRCC and other Canadian organizations that are delivering much needed assistance while maintaining Canada’s strong anti-terrorism laws and protections.

Earthquakes in Türkyie and Syria

Following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck northwest Syria and southeast Türkiye in February 6, 2023, IRCC introduced temporary special measures to support Syrian and Turkish nationals who applied for permanent residence from the affected region by prioritizing existing permanent resident applications (including those from people being resettled as refugees).

Western Hemisphere Commitment

On March 24, 2023, Canada announced its commitment to welcome 15,000 migrants on a humanitarian basis from the Western Hemisphere over the course of the year, with a path to economic opportunities to address forced displacement, as an alternative to irregular migration.

Asylum

Budget 2022 earmarked $1.3B over five years and $331.2M ongoing for IRCC, CBSA, and IRB, to support long-term stability and integrity of Canada’s asylum system. This funding is being used toward increasing the baseline capacity to process asylum claims from 26,000 cases per year to 50,000.

Asylum intake increased significantly from close to 25,000 claims in 2021 to almost 92,000 in 2022 following the lifting of the border restrictions that were put in place to manage the pandemic.

While ports of entry by both land and air also saw increased volumes, the largest increase was seen at irregular border crossings with more than 39,500 claims, having many choosing to cross at Roxham Road at the Canada-United States border. Throughout 2022, IRCC continued to work with other government departments and agencies, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and CBSA, as well as the provinces and territories, to monitor the situation and implement contingency plans to support preparedness.

In November 2022, IRCC introduced a new temporary measure allowing for a faster issuance of work permits to refugee claimants, in order to assist eligible claimants in the ability to financially support themselves and to ease pressure on provinces and territories.

Work continued to optimize the platform for the electronic submission of asylum claims with a view of modernizing and streamlining the asylum system process. This includes the new asylum online application (eApp), launched in September 2022, that allows individuals in Canada wishing to make a refugee claim to do so online.

IRCC continues to collaborate with its partners both in Canada and internationally to discourage irregular migration, including to proactively dispel misinformation and provide the facts about claiming asylum in Canada.

Implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Safe Third Country Agreement

On March 24, 2023, Canada and the United States announced further cooperation to address irregular migration and forced displacement, through an Additional Protocol to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) that expands its application to the entire land border, including internal waterways. The Additional Protocol came into effect on March 25, 2023. Now, foreign nationals who cross anywhere along the Canada-U.S. land border are not eligible to make an asylum claim, unless they meet an STCA exception or exemption, such as a family member in Canada. Otherwise, they will be returned to either the U.S. or Canada to pursue their asylum claim, under the first safe country principle. 

The expanded application of the STCA removes the incentive for crossing between ports of entry at locations such as Roxham Road, and ensures that individuals are treated consistently, regardless of where they cross the border. As such, the Additional Protocol will help to ensure the orderly handling of asylum claims, ensuring fairness and more orderly migration between our two countries. As a result of the Additional Protocol, Canada has seen a significant drop in irregular entries since March 2023.

As part of the announcement, Canada committed to welcoming 15,000 displaced persons from the Western Hemisphere on a humanitarian basis over the course of the year, to continue expanding safe, lawful pathways offered throughout the hemisphere as an alternative to irregular migration. This commitment affirms that managed, regular pathways that align humanitarian considerations with labour market opportunities also reduce incentives for irregular migration by providing safe and dignified alternative to prospective migrants.

Responding to events in Chad

On October 20, 2022, Chadian security forces fired on pro-democracy protesters in several cities across the country, including N’Djamena, killing at least 50 people and injuring dozens of others. People had gathered to protest a decision by the transitional military council to extend the transition period for another two years. The government repression continued, with massive arrests, alleged extra-judicial killings, as well as the incarceration of hundreds of protesters and political opponents.

In response, on March 30, 2023, IRCC announced that individuals from Chad may be eligible to apply for a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) if they received a negative final decision from the IRB or the Federal Court, or a final PRRA decision from IRCC between March 30, 2022 and March 29, 2023. 

In general, if someone’s refugee claim or previous application for a PRRA is rejected, abandoned or withdrawn, or if their application for leave and judicial review is dismissed by the Federal Court, they are not eligible to apply for a PRRA for at least 12 months; however, worsening conditions in Chad led to an exemption to this 12-month bar.

Interim Federal Health Program

The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides limited, temporary health-care coverage to protected persons, resettled refugees, refugee claimants, victims of human trafficking, persons detained under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and certain people resettled in Canada on the Minister's own initiative as a result of public policy or humanitarian and compassionate considerations until they are eligible for provincial or territorial health insurance or leave Canada.

In 2022–23, IRCC continued to invest in the IFHP to support these vulnerable newcomers to receive health-care coverage to address their essential medical needs, improve their overall health outcomes, and facilitate their integration into the health-care system, as well as to safeguard the health of Canadians.

International engagement and leadership

Canada continued to work with international partners to advance Canada’s priorities on international migration and protection. This included active engagement with IRCC’s key multilateral and regional partners, including the UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the UN Network on Migration, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees, the Transatlantic Council on Migration, and the Regional Conference on Migration.

Some notable examples of IRCC’s leadership and engagement with international partners on migration issues in 2022–23 include: 

• Championing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which is the first, inter-governmentally negotiated agreement on common approaches to international migration and protection in all their dimensions.
• Continuing to champion the Global Compact on Refugees, and highlighted support for the implementation of the Compact and its Three-Year Strategy on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways at the June 2022 Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement.
• Launching and chairing the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility (2022–24) to increase complementary pathways globally for refugees through economic immigration streams in third countries, such as Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathway Pilot. Among other accomplishments this year, Task Force members organized recruitment/job fair events in Nairobi and Amman to facilitate the provision of job offers.
• Continuing to chair the Support Platform of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) until July 2022 and then transitioning into a Past Chair role while maintaining strong engagement in the forum.
• Continuing to lead as the state partner in the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI) to promote the community sponsorship of refugees, drawing on Canada’s longstanding refugee sponsorship programs. This year, Canada and the GRSI Partners launched a new version of the GRSI Guidebook, which provides guidance to help governments and civil society organizations design community sponsorship programs adapted to their own contexts.
• Continuing, in partnership with CBSA, to chair the Migration Five, an international forum of immigration and border security agencies from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Canada’s engagement in this forum provides the opportunity to collaborate with key partners on efforts to improve the security and integrity of migration systems and enhance client service for travellers.
• Supporting Canada’s response to migration and displacement from Afghanistan, by participating in the European Union Agency for Asylum’s Expert Platform on safe pathways for Afghans. The Platform was established in October 2021 to promote European and global coordination on legal and safe channels for Afghans in need of protection, with follow-up meetings held monthly. The Government of Canada continues to work closely with the United Nations agencies and partners in the region, in responding to the situation in Afghanistan.
• Continuing to collaborate with the U.S., Mexico and UNHCR on the Regional Asylum Capacity Building Initiative to support asylum system policy and procedure development in Mexico.
• Continuing to address the root causes and impacts of irregular migration and forced displacement through the framework of the Los Angeles Declaration by leading two Action Packages: “Investing in Asylum” and “Refugee Resettlement and Complementary Pathways.”
• Advancing initiatives to bolster visa processing and enhance the international student program as part of Canada’s whole-of-government Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS). The IPS is a comprehensive roadmap to deepen the engagement in the Indo-Pacific over the next decade, including strengthening economic growth and resilience, enhancing our significant people-to-people ties.
• Continuing to use the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) to advocate for improved migration systems and for joint actions to address irregular migration issues in North and Central America. The RCM allows Canada to exchange information, experiences and best practices, as well as promote regional and bilateral cooperation on migration with the RCM Member States and international organizations such as the IOM, UNHCR, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Labour Organization and UNICEF.
• Working to promote balanced and evidence-based public discourse on migrants and refugees, recognizing the broader impact discourse can have on social cohesion, support for diversity, economic growth, and innovation, through the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). Since 2020, Canada maintains an international space for multi-stakeholder partnerships by co-chairing the GFMD Working Group on Public Narratives on Migration. This initiative allows the sharing of best practices on promoting balanced and evidence-based public discourse.
• Continuing to co-lead the It Takes A Community (ITAC) global social media communications campaign, which aims to positively shift public discourse on migration by increasing public awareness of the contributions of migrants and refugees make in their communities. Since its beginning, the campaign has generated over 12 million social media impressions (the number of times ITAC content was displayed).
• Continuing to actively engage bilaterally with key international partners and countries to collaborate on a range of migration and refugee protection issues. Through this engagement, IRCC:
• promoted greater international alignment with Canada’s views on migration and refugee protection and supported broader Canadian bilateral relationships and foreign policy goals;
• exchanged best practices with key partners abroad and in missions in Ottawa, which helped to improve IRCC’s policies and programs internationally;
• conducted regular engagements with embassies and high commissions in Ottawa and abroad, including exchanges of best practices with key partners; and
• facilitated a wide range of engagements between the Minister/Parliamentary Secretary/IRCC Senior Officials with key international partners in Canada and abroad to advance the Department’s priorities and bilateral migration relations.

Immigration and citizenship consultants

November 2021 marked the official opening of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, regulated under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act. The College is now the official regulator of immigration and citizenship consultants across the country; all paid consultants must be licensed by the College to work with IRCC.

The College has powers and tools to investigate professional misconduct and to discipline consultants. The College can also protect the public by:

• entering a consultant’s premises to gather information for an investigation;
• compelling witnesses to appear and testify before its Discipline Committee; and
• requesting court injunctions to address unauthorized practitioners providing immigration or citizenship advice.

The College is a key part of the Government’s efforts to fight fraud in Canada’s immigration system and builds on significant action over the past few years.

