Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Departmental Plan 2020-2021

ISSN 2371-8102

Table of contents

• From the Minister
• Plans at a glance
• Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks
  • 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: Planned results
• Spending and human resources
  • Planned spending
  • Planned human resources
  • Estimates by vote
  • Condensed future-oriented statement of operations
• 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 honoured to present the 2020–2021 Departmental Plan for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This report sets forth our government’s plan for attracting the talent needed to spur innovation and create jobs, while continuing to reunite families and offer protection to the world’s most vulnerable.

Much of IRCC’s work is focussed on carrying out the work established by the annual immigration levels plan that balances demographic and economic objectives by selecting permanent residents who meet the economic and social needs of Canadian communities while remaining committed to Canada’s international obligations.

A key element of IRCC’s levels plan is the recognition that regions and communities across Canada have unique needs when it comes to immigration. To better address this, we will continue to design and implement innovative pilots and programs tailored to regional labour market needs.

For example, we will take steps to make the Atlantic Immigration Pilot a permanent program. Similarly, we will work closely with the 11 communities from Western Canada and Ontario selected as part of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot to prepare for the arrival of the first wave of newcomers later this year. We will also work towards introducing a Municipal Nominee Program that recognizes the vital role municipalities play in ensuring the successful integration of newcomers.

Canada remains committed to resettling and addressing the needs of those refugees most at risk. In 2020, the Department will introduce a dedicated refugee stream to provide a safe haven for human rights advocates, journalists and humanitarian workers at risk. This will augment the work we are already doing to help women, children and LGBTI refugees facing persecution in their home country.

IRCC remains committed to ensuring the fairness and integrity of Canada’s asylum system is maintained. We will continue to make investments to improve processing capacity to permit asylum claimants to benefit from timely protection decisions.

For newcomers building new lives in Canada, settlement services can play a critical role in providing the support needed to become established, feel welcome in Canadian communities and integrate into the Canadian labour market and society. We will continue to work with service providers to deliver high-quality settlement services and new, innovative programming that is responsive to the diverse needs of our clients, such as the Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot and the Welcoming Francophone Communities Initiative.

In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, in 2020 we will continue to closely consult with diverse groups to revise the citizenship guide and advance the legislative work on the Oath of Citizenship to include more Indigenous perspectives and history. And to allow new Canadians to fully participate in Canadian society, we will develop a plan to eliminate fees for those who fulfil the requirements for obtaining Canadian citizenship.

As the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, I look forward to building on Canada’s long history of welcoming newcomers who will grow our economy and contribute to a diverse, inclusive and prosperous society for all Canadians.

Plans at a glance

Meeting regional economic needs

At the centre of this plan is the recognition that regions and communities across Canada have unique needs when it comes to immigration. The Department will continue to design and implement innovative pilots and programs tailored to regional labour market needs, such as the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot and the Municipal Nominee Program, so that the benefits of immigration are spread across Canada, especially outside major urban centres.

Enhancing efficiencies in the asylum system

In 2020–2021, the Department will work to deliver on mandate letter commitments to enhance efficiencies in the asylum system. This includes continuing to implement Budget 2019 investments which augmented the processing capacity of the asylum system and expanded a pilot project aimed at increasing efficiencies in the processing of refugee protection claims, while maintaining the integrity and fairness of Canada’s immigration system. This will be accomplished through ongoing work with partner organizations, including the Asylum System Management Board. In addition, the Department will continue to work with federal, provincial and international partners to address the challenges of irregular migration.

Providing high-quality and targeted settlement and resettlement services

Settlement and resettlement^{Footnote 1} services play a key role in ensuring that newcomers have the support they need to establish themselves in Canada, feel welcome in their new Canadian community and are able to successfully integrate into the Canadian labour market and society. Through the recent National Call for Proposals 2019, starting in 2020, the Department will fund more than 800 settlement and resettlement projects aimed at offering a comprehensive suite of services to newcomers. The priorities outlined in the Call for Proposals were based on valuable input gathered through extensive consultations with numerous stakeholders across Canada. These projects will include programming that is tailored to, and responsive to, the specific needs of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) diverse clientele, including women, youth, seniors, LGBTQ2^{Footnote 2} individuals and newcomers with disabilities. The Department will also continue to offer support to newcomers through various means, such as pre-arrival services, language training—including training for French-speaking newcomers in Francophone minority communities—employment-related services and community engagement activities, including facilitating linkages between newcomers and Indigenous groups.