Some notable accomplishments of 2022–23, include:

• Continuing to advance the implementation of this regime by developing regulations to support the functioning of the College.
• Continuing to advance the implementation of a new system of administrative penalties and consequences, with the goal of improving compliance by all who provide immigration and citizenship advice and representation.
• Appointing five public interest directors to the nine positions on the College’s Board of Directors.
• Bringing into effect through Ministerial Regulation the Code of Professional Conduct for College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Licensees.
• Making amendments to the College Act, as well as related amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Citizenship Act through the Budget Implementation Act of 2023 in order to improve the College’s ability to govern the profession effectively. The amendments came into force June 22, 2023.

Results Achieved

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Performance indicator analysis

Indicator 1: In 2022, Canada welcomed the most immigrants in a single year in its history, which is within the target range of 360,000 – 445,000. To achieve this record, IRCC has added resources, embraced new technology, streamlined processing, and brought more processes online. These modernization efforts will continue to aid in addressing the processing challenges such as large processing inventories for some lines of business, as well as older and complex files so that targets can continue to be met in future. The 2023–2025 multi-year Immigration Levels Plan, announced in November 2022, has a long-term focus on economic growth, with just over 60% of admissions in the economic class by 2025. The plan also brings an increased focus on attracting newcomers to different regions of the country, including small towns and rural communities. It aims to continue to welcome immigrants at a rate of about 1% of Canada’s population.

Indicator 2: In 2022, IRCC reached its target of 4.4% French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec, one year before the 2023 deadline. The Francophone Immigration Strategy, and the resumption of overseas processing in early 2022 (previously on hold due to COVID), allowed IRCC to hit this milestone in 2022, with more than 16,300 French-speaking permanent residents admitted outside Quebec, more than in 2021 and 2020 combined. Of the French-speaking permanent residents, 80% came through the Economic class. The top three programs that contributed to these admissions include the Federal Skilled Workers (29%), the Provincial/Territorial Nominees Program (29%), and the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway (17%). Category-based selection was launched for Express Entry in May 2023. This will provide additional flexibility in selection, and better targets for invitations to candidates who meet specified economic goals. IRCC is on track to reach the Francophone immigration target again this year.

Indicator 3: In 2022, a very small percentage (0.1%) of permanent resident applicants were found to be inadmissible on health grounds, and 2.3% of those admitted to Canada overall had a condition on their visa related to health surveillance. This year, while the proportion of applicants admissible with surveillance had a small increase (+0.3%), the proportion who were inadmissible on health grounds decreased (-0.1%). As in previous years, the proportion of applicants admitted with a health condition requiring surveillance is notably higher than the proportion found inadmissible on health grounds. Protecting public health is an integral part of Canada’s immigration system, and these results demonstrate that IRCC’s health screening program is achieving the parallel goals of protecting the health of Canadians while facilitating the arrival of newcomers.

Indicator 4: In 2022, 0.11% of permanent resident applicants were found inadmissible on safety and security grounds. This represents a 0.04 percentage point increase from 2021 but remains within the historical range. The Department continues to monitor and review its programs regularly and to address new risks or issues as they rise.

Indicator 5: In 2022–23, the percentage (56%) of permanent resident applications that met service standards were below the target (≥ 80%). For Express Entry, a higher percentage of permanent resident applications under the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Workers and Provincial Nominee Program met service standards at 85%, 80% and 70% respectively. The Department faced challenges in processing applications in 2022 due to the historic number of newcomers admitted. Canada welcomed 437,539 new permanent residents, representing the largest number of individuals ever welcomed in a year. To help improve service standards, the Department has added resources, applied new technology, streamlined processing, and brought more processes online.

Indicator 6: In 2022–23, 81% of permanent resident clients surveyed indicated that they were satisfied with the services they received from IRCC. This rate is unchanged from 2021–22 but is slightly lower than 2020–21. The Department continues to manage increases in application volumes and continues to address backlogs of permanent resident applications. As digital solutions are being developed, it is anticipated that satisfaction rates will improve for the permanent resident programs in the next fiscal years.

Results achieved

Departmental Result 4: Permanent residents are welcomed and benefit from settlement supports

Benefits of settlement programming

The successful settlement and integration of newcomers benefits Canada by building a more inclusive, diverse and productive nation. The Settlement Program and Resettlement Assistance Program provide newcomers with services that help them adapt to life in Canada, setting them on a path to integration and full citizenship. In 2022–23, settlement services continued to be provided both in-person and online to over 607,866 newcomers to Canada by over 550 IRCC-funded Settlement Provider Organizations (SPOs).

To understand and address their needs, more than 295,000 newcomers received comprehensive needs assessments to guide their settlement journeys. The assessment included the identification of client strengths/assets to help individuals build on their knowledge, skills, abilities and life experiences. Further to the assessments, most clients received referrals to various IRCC-funded services and other community services, including mental health and legal services.

Investing in settlement services

In August 2021, IRCC announced an investment of $100 million over three years (2021–24) under the 2020–21 Service Delivery Improvement Expression of Interest process to improve the way newcomers access settlement services and support them and the broader settlement sector in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 78 projects were funded under three priority streams:

• Leveraging technology to support effective, equitable remote service delivery;
• Increasing employer involvement in the integration process to improve newcomer employment outcomes; and
• Building the capacity of the settlement sector to be flexible and resilient through social research and development, and enhancing anti-racism activities and programs.

The funded projects are underway, and all will end no later than March 31, 2024. In addition, all projects from the 2017–18 Service Delivery Improvement Expression of Interest process ended as of March 31, 2022. The final results from these projects will inform the future policy design of the Settlement Program, while also assisting settlement sector stakeholders to integrate relevant best practices into their own programming.

Language training services

The Department is committed to providing high quality, flexible and accessible language training services for newcomers as official language proficiency is key to successful settlement and integration. In 2022–23, over 100,000 newcomers participated in IRCC-funded language training to improve their knowledge and use of Canada’s official languages. In 2022–23, the Department continued to work with service provider organizations to deliver a range of in-person, blended, and online language training courses.

Program improvements were also introduced to enhance the national learning management system and create more teaching and learning resources to support administrators, instructors and newcomers. 

Francophone settlement services

In addition to income support, RAP provides GARs with additional supports, including assistance upon arrival, the provision of temporary accommodations, life skills training, as well as community and service navigational and orientation supports. While private sponsors provide support to meet the immediate and essential needs of sponsored refugees when they first arrive in Canada, all resettled refugees may access Government-of-Canada-funded settlement services through the IRCC network of service provider organizations.

In 2022–23, IRCC continued to leverage its network of RAP service providers, including new RAP service providers added in 2022 in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and New Brunswick, expanding the program to 44 communities across Canada. Extending the resettlement community footprint to include smaller and more remote communities will help to alleviate pressures under increased volumes of government-assisted refugee arrivals, as well as better support client (re)settlement and integration, accounting for cost-of-living considerations.

Communities across Canada continue to face tight rental market conditions with challenges for identifying affordable longer-term housing options. Through RAP, IRCC continues to support refugee arrivals by funding service provider organizations to provide additional housing search supports, testing new ways of providing for temporary housing supports, and providing additional supports to clients in the tightest markets who face additional barriers to securing housing, such as larger families or those with accessibility and/or safety considerations.

Results Achieved

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Performance indicator analysis

Indicator 1: Results from IRCC’s 2022–23 Annual Tracking Survey show that 61% of Canadians feel that the 2023 target of 465,000 immigrants is either about right or too few. While this result is lower than the target of 65%, it is not uncommon for this figure to fluctuate. In recent years, this result has ranged between a low of 57% in 2018–19 and a high of 76% in 2020–21. Despite these fluctuations, current support for the number of immigrants coming to Canada is significantly higher than it was in the mid-1990s, as measured in public opinion research conducted separately by IRCC and Environics Institute. It has remained generally consistent for the past 15 years, following a significant increase between 1996 and 2004.

Indicator 2: Language training is a key Settlement Program service provided to newcomers to help them integrate and build a successful life in Canada. For 2022–23, the percentage of clients who progressed one level or more in at least one language skill remains below target, as in previous years. While some formats of language training such as full-time training are associated with a greater likelihood of newcomers improving their language skills, to ensure flexibility and accessibility, the majority of language training classes are delivered on a part-time basis, allowing newcomers to address other settlement needs at the same time. Many classes continue to be delivered online, which may have an impact on the progression of learners, particularly those at lower CLB/NCLC levels and digital skills. Skills acquisition could be challenged by a variety of factors and newcomers’ individual experience.

Indicator 3: As a key component of IRCC’s Settlement Program, employment-related settlement services help immigrants and refugees overcome newcomer-specific barriers to prepare for, and connect with, the Canadian labour market. The latest results from the Newcomer Outcomes Survey indicate that a majority of newcomer respondents who received employment-related settlement services for the first time this year feel they acquired the necessary knowledge and skills to integrate into the Canadian labour market. This result is a significant increase from last year and exceeds the target and may be that the opportunities to integrate into the job market have improved due to the recovery of the Canadian labour market post-pandemic, which in turn might have been reflected in a stronger self-assessment of the utility of employment-related services.

Results achieved

Departmental Result 5: Immigrants and refugees achieve economic independence and contribute to labour force growth

Economic immigration programs

The Government of Canada offers several economic immigration programs that attract a broad range of talented people to contribute to communities across the country, some of which are listed below.

Provincial Nominee Program

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a jointly administered immigration program that provides the provinces and territories with an opportunity to address their economic development needs, while distributing the benefits of economic immigration across Canada. While all provinces and territories participating in the PNP have skilled workers and/or international graduate streams that can be used to nominate candidates to fill labour needs at any skill level, some have recently added innovative streams as part of their PNP to specifically target certain priority sectors (i.e., healthcare). These streams are often designed in partnerships with regulatory bodies, education institutions and employers.

In 2022, the Provincial Nominee Program represented 35% of planned economic admissions, with its share growing to 40% in 2023—making it the largest economic immigration program identified under the Immigration Levels Plan. In addition, IRCC launched the first ever Multi-Year Allocation Plan in 2023, which includes an unprecedented 44% growth in PNP allocations for 2023. This plan provides provinces and territories with their notional allocations for 2024 and 2025, which will provide more predictability and better respond to the needs of regional labour markets to ensure that provinces and territories distribute the benefits of immigration.

Atlantic Immigration Program

Initially launched as a pilot in 2017, and then transitioned to a permanent program in 2022, the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) aims to meet regional economic and demographic growth needs in Atlantic Canada. It was well received and found to be largely successful in supporting labour market needs in Atlantic Canada as a result of its unique employer-driven model, enhanced settlement support, and federal-provincial partnership approach.

The AIP admitted a total of 17,131 principal applicants and their families into the Atlantic region.

A Multi-Year Allocation Plan was also developed for the AIP, which provides the Atlantic provinces with their notional allocations for 2024 and 2025, and will provide them with more predictability, enabling them to better plan their programming to maximize these allocations. In alignment with the increase in AIP admission targets, AIP allocations under the Atlantic Immigration Program grew by 36% in 2023 compared to 2022.

Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) is a community-driven program that spreads the benefits of economic immigration to 11 communities across Northern Ontario and Western Canada. The pilot’s focus on retention and economic development is helping these communities to attract the workers they need by creating a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers.

In 2022–23, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot entered its fourth year. At present, IRCC is gathering evidence and assessing whether the RNIP is meeting its objective of attracting and retaining newcomers to participating communities to support their local economic development. This work includes the completion of an online client survey in fall 2022, which gathered information on newcomer retention, settlement service usage, sense of belonging, and community collaboration in RNIP communities.

Early lessons learned from the Pilot indicated that:

• It is supporting local labour market needs, including within critical sectors, such as, Health Care and Social Assistance;
• Many employers in these communities are using immigration for the first time to support their labour market needs and stated they would look to use it again; and
• Pilot candidates are staying within the community, a positive signal for retention.

The RNIP complements other regional economic immigration programs, and will establish best practices to help inform future immigration programs that could benefit a broader range of Canadian communities.

IRCC will continue to gather results and lessons learned to inform future regional immigration policy and programming. IRCC will also continue to leverage the RNIP to show that immigration to small and medium-sized communities can support their economic growth and cultural vibrancy.

Municipal Nominee Program

As part of IRCC’s mandate letter commitment to move forward on the Municipal Nominee Program, IRCC continues to engage with provinces and territories, and a broad range of stakeholders, to determine its optimal program design and delivery model. This includes supporting program design to consider economic need, as well as capacity related to municipality and settlement services.

IRCC remains committed to working with provinces and territories, and consulting with a broad range of stakeholders, to determine the optimal program design and delivery model for the Municipal Nominee Program.

Economic Mobility Pathways Project

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) aims to address Canadian labour shortages while providing durable solutions for refugees and other displaced individuals with the skills and qualifications that Canadian employers need. The EMPP is Canada’s model for refugee labour mobility:

• Phase 2 of the EMPP was expanded in November 2022, allowing approved organizations to issue Trusted Partner Referral Letters to EMPP candidates who meet Public Policy eligibility criteria related to refugee status.
• In June 2023, two new economic streams were opened under the new federal EMPP pathway allowing candidates to apply directly to IRCC without having to go through a Province, Territory or participating RNIP community.

Employment-related settlement services

In 2022–23, 68,825 newcomers accessed employment-related services. Employment-related services are a key part of IRCC’s Settlement Program. They equip newcomers, including refugees, with knowledge and skills to better understand the Canadian workplace and help them to overcome barriers in accessing the labour market. Employment-related services also include: assist newcomer entrepreneurs; provide targeted support to client groups facing multiple barriers, including to youth through Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy; and are complemented by efforts to engage employers to promote hiring and retention of newcomers and refugees.

The Department works with service provider organizations across the country to offer services such as work placements, mentorship opportunities, preparation for licensure/certification, networking opportunities, job search skills, information and referrals, and employment counselling.

2022–23 was the final year for the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot. This Pilot was designed to support employment outcomes and career advancement for racialized newcomer women, which included testing and evaluating the effectiveness of services for racialized newcomer women through the Settlement Program. The Department anticipates integrating overall learnings from the Pilot into broader employment-related settlement services to help ensure the program can better meet the needs of clients facing barriers on the basis of gender and ethnicity.

This year, IRCC also supported the ESDC-led mandate commitment to continue to work with provinces and territories and regulatory bodies to improve foreign credential recognition (FCR), IRCC is providing newcomers with information to help make informed decisions about their life in Canada—including what to consider, should they be interested in working in a regulated profession. Specifically, IRCC:

• updated a letter sent to Express Entry applicants when they join the Express Entry pool to provide clearer information on FCR; and
• developed a fact sheet on FCR, which can be accessed online by newcomers, or shared with them via settlement service provider organizations. This fact sheet provides important considerations and outlines requirements to immigrating, studying and working in Canada when it comes to professional and educational credential recognition.

Federal Internship for Newcomers Program

The Federal Internship for Newcomers (FIN) Program offers eligible newcomers a chance to gain valuable work experience, as well as training opportunities and mentorship at IRCC and at other Canadian federal, provincial and municipal organizations. Internships are offered in fields such as administration, project support and management, policy and research, and computer science.

Through IRCC-funded service provider organizations, candidates receive information on integrating into the Canadian workforce, job readiness training, interview preparation, core skills development, and knowledge to support them when applying for jobs in government in Canada.

In 2022–23, the FIN team collaborated with IRCC-funded service provider organizations to help candidates to acquire jobs in the Public Service. Candidates also received mentorship and training to support their integration into the Canadian workforce.

The FIN program was successful in securing 1,097 internships since its inception. In addition, Moncton was added as our seventh delivery location – enabling candidates in one more Atlantic region to receive job search support.

Results Achieved

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Performance indicator analysis

Indicator 1: In 2022, labour market conditions were favourable for workers, including newcomers. Employment growth was strong and there were reports of labour shortages across sectors and regions. This resulted in increased employment opportunities for newcomers and a higher employment rate.

Indicator 2: The increase in the proportion of immigrants and refugees in Canada who were above the low income measure threshold could be a result of the increased proportion of those working. Furthermore, in the context of a tight labour market, higher growth in wages for positions requiring a high school diploma or less was seen in 2022 due to a tight labour market.

Indicator 3: The Government had an ambitious levels target in 2022, resulting in 437,539 new permanent residents welcomed in 2022. This helps Canada stay competitive, increase the number of immigrants in the labour force and tackle labour shortages.

Results achieved

Departmental Result 6: Immigrants and refugees feel part of and participate in Canadian society

Settlement services: newcomer integration

IRCC-funded settlement services are in place to support newcomers, including refugees, to be engaged in their new communities. Going forward, services like needs and assets assessments, referral services, and information and orientation services, will continue to direct newcomers to needed supports and services as well as provide them with information on a variety of topics. These topics include finding work in Canada, laws and responsibilities, rights and freedoms, community resources and involvement, and Canadian citizenship.

In 2022–23, Community Connections services continued to support locally-based approaches that facilitate settlement and integration by addressing barriers and building welcoming and inclusive communities through activities such as conversation circles and learning activities including between newcomers and Indigenous peoples as well as for youth.

To foster welcoming and diverse communities, the Settlement Program provides funding for 86 Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) and Zonal Immigration Partnerships to coordinate services at the community level through cross-sector collaboration and planning. Most notably, the LIPs have supported community engagement in 2022–23 through a variety of activities, such as collaborating with Indigenous peoples to advance reconciliation efforts, coordinating stakeholders around access to affordable, safe and sustainable housing, and hosting workshops on digital literacy and technological needs for newcomers.

The National LIPs Secretariat continues to act as a focal point and voice for LIPs at the regional and national level and fosters partnership building to strengthen collaboration and information sharing among LIPs across the country. The Secretariat has taken a central role in anti-racism and anti-oppression initiatives, and bolstered information-sharing practices and coordination efforts among LIPs to support Afghan and Ukrainian resettlement.

Supporting Francophone communities

In 2022–23, the 13 Réseaux en immigration francophone (Francophone Immigration Networks) continued to bring together a diverse array of partners to welcome and integrate newcomers, including French-speaking immigrants into Canada’s communities outside Quebec. These Réseaux, which are located across Canada (except in Quebec), continued to support efforts outlined in the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative. A multi-year outcomes study of this initiative, which started in April 2020, is currently being conducted.

In 2022, the Réseaux en immigration francophone (RIF) Logic Model was revised to reflect the expanded role in promotion, community engagement and support of the Francophone Integration Pathway. As per the renewed logic model, the RIFs are mandated to, among other objectives:

1. address and meet newcomer needs and community gaps and assets;
2. mobilize and support community partners;
3. promote communities and their Francophone integration pathway among immigrants; and
4. coordinate concerted actions for the economic integration of immigrants.

Pressures on health services, housing, education

Canada is recognized internationally as a leader in managed migration, but there is room for improvement. Even with so many accomplishments in 2022, IRCC, alongside other federal departments, faced a number of challenges:

• Rising housing prices are making shelter costs unaffordable and the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation projects that 22 million new housing units are needed by 2030 to help make housing affordable.
• Canadians have also seen rising costs over 2022 due to supply chain disruptions, oil price fluctuations and changes in consumer demand brought on by COVID-19.
• Pressure on health-care systems in Canada are giving rise to long wait times in emergency rooms and difficulty finding family doctors.
• Unemployment levels dipped and job vacancies increased across many sectors leading to increased demand for new workers. Labour shortages were particularly acute in the health sector.