Modernizing citizenship

Citizenship plays a key role in Canadian society and IRCC will continue its modernization efforts in this regard. This includes bringing forward a plan to eliminate citizenship fees for those who have fulfilled the requirements for obtaining it. In light of increased demand for citizenship grant applications, the Department will continue to work toward meeting its service standard commitments and improve client service while maintaining program integrity. The Department also remains committed to moving forward on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, by completing the legislative work on changes to the Canadian Oath of Citizenship to reflect the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

Delivering a superior client experience

The Department will continue to explore ways of better understanding clients’ specific needs and ensuring that clients’ interactions with IRCC are positive. Efforts such as mapping the client journey across IRCC services and moving forward with improvements to the Client Support Centre and self-serve electronic tools, as well as proactively communicating with clients about their applications, will make it quicker and easier for clients to access the services they need. The Department also remains dedicated to maintaining and improving application processing times across all lines of business.

Adopting new measures to protect existing and prospective IRCC clients from fraudulent immigration consultants and providing gender-based violence training to immigration officers and client support staff will help vulnerable clients receive the support they need.

Transforming to respond to increased demand

With increasing international demand to come to Canada to visit, study, work or immigrate permanently, in 2020–2021 the Department will continue to explore new and innovative ways of transforming how it conducts business. IRCC will be able to position itself to reliably deliver on its mandate commitments and effectively respond to increased demand for its services through a variety of means: adopting leaner and more agile processes; exploring the use of new technologies such as advanced analytics and machine learning; investing in the work force; facilitating new ways of working; and ensuring a robust strategy for the collection and usage of data across all lines of business.

For more information on IRCC’s plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks” section of this report.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources, and key risks

This section contains detailed information on the Department’s planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities. It also contains information on key risks related to achieving those results.

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.

Key risks to Core Responsibility 1

Unprecedented growth in temporary resident applications, along with pressures to maintain program integrity, improve processing times and respond to emerging migration events are challenging the Department’s capacity to deliver. In 2018, electronic travel authorizations and visas issued to visitors, international students and temporary workers reached 6,024,233, a 5.2% increase from 2017.

To manage application volume growth, the Department is leveraging more efficient tools, leaner processes and improvements to its digital platform. Investments in new technologies, including the use of biometrics, e-applications, automated functionality and advanced analytics will lead to the creation of simplified and more efficient systems and protect Canadians while facilitating legitimate travel.

In 2020–2021, a variety of activities are being undertaken, such as improving services for international students, conducting a formal evaluation of the Global Skills Strategy and the development of a data collection strategy for outbound Canadian youth through the International Experience Canada Program. This will be achieved by enhancing efficiencies, continuing program integrity initiatives and working with partners at all levels. In the field of advanced analytics, the Department has demonstrated the ability to improve processing efficiency, support data-driven decision making, and promote stronger program integrity. Read more about these planned mitigation activities in the planning highlights below.

Planning highlights

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

Demand to visit, study or work in Canada continues to grow. In 2018, nearly 1.9 million temporary resident visas and over 4.1 million electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) were issued to facilitate the entry of temporary residents to Canada. Additionally, over 356,000 international students and more than 338,000 temporary work permits holders were authorized to study and work in Canada, respectively. With sustained growth in volumes over the past several years expected to continue, in 2020–2021 the Department will explore further efficiencies to transform its processes and continue to protect the safety and security of Canadians.

To protect and maintain the integrity of Canada’s immigration system, several targeted communications campaigns were launched in 2019–2020. For example, a campaign in India aimed to reduce fraud and misinformation about Canada’s immigration system and improve the quality of temporary resident applications. The campaign included the launch of an India-specific campaign webpage which was applauded by a number of external stakeholders. It created a visible appetite for more initiatives in this area to help better educate applicants with trusted sources of information ultimately resulting in higher quality applications, improved client service and enhanced program integrity. In 2020–21, IRCC plans to continue and expand these outreach efforts to ensure that potential visitors, international students and temporary workers receive reliable and factual information about travel to Canada.

To uphold Canada’s competitive edge as a top destination for international students, in 2019 IRCC expanded the Student Direct Stream (SDS) to include applicants living in Pakistan, Morocco and Senegal. By providing more detailed up-front information in their application, such as proof that they meet language, medical and financial requirements, applicants may benefit from faster study permit processing. In 2020–2021, the Department plans to expand the SDS to include more countries and to continue exploring ways to further improve processing efficiencies and attract more students.