These challenges confronted Canadians and newcomers alike and may lead prospective immigrants to consider other destinations in the future. Looking forward, these issues are complex and will require creative solutions leveraging expertise and resources from across the whole of government.

IRCC Youth Advisory Group

In 2022–23, IRCC continued engaging with the IRCC Youth Advisory Group (YAG), a forum dedicated to engagement between youth (ages of 16–24) and officials on a range of departmental related issues and priorities.

Since the Fall of 2022, the YAG, which includes members with lived experience of migration, has focused on the theme of refugee resettlement with a view to develop recommendations for the Department on this topic in summer 2023. Several meetings have been held where YAG members provided their insights and views to senior departmental officials on topics such as Canada’s refugee resettlement programs, housing as it relates to the (re)settlement journey and mass arrivals, as well as departmental priorities such as the Strategic Immigration Review.

Results Achieved

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Performance indicator analysis

Indicator 1: Through the Settlement Program, IRCC seeks to build bridges between newcomers and communities across Canada to promote the whole-of-society approach needed to create a welcoming environment for newcomers. For example, through community connections programming, IRCC helps promote intercultural understanding and social cohesion, and ultimately enhance newcomers’ sense of belonging. Other settlement services, like language training, employment services, and information on various topics also enables newcomers to feel part of Canada. The latest results from the 2021 Newcomer Outcomes Survey indicate that a large majority of newcomer respondents feel a strong sense of belonging to Canada. This result is consistent with last year and remains above the target. 

Indicator 2:The result for 2022–23 is lower than the target of 30% or higher, however, it is an increase from 2021–22 results, indicating that immigrant and refugee volunteerism may be recovering following the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in fewer volunteering opportunities due to closures and health risks. In November 2022, Statistics Canada published data that indicates that the majority of organizations in the non-profit sector across the country are facing challenges related to volunteerism suggesting that newcomer volunteerism is part of a larger challenge.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as actual spending for that year.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the Department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Immigration and Refugee Selection and Integration spending is mainly related to grants and contributions. This year, grants and contributions reached $2.8 billion, which represents 70% of the total spending amount. Of this amount, $1.4 billion was spent on grants (including the Canada-Quebec Accord of $0.7 billion, the Resettlement Assistance Program of $0.5 billion, and the Interim Housing Assistance Program payments of $0.2 billion to provinces and municipalities). $1.4 billion was spent in contributions. The remaining 30% of the actuals, in the amount of $1.2 billion, was used to support IRCC's operational requirements, mainly for the implementation of the multi-year immigration levels plans, as well as to provide interim federal health care coverage for eligible recipients ($0.4 billion).

The difference between planned and actual spending for 2022–23 is mainly attributable to in-year funding received by the Department to:

• process cases and provide resettlement and settlement activities related to Canada's commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals;
• provide temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada and to provide one-time temporary financial support and settlement services under the Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative (CUTAI);
• continue providing temporary accommodations and support services to asylum claimants;
• implement the 2022 to 2024 Immigration Levels Plan;
• support a negotiation mandate for an exceptional agreement with Quebec to address the impact of COVID-19 on the established formula under the Canada-Quebec Accord; and
• improve processing times and reduce the inventory of applications across many programs that have accumulated as a result of COVID impacts.

Given the challenging situations and circumstances in Ukraine and Afghanistan which resulted in lower than anticipated arrivals, a portion of the funds received for these crises will be carried over to 2023–24 in order to meet operational requirements and continue providing income support under the Resettlement Assistance Program.

Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports

Description

IRCC promotes the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and issues secure and internationally recognized Canadian citizenship and travel documents so that Canadians can participate fully in civic society and so that travel is facilitated across borders while contributing to international and domestic security.

Results

Gender-based analysis Plus

Citizenship Program

IRCC continues working to improve policies related to accessibility, fairness and affordability to facilitate equitable access to citizenship for all permanent residents.

In 2022–23, the Department explored options to deliver on the Minister’s mandate commitment to make the citizenship application process free for permanent residents who have fulfilled the requirements.

Passport Program

The Passport Program collects several key data elements through the application form such as sex (including the gender “X” identifier), date of birth (age) and place of birth. Additional client demographics are collected through the annual client experience survey, both of which enable GBA Plus throughout various stages of client interactions with the Passport Program.

In 2022–23, the Passport Program conducted a review of its operational policies using an adapted Racial Impact Assessment Tool, which applied a GBA Plus intersectional analysis and included themes of systemic racial inequality, socio-economic barriers, truth and reconciliation, and digital modernization. This work carries on in 2023–24 as the Passport Program makes continuous adjustments to the identified policies and procedures to advance more equitable practices in areas such as:

• reducing barriers for disadvantaged groups;
• improving access for individuals with disabilities;
• recognizing family structures under custody, foster care, adoption and surrogacy; and
• eliminating prejudices.

The Passport Program has collected data that shows that applicants come from diverse family structures, and it is working to make changes that are reflective of this diversity. For example, the mother’s maiden name requirement is not inclusive terminology that considers the diversity of family structures such as same-sex male parents. The Passport Program is updating this requirement to include parents’ surname at birth instead, opting for more inclusive terminology.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

IRCC’s planned activities under its Citizenship and Passport core responsibility support Canada’s efforts to address the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development goals (SDGs). Transforming and improving service delivery through the revised Citizenship Guide, the Passport Program Modernization Initiative, and the Passport Modernization Abroad Project supports developing effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels (SDG 16). IRCC is committed to encouraging all permanent residents to acquire Canadian citizenship and benefit from permanently belonging in Canadian society, which underscores and supports the objectives of promoting inclusive and sustained economic growth, productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8).

Innovation

Passport Digital Services launched a pilot that ran between September 2021 and April 2023. The pilot was open to adult public servants from certain departments as well as employees of two airlines (Air Canada and WestJet), offering participants the opportunity to renew their passports online. The pilot enabled IRCC to position itself for a broader launch of an online application for passport, as it helped refine business’ readiness for an online delivery service, using a client-centric approach.

In addition, IRCC began piloting the issuance of an electronic citizenship certificate (e-certificate) to a select and targeted group of clients on June 27, 2022. The pilot provides the option to receive an e-certificate when applying for a grant of citizenship or proof of Canadian citizenship. This is allowing the Department to test functionality, monitor client and partner feedback, and make adjustments where necessary. Once fully launched, the e-certificate will be offered as an option to all applicants for evidence of citizenship (proof of citizenship) and to those who are granted Canadian citizenship.

On February 25, 2023, IRCC published in the Canada Gazette proposed amendments to the Citizenship Regulations to provide flexibility in the taking of the Oath of Citizenship. The proposal intends to improve application processing, client services, and overall system efficiency and integrity by giving applicants the choice in how they take their Oath to complete their Citizenship journey. Once the changes are in place, applicants may choose to take the Oath either at a ceremony (in-person) or virtually and through a secure online portal without the presence of an authorized official. Clients who opt to take the Oath through the online portal would also have the option to attend a public in-person citizenship ceremony at a later date. The comments received during the regulatory consultation period will inform the next steps and the development of implementation plans.

Key risks

IRCC continues to receive increased volumes of citizenship grant applications as immigration levels continue to grow. Pre-existing backlogs and service reductions in the Citizenship Program during the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated its limited processing flexibility and led to long wait times for clients. This situation has increased the urgency to move from paper-based processing and in-person events to digital processing and virtual client services which will alleviate wait times for clients and supports program stability as application volumes continue to grow.

In 2022–23, IRCC began drafting legislative amendments to the Citizenship Act, which would be required to enable future electronic administration of the Citizenship Program, machine-assisted decision-making, and the systematic collection and use of biometric information. The legislative proposal received Royal Assent via the 2023 Budget Implementation Act on June 22, 2023, establishing the foundation for the Department to modernize the Citizenship Program by expanding digital platforms and services, which will provide processing flexibility and enhance client service, and at the same time ensuring that the integrity of the Program is maintained.

Results achieved

Departmental Result 7: Eligible permanent residents become Canadian citizens

New Canadian citizens

Canada is proud to have one of the highest naturalization rates in the world and encourages all newcomers to complete their journey by becoming Canadian citizens. Canada welcomed a record number of 364,166 new citizens in 2022–23 compared to 221,919 in 2021–22, making it a “banner year for the Citizenship Program.”

Citizenship Program

IRCC remains dedicated to modernizing the Citizenship Program and reducing barriers for clients in order to better support eligible permanent residents in their journey to achieving Canadian citizenship.

In 2022–23, in response to the results and recommendations of the 2020 Evaluation of the Citizenship Program, the Department was able to make advances in the following areas aimed at reducing barriers and improving accessibility:

• Exploring options to implement the Minister’s mandate letter commitment to bring forward a plan to eliminate citizenship fees and reduce financial barriers for those who have fulfilled the necessary requirements.
• Amending legislation to enable the modernization of the Citizenship Program with the aim of improving client service and reducing processing times, which are seen as barriers to applying for Citizenship.
• Continuing efforts to increase the number of eligible permanent residents who apply to become Canadian citizens and to promote the rights, responsibilities and privileges of Canadian citizenship. For example, IRCC continues to work toward implementing a clear and transparent process for assessing and waiving the citizenship knowledge and language requirements on compassionate grounds, when appropriate.
• Continuing to develop supporting learning tools for use by newcomers to better prepare them for the citizenship test. The suite of learning tools, which will be based on the updated Citizenship guide, aims to improve the accessibility of the learning material for clients who face barriers to citizenship.

In collaboration with internal and external partners, the Department also continued its efforts to promote the rights, responsibilities, and benefits of citizenship to newcomers through citizenship ceremonies and outreach activities.

Building and maintaining relationships with Indigenous peoples

In June 2021, the Oath of Citizenship was amended to reflect Indigenous and treaty rights as part of the commitment to observe the laws of Canada, including Treaties with Indigenous peoples. Advancing Reconciliation continues to be an important priority for the Citizenship Program and in 2022–23 the Department was able to:

• Continue finalizing Canada’s new Citizenship Guide and corresponding study and learning tools in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 93, which calls upon the Government of Canada to revise the information kit for newcomers to Canada and its citizenship test to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Indigenous peoples.
• Continue working towards advancing Reconciliation within the Department by developing supporting tools and hosting awareness events.

Citizenship Modernization Initiative

IRCC’s electronic citizenship application (e-App) was released on November 30, 2020 to a limited number of eligible clients aged 18 to 54, applying alone, and without a representative. The e-App allowed them to submit their application and documents digitally, with no paper involved, to apply for Canadian citizenship on IRCC’s website. The option to apply online was initially available to a random 10% of website visitors.

In 2022–23, IRCC continued to build on the e-initiatives launched in 2020 and 2021. For example, the Department was able to:

• Continue to pursue digital solutions to improve processing, client services and overall system efficiency and integrity.
• Increase the number of clients who were invited to take the online citizenship test and expand the criteria for those who are eligible to submit an e-application via the digital intake platform.
• Conduct a public consultation on the regulatory proposal to provide flexibility in the taking of the Oath of Citizenship on Canada Gazette. Work on this proposal continues in 2023–24.

Results Achieved

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Performance indicator analysis

Indicator 1: Overall, the naturalization rate in Canada is among the highest in the world with 83% of all eligible immigrants choosing to become Canadian citizens. While Canada benefits from an overall high naturalization rate, evidence from recent censuses shows a declining trend in the naturalization rate among recent immigrants since the mid 1990s.

There are multiple factors that could explain the declining naturalization rate among recent immigrants: the level of education, income, knowledge of the official languages, migration patterns, potential impact of COVID shutdowns on processing times and dual citizenship laws in certain countries. Further research is necessary to fully understand the reasons for the decline in citizenship rate among recent adult immigrants.

Indicator 2: This is IRCC's first year of reporting on this indicator using the new methodology. While the Citizenship Program remains dedicated to meeting the 12-month service standard for Citizenship grant applications, impacts of historic paper‑based processing and participation in in‑person services continue to affect decision and ceremony times. A number of applications finalized in 2022–23 were older applications and as these older applications are cleared from the inventory, the Citizenship Program can expect to see improvements in meeting this service standard.

Indicator 3: In comparison to the previous fiscal year, the satisfaction rate in 2022–23 increased by 3.6% to a total of 81.3%. However, results for 2022–23 continue to be lower than the Department’s target (90%) due to initial disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and backlogs in inventories. IRCC remains committed to making services as efficient and client-focused as possible. As digital solutions and uptake with clients increase, it is anticipated that satisfaction rates will improve for the Citizenship Program in the next fiscal years.   

Results achieved

Departmental Result 8: Canadians’ international travel is facilitated

Passport and travel document services

Demand for passport services returned to pre-COVID19 levels in Spring 2022 as pandemic-related travel restrictions lifted and international travel resumed. Return in application volumes combined with limited office capacity due to public health and safety measures in place, led to a build-up of inventory that exceeded the Passport Program’s capacity to process applications within standard.

Working collaboratively with Employment and Social Development Canada/Service Canada and Global Affairs Canada, IRCC developed and implemented measures to mitigate operational pressures thus supporting service delivery partners to successfully eliminate the processing backlog and return to service standard adherence in 2022–23.

In addition, seven passport service delivery locations across the country were successfully deployed to the new modernized platform. These offices issued close to 46,000 passports in 2022–23. In 2022–23, we continue development and testing of the new ePassport Next Generation solution to be ready for domestic deployment in spring 2023.

The Passport Program also launched a new digital service option allowing Canadians that applied within Canada to check the status of their application.

Promoting diversity, inclusion, and Reconciliation with Indigenous people

The Passport Program continues to implement measures to facilitate free replacements of valid Canadian passports for any clients wishing to reclaim their Indigenous name. IRCC is currently exploring ways existing measures can be built upon.

Results Achieved

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Performance indicator analysis

Indicator 1: Canada’s passport program meets 100% of these standards. Canada continued to comply with the international standards outlining high-level requirements related to travel document issuance and security, as set out in Annex 9 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (16th edition). Canadian passports are designed with globally interoperable features and issued using secure, internationally recognized practices. 

Indicator 2: The results fall below the target in 2022–23 due to continued COVID-19 impacts. International travel restrictions greatly reduced passport demand for 2020 and 2021. When travel restrictions were lifted in March 2022, demand increased while ongoing public health restrictions in federal buildings limited operational capacity domestically. Staffing increases, along with new points of service and temporary measures, were put in place. As of October 2022, passport applications domestically were back within service standards and by January 2023 the backlog was largely eliminated. Going forward, modernization is key for future processing efficiency and modernization initiatives such as automation and a digital application model are moving ahead in 2023–24.

Indicator 3: The pre-pandemic overall client satisfaction rate was consistently over 90%. The drop in this rate in 2022 is a result of lengthy processing times experienced by clients while there was a global return to travel, which increased volumes of passport applications while capacity restrictions were still in place in offices domestically. The beginning of the 2023–24 fiscal year has seen improvement to service standard adherence, which will help improve client satisfaction results in the future. Additionally, modernization initiatives that are underway will reduce the likelihood of future service disruptions. These include moving away from paper-based mail-in applications by introducing a new online passport application process.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as actual spending for that year.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the Department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Citizenship Program

Financial figures associated with the Citizenship Program alone include $82.9 million in planned spending and $94.3 million in actual spending, for a variance of $11.4 million (or 14%). The variance is mainly attributable to in-year funding received by the Department to:

• improve processing times and reduce inventory of applications across many programs that have accumulated as a result of COVID impacts; and
• improve client access at the Client Support Centre via telephone, eliminate the email inventory, and reduce email response time.

Passport Program Operations

The Passport Program operates on a full cost-recovery basis from fees charged for travel document services. The surpluses recorded at the start of the 10-year business cycle make it possible to absorb the deficit in 2022–23. While the demand for Passport Program travel documents was trending to return to pre-pandemic volumes this fiscal year, the costs of delivering the Passport Program trends to take longer to realign to pre-pandemic costs. The higher costs are mainly attributable to additional resources that were required to manage a surge from the return to post-pandemic demand and the inventory that accumulated domestically in order to return to service standard adherence. Other expenditures related to investments for modernization as well as freight and materials costs that trended higher given higher volume received.

Internal services

Description

Internal services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support program delivery in the organization, regardless of the internal services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:

• Acquisition Management Services
• Communication Services
• Financial Management Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology Services
• Legal Services
• Material Management Services
• Management and Oversight Services
• Real Property Management Services

Results achieved

Client service excellence

Service excellence and improvement of the client experience continued to be a top priority for IRCC in 2022–23, with the goal of making programs and services more efficient, clear, and easy to use.

Permanent Residence Portal

Since the Fall of 2022, the Permanent Residence Digital Intake (PRDI) portal has become a 100% mandatory online submission for clients applying to become permanent residents in 24 Permanent Resident categories. Alternative formats for client application are also available for reasons of accessibility.

Application Status Tracker

IRCC Application Status Tracker allows citizenship grant applicants, permanent residence applicants, sponsors and their representatives in the spouse, partner and dependent child categories to more easily check their application status online. In 2023, we expanded this Application Status Tracker to include seven more permanent residence and temporary residence programs:

• In February 2023, the Permanent Resident Status Tracker was expanded to include Express Entry (EE) lines of business allowing clients to be better informed about the history and processing activities related to their Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trade, and Provincial Nominee Program applications.
• In March 2023, IRCC expanded the Application Status Tracker to the Temporary Resident lines of business allowing clients to be better informed about the history and processing activities related to their work permit, study permit and temporary resident visa applications.

Enterprise project and program management

To ensure the effective and efficient management of IRCC’s investments, IRCC’s programs and projects are delivered to a level of quality and value that reflects the Department’s role in Canada and abroad.

With many pressures facing IRCC, programs and projects will continue to adhere to existing departmental intake and prioritization processes, to maximize departmental resources. In 2022–23, interdependencies between these intake and prioritization processes and the departmental investment management and financial frameworks were further strengthened.

Digital Platform Modernization

• IRCC is on a multi-year journey to modernize and build a stronger immigration system—one that focuses on people, families and communities, helps reduce processing times, and is flexible enough to respond to global humanitarian crises to help those who need it most.
• To support the transformation of our immigration system, IRCC launched the Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) program, a multi-year initiative that will introduce a new enterprise-wide digital platform. This platform will enable new business capabilities to support more efficient, agile and effective operations. When combined, these changes will improve the overall client and service experience. 
• In January 2023, IRCC launched its first project under the DPM program, “Enabling a seamless online client experience.” As part of this first project, IRCC is procuring a new Client Experience Platform (CXP) that will make it easier for clients to apply for programs and services and to improve the overall client experience.

Once rolled out, the CXP will offer a seamless client experience across multiple channels and devices and will replace existing standalone client-facing portals and tools.