Departmental Result 2: Facilitation of temporary entry helps to generate economic benefits

International students

Temporary foreign workers

Aimed at making it quicker and easier for Canadian businesses to attract global talent, the Global Skills Strategy provides short-term work permit exemptions for certain highly skilled workers and faster processing for eligible applicants and their accompanying family members. In 2020, the Department will work with partners to conduct a formal internal evaluation of the Global Skills Strategy to assess whether it is meeting the needs of Canadian employers and applicants alike.

IRCC continues 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 June 2019, the Department announced new measures to allow migrant workers in abusive job situations in Canada to leave their employer immediately and find another job without fear that they might lose their status in Canada. In 2020–2021, IRCC will continue to examine issues of labour rights and worker protection, including options for combatting unethical labour recruitment practices. These efforts support Canada’s commitments under the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.^{Footnote 7}

International Experience Canada Program

IRCC remains committed to building awareness for Canadian and international youth of the benefits of traveling and working abroad through the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. These work permits holders often work in regions with low unemployment rates and in jobs that are temporary, shorter in duration and sometimes hard for Canadian employers to fill. The IEC is made possible through reciprocal agreements with 35 countries and territories and through active negotiations, 10 of which are under way with existing and prospective partners, including Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Singapore and Ukraine.

In January 2019, an evaluation of the IEC program was completed and outlined several key areas for improvement, including greater promotion of the program among Canadian youth; more robust collection of data on Canadian youth who go abroad under youth mobility arrangements; and the need for further research to assess the impact of the program on the Canadian labour market.

To respond to the evaluation findings, IRCC will engage with new partners to reach a broader audience, such as Canadian universities, media, local and national businesses and organizations specializing in youth travelling and working abroad. To promote opportunities available through IEC, the Department will also explore innovative promotional strategies, such as:

• using influencers to increase engagement on social and online media platforms;
• selecting youth ambassadors from former program participants; and
• developing strategies to attract all youth from across Canadian society, including Indigenous youth, LGBTQ2 youth and youth with disabilities.

The development of a data collection strategy for outbound Canadian youth participants is another initiative being undertaken to respond to the evaluation. This initiative will improve the reporting of the outbound Canadian youth population so as to better understand the impact of the IEC program on Canadian youth.

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

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

Resources for this core responsibility are used to facilitate the entry of migrants who wish to come to Canada temporarily, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians.

To do this, IRCC works with federal government partners to verify that individuals meet admissibility requirements. The Department also processes visas, eTAs and work and study permits for tourists, business travellers, international students and temporary workers, whose spending and presence in Canada benefit the economy.

The decrease in planned spending from 2020–2021 to 2021–2022 is mainly attributed to funding received through Budget 2019 announcements for initiatives such as helping travellers visit Canada; improving client service; and the implementation of Canada’s International Education Strategy, most of which will be ending in 2020–2021.

Further details can be found in the “Spending and human resources” section of this report.

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

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.

Key risks to Core Responsibility 2

As immigration level targets continue to rise, the Department must increase its processing capacity and strengthen program integrity. To do so, IRCC is supporting work force growth through increased recruitment and retention strategies and investing in training, learning and development to facilitate new ways of working. To uphold the integrity of permanent resident programs, in 2020–2021 IRCC will continue to develop new compliance and enforcement tools. The Department will also continue to build its use of advanced analytics and machine learning to identify patterns of information that will facilitate workload sharing and decrease processing times.

As levels increase, the Department must also make available sufficient supports to newcomers, whether they arrive via high-skilled economic immigration pathways or as refugees. The Department continues to work collaboratively with provinces, territories and others to advance the national settlement and integration vision and support successful settlement, long‑term integration and citizenship acquisition of permanent residents. In 2020, a set of new agreements with service providers will be signed as a result of the recent 2019 National Call for Proposals. This will ensure services continue to be delivered to meet the needs of newcomers arriving to Canada.

The number of migrants and forcibly displaced persons worldwide continues to grow^{Footnote 10} and the demand to immigrate and seek asylum in Canada remains high. In 2019, Canada received close to 64,000 asylum claimants. There is an ongoing risk that claim volumes will continue to outstrip the Department’s capacity, given the difficulty in predicting the number of asylum claims. In response, IRCC has moved forward on Budget 2019 commitments and secured funding for the asylum system and border integrity measures to ensure that Canada’s immigration system remains fair and efficient.