In parallel to work that is underway to procure the CXP, IRCC is also in the process of procuring a new Case Management Platform (CMP). The CMP is where the foundational elements of IRCC’s business transformation will reside, including new business rules, business processes, capabilities and technologies. The new CMP will be more reliable and flexible than our existing Global Case Management System and will help employees and service delivery partners to carry out their work more effectively.

When combined, the new CXP and the CMP will enable us to achieve our vision of being a digital organization that is able to continually adapt our services to provide new and innovative ways to serve our clients.

Accomplishments in 2022–23 as part of the Departmental Plan include:

• Delivery of the cloud component of the new integration solution that will modernize and reduce technical debt and will improve the way in which the Department will share and exchange information across platforms.
• Delivery of the Cloud Centre of Excellence and establishment of the platform, governance and processes for the Department’s “cloud smart” journey.
• Extensive engagement with industry to inform DPM’s procurement strategy (including Requests for Information, Industry Days, as well as identifying four Qualified Supplier Partnerships through an Invitation to Quality process).
• Launched of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for IRCC’s new Client Experience Platform (CXP).
• Finalization of the first DPM Blueprint, which describes IRCC’s future operating model (target state) and the strategy and vision for how DPM will transform the organization.

Access to information and Privacy

As IRCC continues to welcome more newcomers to Canada, the growth in the number of access to information and privacy (ATIP) requests has equally increased. Given that IRCC receives 64.3% of all ATIP requests within the federal government, the Department is leading various initiatives aimed at addressing and streamlining these growing volumes.

ATIP incorporated three phases of robotic processing automation (RPA) into its operations. The RPA has improved data integrity, timeliness, and end-to-end business processes with minimal disruption to ATIP operations. RPA performs low-complexity/high-volume tasks, including data entry, file and folder operations, and other non-decision-making tasks, allowing IRCC to reallocate resources to decision-based work.

To further its work related to privacy and protecting personal information in the development of IRCC’s programs and activities, a Privacy Policy Suite for IRCC was developed. The Privacy Policy Suite is a collection of mandatory policy instruments and tools that contain rules for the management and protection of personal information. The suite introduces and supports a privacy mandate with key objectives and guiding principles; emphasizes that all IRCC employees have a role in upholding privacy; and upholds the trust of the Government of Canada, Canadian citizens, our clients.

IRCC has also made improvements on how it communicates decisions on visa applications through implementing revised versions of our Temporary Resident refusal letters.

In addition, the Department is advancing work to explore the proactive release of Officer decision notes to clients who have been refused. IRCC recently completed a trial to examine the impact of proactively providing information to clients regarding the reasons for refusal of their application on their likelihood to submit access to information requests, which supports broader efforts to increase the amount of transparency provided to clients.

Workforce Engagement

IRCC recognizes that fulfilling departmental mandate commitments and government priorities depends on a diverse, engaged, healthy and highly competent workforce. Founded within its people management strategy, the Department is committed to excellence in people management based on successful and targeted recruitment to increase talent representation and retention efforts; meaningful employee learning, development and feedback; the promotion of healthy and respectful workplaces; and sound stewardship of human resources management.

In 2022, TBS launched the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), where it was found that IRCC employees continue to feel highly engaged and valued, and take pride in their work. This demonstrates that IRCC has taken the right actions for its employees to feel supported by management in their career development. This makes IRCC a highly recommended place to work (employer of choice) as employees receive recognition, clear objectives, training to do their jobs, and support in career development.

To increase the diversity of our workforce, IRCC continued to recruit at University and Diversity job fairs to attract new graduates.

In 2022–23, the Enterprise Change and Learning Academy (ECLA) provided functional change management guidance and direction throughout IRCC and promoted the adoption of sound management principles. To do so, ECLA contributed to the modernization and improvement of the employee life cycle by creating a Corporate Onboarding and Orientation Strategy to support departmental growth, support managers, increase employee engagement and productivity, and create better awareness about IRCC’s culture and values.

In addition, ECLA has prepared and supported IRCC employees for the future of the workplace, ensuring that they have the knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed in their current as well as future careers. The Academy provided guidance, tools and resources that supported an inclusive, engaged, equipped, high-performing and resilient workforce, including:

• A leadership series of virtual events for middle managers and online reference tools was designed and delivered to support the reintegration to the office and navigation in the hybrid workplace.  
• New Training Standards to promote the use of best practices for the creation of consistent, inclusive and user-accessible training were launched, which optimized learner experience.
• In recognition of the importance of evolving learning for the Department, a learning survey was distributed across the Department to take the pulse on learning. Over 1,300 responses were received. A project team was set up to address the Future of learning at IRCC.
• A new pilot diversifying the language training and learning services for Employment Equity seeking groups was launched. It included second language online learning and virtual coaching or tutoring for second language maintenance and career development.

Workplace Reintegration

As a result of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the majority of Government of Canada employees, including those at IRCC, were required to work remotely from home.

In 2022–23, IRCC supported the safe reintegration of employees back to the workplace in a hybrid model. Through detailed data analysis between an employee’s home and work location, IRCC ensured there was enough space for all employees following significant departmental growth during the three years of remote work.

Anti-Racism Strategy

In 2022–23, IRCC’s Anti-Racism Task Force expanded its strategic actions to advance racial equity in departmental policies, operations and people management practices.

Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0

• Vision
  

  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) maximizes the benefits of its programs to Canadians and newcomers through the elimination of racism in its policies, programs, service delivery and people management.

• Outcomes
  • Clear corporate governance and accountability for anti-racism initiatives
  • Racism-free people management policies and staffing practices
  • Enhanced integration of anti-racism with policy/program design and service delivery
  • Better alignment of intersectional approaches and anti-racism with stakeholders’ and service delivery partners’ equity perspectives
  • Evidence-informed decision-making supported by anti-racism lens
• Guiding Principles
  • Holistic
  • Sustainable
  • Evidence-based
  • Accountable
  • Intersectional
  • Empowering
  • Inclusive

Pillars

• Leadership Accountability
  • Embed anti-racism work permanently in IRCC’s structure at all levels
  • Ensure senior management is accountable for results on an ongoing basis
• Equitable Workplace
  • Remove barriers to career advancement of racialized employees
  • Create a workplace culture where all is included, feel welcome and respected
• Policy/Program Design
  • Establish a baseline understanding of biases and gaps within existing policy and program designs and program guidance of service delivery
• Service Delivery
  • Establish a baseline understanding of systemic racism and bias in program delivery operations and operational decision-making of officers
• Data and Research
  • Increase the availability of disaggregated data and anti-racism analyses
  • Strengthen the integration of anti-racism, GBA Plus and Reconciliation lenses

Foundations

Anti-Racism Systems Change Management

Shifting the conditions that hold racial and other inequities in place by implementing structural change in policies/programs and practices, relational change in power dynamics and transformative change in culture and mental models.

Collaboration and Consultation

Collaboration with other federal government organizations to advance anti-racism in public service. Consultation with external stakeholders, including non-profits, other levels of government, unions, academic and legal community for Strategy iteration.

In July 2022, the Department published Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0 (2021–2024) to bring into focus and complement the top-down and bottom-up initiatives by all branches within the organization to advance racial equity and inclusion for all employees and clients. The Strategy strengthened the overarching structure of multiple departmental actions to empower employees and equip them with the required resources and tools while establishing mechanisms of management accountability to create long-lasting culture change.

IRCC has also identified measurable goals, timeframes for results, key responsible departmental stakeholders, and accountability mechanisms to drive Anti-Racism actions along the identified pillars of work streams and build the momentum for creating sustainable and holistic institutional change in workplace practices, policies, program outcomes and service delivery.

The key practices in these areas included:

• Anti-Racism coaching and training for leaders and staff, monitoring the movement toward new workforce representation targets at all levels.
• Career development programs for Indigenous, Black, and racialized employees; racial impact assessment tools for policy and service delivery.
• Disaggregated data and intersectional research to build a strong evidence base in support of Anti-Racism work; and program integrity and risk management tools for addressing bias in operational decision-making.

IRCC has developed an analytical data-driven methodology to produce risk assessments for all populations. Applying the methodology could help improve program outcomes for Black and racialized populations by identifying lower-risk cohorts for facilitative processing.

To meet the Operations Sector’s commitment to identifying and mitigating bias in decision-making and risk management, IRCC developed the Institutional Bias and Racism Identification Method, which compares risk trends, program outcomes, engagement, socio-economic context and policies between cohorts. The methodology uses a comparative, data-driven model to identify possible differential outcomes, their potential causes, and possible gaps or biases to be further investigated. A pilot case study on refusal rates for Nigerian applicants identified a number of factors potentially contributing to differential outcomes.

Real Property Management Services

Notable achievements in the Real Property Management Services for 2022–23, include:

• Introducing IRCC unassigned flexible work location hubs in the National Capital Region and across the country in order to support reintegration to the office. 
• Supporting an inclusive and accessible workplace by completing several GCworkplace fit up offices, which are accessible by design.
• Introducing inclusive art work across various IRCC office locations from minority group artists, including Indigenous art. 
• Completing and ongoing developing of universal gender neutral washrooms.
• Installation and modernization of automatic door openers.
• Creating an Inclusive Workplace Design Working Group.

Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

IRCC is a Phase 1 department, and as such must ensure that a minimum 5% of the total value of the contracts that it awards are awarded to Indigenous businesses by the end of 2022–23. In its 2023–24 Departmental Plan, the Department forecasted that, by the end of 2022–23, it would award 5% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses.

As shown in the following table, IRCC awarded 5.23% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses in 2022–23.

IRCC has exceeded its 5% target for contracting with Indigenous-owned businesses by maximizing opportunities for Set-Aside procurements for commodities such as IT Professional Services, IT hardware/software, and management consulting. Our internal Procurement policy framework has been updated and reflects the commitment to Social Procurement including Indigenous business commitments. IRCC, in partnership with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), has made considerations for Indigenous businesses in major procurements such as the Digital Platform Modernization by requesting feedback from industry via a Request for information in 2022–23 and using this input to inform a strategy to include an Indigenous Participation Plan (IPP) and or evaluation criteria in the subsequent Request for Proposal estimated to launch in 2023–24.

IRCC is committed to continuous improvement and follows the Treasury Board Secretariat, PSPC and Indigenous Services Canada guidance on contracting and Indigenous-owned businesses targets. The Indigenous Considerations in Procurement (COR409) is now part of IRCC’s mandatory courses curriculum for all contracting officers. Over 90% of staff have completed the course while new staff are required to complete it within their first year. Our enterprise resource planning system tracks all relevant data available publicly via the Proactive Disclosure of contracts on the Open Government website.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Internal Services budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as actual spending for that year.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full‑time equivalents, the human resources the Department needed to carry out its Internal Services for 2022–23.

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

The difference between planned and actual spending for 2022–23 is mainly attributable to in-year funding received by the department for corporate support activities to:

• Implement the 2022 to 2024 Immigration Levels Plan;
• Improve processing times and reduce inventory of applications across many programs that have accumulated as a result of COVID impacts;
• Process cases and provide resettlement and settlement activities related to Canada's commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals;
• Provide temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada;
• Support other various initiatives such as the Digital Platform Modernization, the modernization of client support services, and the immigration and citizenship consultant information technology project.

As plans evolved throughout the year, priorities changed, therefore resulting in the need to reprofile funding for initiatives and leveraging its carry-forward into future fiscal years to align funding with revised plans and mandate commitments.

Furthermore, given the challenging situations and circumstances in Ukraine and Afghanistan, which resulted in a lower number of anticipated arrivals, a portion of the funds received for these crises will be carried over to 2023–24 in order to continue providing internal services functions to support these priorities.

Spending and human resources

Spending

Spending 2020–21 to 2025–26

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory) spending over time.

Text version: Departmental Spending Trend Graphic

Fiscal year	Statutory ($ millions)	Voted ($ millions)	Total ($ millions)
2020–21	410	2,750	3,160
2021–22	368	3,083	3,451
2022–23	460	4,749	5,209
2023–24	135	4,354	4,489
2024–25	68	3,405	3,473
2025–26	106	3,194	3,300

In this graph, financial figures from 2020–21 to 2022–23 represent actual spending incurred by the Department. Financial figures from 2023–24 to 2025–26 represent planned spending.

Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The “Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services” table presents the budgetary financial resources allocated for IRCC’s core responsibilities and for internal services.

Analysis of trends in spending

Analysis – 2022–23 planned spending versus 2022–23 available authorities for use

The 2022–23 planned spending is based on a set of assumptions made in the fall of 2021, as well as on the availability of funding at the planning stage. The difference of $2.5 billion (or 65%) between the 2022–23 planned spending and the total authorities available for use is mainly attributable to the cumulative unused surplus associated with the Passport Program as more revenues were collected in the first half of the 10-year (2012–13 to 2022–23) business cycle than the program required over that initial period.

The increase is also attributable to in-year funding received by the Department mainly to:

• process cases and provide resettlement and settlement activities related to Canada's commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals;
• provide temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada;
• continue providing temporary accommodations and support services to asylum claimants;
• implement the 2022 to 2024 Immigration Levels Plan;
• improve processing times and reduce inventory of applications across many programs that have accumulated as a result of COVID impacts;
• support a negotiation mandate for an exceptional agreement with Quebec to address the impact of COVID-19 on the established formula under the Canada-Quebec Accord; and
• improve client access at the Client Support Centre via telephone, eliminate the email inventory, and reduce the email response time.

Trend analysis – Actual spending from 2020–21 to 2022–23

The 2022–23 actual spending increased by $2.0 billion (or 65%) in comparison with 2020–21, which is mainly due to expenditures associated with the increased levels in permanent resident admissions, Canada’s response to the Afghanistan and Ukrainian crises, the increase in temporary accommodation costs in response to a higher number of asylum claimants, as well as an increase in spending for the Canada-Quebec Accord and for the Interim Housing Assistance Program to provide support to municipalities and provinces. IRCC made investments to modernize its client support services, improve processing times and inventory backlogs as a result of COVID-19 impacts, and stabilize its existing IT infrastructure while advancing the transformation and modernizing agenda and set foundations for new digital services.

Additionally, investments were made to ensure IRCC operations meet all aspects of security, policy and legal requirements, and to uphold commitments made to IRCC’s partner departmental and government bodies.

Trend analysis – Planned spending from 2023–24 to 2024–25

It is important to note that planned spending for 2023–24 and 2024–25 was published in the 2022–23 Departmental Plan. These figures were prepared based on funding approved up until January 2023.

The downward fluctuation in planned spending between 2023–24 and 2024–25 is mainly attributable to:

• the phase down of funding for processing cases and resettlement and settlement activities related to Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals;
• the end of available funding for temporary accommodations and support services provided to asylum seekers;
• the phase down of funding related to the immigration approach to ensure Ukrainian nationals receive one-time temporary financial support until the end of June 2023 and the provision of a new pathway to facilitate temporary and permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals and their families; and
• the decrease in temporary funding related to procurement, design and implementation of modernization activities for a client-facing platform and pre-implementation activities for future tranches of the Digital Platform Modernization.

2022–23 Budgetary actual gross spending summary (dollars)

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net spending for 2022–23.

Through its activities, the Department collects revenues on behalf of the government. Of these collected revenues, the Department has re-spendable revenue authorities for the Passport Program and International Experience Canada Program.

The International Experience Canada Program operates on a vote-netted revenue basis. Its revenues are generated through the collection of a participation fee.

The Passport Program operates on a full cost-recovery basis over its 10-year business cycle and generates revenue through fees paid for passports and other travel documents. The fiscal year 2022–23 marks the last year of the current 10-year business cycle.

Human resources

The “Human resources summary for core responsibilities and internal services” table presents the full-time equivalents (FTEs) allocated to each of IRCC’s core responsibilities and to internal services.

Analysis – 2022–23 Planned versus Actual Full-time equivalents

The increase in the number of 2022–23 actual full-time equivalents (FTEs) in comparison with the 2022–23 planned FTEs is mainly attributable to in-year funding received by the Department. This funding provided additional resources to:

• support the implementation of the 2022 to 2024 Immigration Levels Plan;
• improve processing times and reduce the inventory of applications across many programs that have accumulated as a result of COVID impacts;
• process cases and provide resettlement and settlement activities related to Canada's commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals;
• provide temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada;
• improve client access at the Client Support Centre via telephone, eliminate the email inventory, and reduce the email response time;
• provide the in-Canada asylum system (ICAS) with higher permanent capacity to process 50,000 claims per year, and a temporary top-up to allow for a higher number of claim finalizations while the system responds to pent-up demand; and
• support other various initiatives such as the immigration and citizenship consultants information project; addressing irregular migration to Canada and the Digital Platform Modernization.

Trend analysis – Actual FTEs from 2020–21 to 2022–23

The 2022–23 actual FTEs increased by 2,816 FTEs (or 33%) in comparison with 2020–21. The increase is mainly due to personnel expenditures associated with the increased levels in permanent resident admissions, Canada’s response to the Afghanistan and Ukrainian crises, the modernization of client support services, the improvement of processing times and inventory backlogs as a result of COVID-19 impacts, and the stabilization of its existing IT infrastructure while advancing the transformation and modernizing agenda and set foundations for new digital services.

Furthermore, investments were made to ensure IRCC operations meet all aspects of security, policy and legal requirements, and to uphold commitments made to IRCC’s partner departmental and government bodies.

Trend analysis – Planned FTEs from 2023–24 to 2024–25

It is important to note that the planned FTEs for 2023–24 and 2024–25 were published in the 2022–23 Departmental Plan. These figures were prepared based on resources approved up until January 2023.

The decreasing trend in the planned FTEs is mainly attributable to:

• the phase down of efforts related to processing cases and resettlement and settlement activities related to Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals;
• the phase down of efforts related to the immigration approach to ensure Ukrainian nationals receive one-time temporary financial support until the end of June 2023 and the provision of a new pathway to facilitate temporary and permanent residence for Ukrainian nationals and their families; and
• the decrease in temporary funding related to procurement, design and implementation of modernization activities for a client-facing platform and pre-implementation activities for future tranches of the Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) Program.

Expenditures by vote

For information on IRCC’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada.

Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of the IRCC’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in the GC InfoBase.

Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

IRCC’s financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2023, are available on the department’s website.

Financial statements highlights

The 2022–23 planned results information is provided in IRCC’s Consolidated Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2022–23.

Expenses by core responsibilities

Total expenses by core responsibilities of $5,955.3 million in 2022–23 included $2,795.3 million (46.9%) in transfer payments, $1,352.4 million (22.7%) in professional and special services and $1,282.8 million (21.5%) in salaries and employee benefits.

Total expenses increased by $1,975.0 million (49.6%) as compared to the previous year. This variance is mainly attributable to the following:

• An increase in transfer payments, mainly explained by increased arrivals and support under the multi-year Immigration Levels Plans, including the commitment for Afghan and Ukrainian nationals. This includes payments to refugees under the RAP, to local and national non-profit organizations, and to international organizations. In addition, there is an increase in spending for the Canada‑Quebec Accord and for provinces and municipalities, of which the Interim Housing Assistance Program and settlement services are included.
• An increase in the professional and special services expenses, mainly explained by an increased demand of passport services in Canada and biometrics collection services in missions abroad as a result of the lifting of the COVID‑19 pandemic travel restrictions and resumption of international travel.
• An increase in salaries and employee benefits mostly due to a higher number of employees.
• An increase in hotel rental costs to support the increase in asylum claimants arrivals.