Read more about these planned mitigation activities in the planning highlights below.

Planning highlights

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

Multi-year immigration levels plan

The Department remains committed to managing migration through a multi-year levels plan that supports economic growth, addresses demographic challenges, facilitates family reunification and continues to offer protection to those in need. This is reflected in the 2019–2021 multi-year levels plan, which was developed in consultation with provinces, territories and other stakeholders and proposes to increase permanent resident admissions to a target of 341,000 in 2020 and 350,000 in 2021.^{Footnote 11} Through Express Entry, its online application management system for permanent residency, IRCC actively attracts and selects top-ranked skilled immigrants, based on their ability to establish economically and to meet labour market and regional needs. An evaluation of Express Entry is scheduled to be completed in 2020 and will inform the future direction of the system.

The Department will also continue to explore and develop new ways to select permanent residents in response to specific regional and labour sector needs, such as the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, Municipal Nominee Program, Agri-Food Immigration Pilot and Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots. Immigrants entering Canada through these initiatives are given tailored settlement supports to support their successful integration. Most of the increase in immigration levels planned for 2020 and 2021 will be allocated to economic immigration, under the federal high-skilled category through Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). This federal, provincial and territorial collaboration is one aspect of how IRCC manages the immigration system to spread its economic benefits across Canada. These efforts align with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.^{Footnote 12}

In 2020, the Department will increase the number of admissions under the Family Class to reunite more families in Canada, including spouses, partners, children, parents and grandparents. Based on extensive research and lessons learned from models used in previous years, IRCC will also make informed adjustments to its current approach to the sponsorship of parents and grandparents for 2020.

IRCC is committed to enacting responsive policies for vulnerable individuals in abusive family relationships. As of July 2019, foreign nationals experiencing family violence in Canada may apply for a fee‑exempt temporary resident permit that will give them legal immigration status in Canada and allow them to work and obtain health-care coverage. The Department also announced expedited processing of in-Canada permanent resident applications for those in urgent situations of family violence under the humanitarian and compassionate provisions. To support these new measures, the Department will continue to provide gender-based violence training to its immigration officers and client support staff throughout 2020–2024. It will also engage federal partners and other stakeholders to increase awareness of these new measures and monitor their impact. These measures align with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, specifically by contributing to the elimination of violence against women and girls and strengthening policies to promote gender equality.^{Footnote 13}

Support for Refugees

Canada’s strong humanitarian tradition continues with plans to settle over 30,000 refugees in 2020. Canada’s continued commitment to refugee resettlement will reinforce Canada’s positive contribution to refugee protection internationally. The Private Sponsorship of Refugees program will continue to partner with civil society to provide durable solutions to refugees. This program allows groups of Canadians and permanent residents to contribute to Canada’s international refugee protection efforts by sponsoring eligible refugees, providing them with financial, social and emotional support upon their arrival in Canada. In 2020–2021, the Department will continue to develop a strategy to increase sponsor uptake of available Blended Visa Office-Referred levels admission spaces, in collaboration with key stakeholders such as Sponsorship Agreement Holders and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

To address the needs of LGBTI individuals along the settlement continuum, the Department announced the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership, a five-year cost-sharing agreement beginning in 2020 that covers start-up costs and three months of income support for up to 50 LGBTI refugees per year. In 2020, Canada will begin working on the implementation of a pilot project to settle and protect vulnerable women, children, LGBTI individuals from Central America and those who are at risk due to gang violence in their home country. Additionally, in 2020–2021 IRCC will develop a dedicated refugee stream to provide a safe haven for human rights advocates, journalists and humanitarian workers at risk.

Canada is also continuing work to settle refugees, including victims of human smuggling who have been evacuated from Libyan migrant detention centres to emergency transit centres in Niger and Rwanda. As one of the few countries that is settling refugees directly out of Libya, Canada expects to welcome more than 600 refugees from Libya by the end of 2020.

Francophone immigration

In March 2019, the Department launched the Meeting Our Objectives: Francophone Immigration Strategy which established three main goals for IRCC in Francophone immigration over the next four years: increasing Francophone immigration to 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec by 2023; supporting successful integration and retention of French-speaking newcomers; and strengthening capacity of Francophone minority communities. To attract more French-speaking foreign nationals, IRCC will continue targeted expansion of promotion and recruitment support in Canada and internationally, including through new web content.