Total expenses for 2022–23 are $1,343.6 million (29.1%) higher than the planned results. This variance is mainly attributable to the following:

• An increase under the Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration core responsibility, mainly explained by in-year funding received for the implementation of the 2022–2024 Immigration Levels Plan, to continue providing temporary accommodations and support services to asylum claimants, to provide one-time temporary financial support and settlement services under the CUTAI and for upholding and improving client services.
• An increase under the Passport Program, mostly attributable to additional resources required due to the increase in demand following the lifting of pandemic-related travel restrictions and resumption of international travel and to reduce the backlog. The increase is also attributable to other expenditures related to investments for modernization, as well as increase in freight and materials.
• An increase under the Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers core responsibility, mostly attributable to in-year funding received to provide temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada, improve processing times and reduce inventory backlog that has accumulated as a result of COVID‑19 impacts, and an internal reallocation of resources to respond to the increased demand for study permits.
• An increase under internal services, mostly attributable to in-year funding received to support various initiatives such as the implementation of the 2022–2024 Immigration Levels Plan, improve processing times and reduce inventory backlog that has accumulated as a result of COVID‑19 impacts, provide temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada, to process and provide settlement activities related to Canada's commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals. The increase to in-year funding received is also attributable to an internal reallocation of resources to fund additional Information Technology expenditures to help advance IRCC's transformation and digital services.

The chart below outlines IRCC’s expenses by core responsibility:

Text version: Expenses by Core Responsibility

Expenses by Core Responsibility	Amount (million)	Percentage
Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration	$4,144.8	70%
Citizenship and Passports	$807.5	13%
Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers	$543.0	9%
Internal Services	$460.0	8%

Revenues by type

Total revenues amounted to $1,827.6 million in 2022–23, of which $1,414.9 million (77.4%) were revenues earned on behalf of the government and $412.7 million (22.6%) were departmental re-spendable revenues, largely composed of Passport Program revenues and International Experience Canada revenues.

Revenues earned on behalf of the government increased by $300.7 million (27.0%) as compared to the previous year and are $558.1 million (65.1%) higher than the planned revenues. The lifting of COVID-19 travel and border restrictions resulted in a significantly higher demand when compared to the prior year. 

Departmental re-spendable revenues increased by $224.9 million (119.8%) as compared to the previous year and are $28.9 million (7.5%) higher than the planned revenues. The lifting of COVID-19 travel and border restrictions resulted in a significantly higher demand when compared to the prior year. 

The following chart outlines IRCC’s revenues by type:

Version text: Revenues by Type

Revenues by Type	Amount (million)	Percentage
Immigration service fees	$938.0	51%
Passport fees	$403.7	22%
Immigration rights and privileges	$230.5	13%
Citizenship service fees	$165.6	9%
Other revenuesFootnote *	$89.8	5%

Assets by type

Total net financial assets increased by $409.0 million (78.4%) in 2022–23 as compared to 2021–22. This variance is mainly attributable to the following:

• An increase in the amount due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund as a result of the increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities.
• An increase in the loans receivable mostly attributable to the increase in the level of refugees.
• An increase in the net accounts receivable and advances, mostly explained by an increase in accounts receivable from Other Government Departments.
• An increase in the inventory held for resale as a result of higher volume of the current generation passports (Series A), in order to have sufficient inventories until the end of the launch of the NextGen project initiative (Series B). NextGen deployment begun in June 2023 and will take place over a 9‑month period.

The following chart outlines IRCC’s net financial assets:

Text version: Total net financial assets

Total net financial assets	Amount (million)	Percentage
Due from Consolidated Revenue Fund	$676.2	73%
Loans receivable	$141.9	15%
Net accounts receivable and advances	$76.5	8%
Inventory held for resale	$35.8	4%

Total non-financial assets increased by $16.8 million (10.9%) in 2022–23 as compared to 2021–22. This variance is mainly attributable to the following:

• An increase in the tangible capital assets, mainly explained by acquisitions mostly related to internally developed software and partly offset by the yearly amortization expense.
• An increase in the inventory held for consumption mostly explained by an increase of material required to meet increase in the number of new passport applications and an increase in IT equipment orders received at year-end.
• A decrease in the prepaid expenses for cloud services.

The following chart outlines IRCC’s non-financial assets:

Text version: Total non-financial assets

Total non-financial assets	Amount (million)	Percentage
Tangible capital assets	$147.7	86%
Inventory held for consumption	$14.5	8%
Prepaid expenses	$9.9	6%

Liabilities by type

Total net liabilities increased by $286.2 million (56.5%) in 2022–23 as compared to 2021–22. This variance is mainly attributable to an increase in the accounts payable and accrued liabilities mostly due to amounts payable to Other Government Departments (OGDs) and to service provider organizations in response to higher number of refugees.

The following chart outlines IRCC’s net liabilities:

Text version: Total net liabilities

Total net liabilities	Amount (million)	Percentage
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$713.1	90%
Vacation pay and compensatory leave	$59.3	8%
Employee future benefits	$19.3	2%
Immigrant Investor Program	$0.7	0%

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s website.

For more information on the Department’s organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Minister’s mandate letter.

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on IRCC’s website.

Reporting framework

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2022–23 are shown below:

Version text: Departmental Results Framework

• Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
  • R1: Entry to Canada of eligible visitors, international students and temporary workers is facilitated
    • I 1. Total number of visas and electronic travel authorizations issued to visitors, international students and temporary workers
    • I 2. Percentage of visitor, international student and temporary worker applicants found inadmissible on health grounds and those who are authorized to enter with a condition on their visa related to health surveillance
    • I 3. Percentage of visitor, international student and temporary worker applicants found inadmissible on safety and security grounds
    • I 4. Percentage of temporary resident applications that met service standards
    • I 5. Percentage of visitor, international student and temporary worker applicants who report they were satisfied overall with the services they received
  • R2: Facilitation of temporary entry helps to generate economic benefits
    • I 6. Total monetary contribution of visitors and international students to Canada’s economy
    • I 7. Number of temporary workers who fill labour market needs for which Canadians are unavailable
• Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration
  • R3: Potential permanent residents are selected for immigration to Canada
    • I 8. Total number of permanent resident admissions, against the annual immigration levels plan
    • I 9. Percentage of permanent residents admitted to Canada, outside Quebec, who identify as French-speaking
    • I 10. Percentage of permanent resident applicants found inadmissible on health grounds and those who are permitted admission with a condition on their visa related to health surveillance
    • I 11. Percentage of permanent resident applicants found inadmissible on safety and security grounds
    • I 12. Percentage of permanent resident applications that met service standards
    • I 13. Percentage of permanent resident applicants who report they were satisfied overall with the services they received
  • R4: Permanent residents are welcomed and benefit from settlement supports
    • I 14. Percentage of Canadians who support the current level of immigration
    • I 15. Percentage of settlement clients who improved their official language skills
    • I 16. Percentage of settlement clients who acquired knowledge and skills to integrate into the Canadian labour market
  • R5: Immigrants and refugees achieve economic independence and contribute to labour force growth
    • I 17. Percentage of newcomers who are employed
    • I 18. Percentage of immigrants and refugees who are in the middle income range or above
    • I 19. Percentage of the Canadian labour force that is made up of immigrants and refugees
  • R6: Immigrants and refugees feel part of and participate in Canadian society
    • I 20. Percentage of immigrants and refugees that have a strong sense of belonging
    • I 21. Percentage of immigrants and refugees who volunteer in Canada
• Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports
  • R7: Eligible permanent residents become Canadian citizens
    • I 22. Percentage of permanent residents who become Canadian citizens
    • I 23. Percentage of citizenship applications that met service standards
    • I 24. Percentage of citizenship applicants who report they were satisfied overall with the services they received
  • R8: Canadians’ international travel is facilitated
    • I 25. Percentage compliance of the Canadian passport with international standards
    • I 26. Percentage of Canadian travel document applications that met service standards
    • I 27. Percentage of passport applicants who report they were satisfied overall with the services they received

Program Inventory

• Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
  • Visitors
  • International Students
  • Temporary Workers
• Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration
  • Federal Economic Immigration
  • Regional Economic Immigration
  • Family Reunification
  • Humanitarian/Compassionate and Discretionary Immigration
  • Refugee Resettlement
  • Asylum
  • Settlement
• Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports
  • Citizenship
  • Passport
• Internal Services

Supporting information on the Program Inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s website.

• Details on Transfer Payment Programs
• Gender-based Analysis Plus
• Reporting on Green Procurement
• Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits

Federal tax expenditures

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures, such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

Organizational contact information

Mailing address
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Canada
Telephone: 1-888-242-2100
Email: ParliamentaryReports-RapportsParlementaires@cic.gc.ca.
Website: ircc.canada.ca

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

full‑time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person‑year charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the full‑time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person’s collective agreement.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])

An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives; and understand how factors such as sex, race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic conditions, geography, culture and disability, impact experiences and outcomes, and can affect access to and experience of government programs.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2022–23 Departmental Results Report, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the November 23, 2021, Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fighter harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation; and fighting for a secure, just and equitable world.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non‑budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)

The process of communicating evidence‑based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision-making, accountability and transparency.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

A consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.

Indigenous business (enterprise autochtones)

For the purpose of the Directive on the Management of Procurement Appendix E: Mandatory Procedures for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses and the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses, an organization that meets the definition and requirements as defined by the Indigenous Business Directory.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.