The Department will continue to collaborate with its federal, provincial and territorial partners to implement the Francophone Immigration Strategy as well as the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration. Moreover, bilateral discussions to strengthen cooperation and increase Francophone immigration will continue between IRCC and the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick in the context of the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement and the Canada-New Brunswick Immigration Agreement.

Asylum and irregular migration

In recent years, an increase in the number of asylum seekers entering Canada regularly and irregularly (between official ports of entry) has presented challenges to Canada’s asylum system. In 2020–2021, IRCC will continue to work with partners so that asylum claimants receive services, supports and timely protection decisions at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), and that the integrity of the in-Canada asylum system is maintained through effective collaboration with the IRB, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and other partners.

In addition, Budget 2019 provided funding to support the implementation of a new Border Enforcement Strategy. The Strategy includes measures to detect and discourage misuse of Canada’s visa system and to continue to manage arrivals at the border, while ensuring the safety of Canadians, and maintaining contingency plans in the event of an influx.

In 2020–2021, the Department will continue to work with provincial, territorial and municipal partners on an effective and coordinated strategy to address the elevated numbers of asylum seekers, including irregular migrants. In addition, IRCC will strategically leverage bilateral engagement opportunities with the United States to work toward a modernized Safe Third Country Agreement and continue identifying measures for reducing irregular border crossings at the Canada-U.S. border.

Immigration and citizenship consultants

The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, to be created later in 2020, will regulate the profession by establishing qualification standards, ensuring that consultants comply with a code of conduct, enhancing investigative powers for professional misconduct and deterring the activities of unauthorized or “ghost” consultants. Once the transition to the new College is complete, IRCC will engage in longer-term monitoring and evaluation to effectively support the integrity of Canada’s immigration and citizenship system. This will be supported by new oversight tools, such as mandated reporting requirements and the appointment of a Board of Directors. The Department will also increase public awareness activities within Canada and abroad to help applicants better protect themselves against fraudulent consultants.

International engagement and leadership

In 2020–2021, IRCC will continue to engage with international partners to advance Canada’s immigration and humanitarian priorities and, in particular, support for safe, orderly and regular migration. These partners include the UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration, the Migration Five (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Regional Conference on Migration and the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC).

As chair of the IGC in 2020, Canada will lead the exchange of best practices on the use of innovative technologies and solutions along the migration continuum and host two multidisciplinary workshops, one focused on applying innovation to the traveller journey and the other exploring how states can tap into social innovation to support migrant mental health. In 2020, Canada will also be chairing the Migration Five (M5), a forum of immigration and border security agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. As M5 chair, Canada will pursue five-country collaboration to support enhanced service delivery and strengthened integrity of immigration programs, with a particular focus on international student programs, digital travel credentials and data privacy.

In December 2018, Canada, along with 151 UN member states, adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), a non-binding international framework that provides concrete best practices that countries can draw on to improve their management of migration. Canada also adopted the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), which recognizes that refugee situations have increased in scope, scale and complexity and aims to move toward comprehensive, long-term responses enabled by more equitable and predictable responsibility sharing across the international community. In 2020–2021, IRCC will continue sharing Canada’s best practices to assist other countries in improving their migration systems, including through participation in the regional GCM follow-up meeting that is expected to take place in 2020. These efforts align with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.^{Footnote 15}

In July 2019, Canada also became the co-chair of the Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement (ATCR), a forum for national governments, civil society and the UNHCR to collaborate, discuss and shape joint strategies on refugee resettlement issues. As ATCR co‑chairs, in 2020 Canada and UNHCR will lead the first year of implementation of the GCR’s Three-Year (2019–2021) Strategy on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways, which aims to expand third‑country solutions and protection for refugees through resettlement and complementary pathways.

Canada will continue its migration diplomacy efforts through the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI), launched in 2016, which promotes community refugee sponsorship abroad. In 2019, the GRSI founded an international coalition of states dedicated to sharing best practices around refugee sponsorship globally. In 2020, this will be leveraged to support community refugee sponsorship as a way to increase protection spaces for refugees and improve integration outcomes.

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

Settlement programming

IRCC funds organizations to deliver a wide range of settlement services to permanent residents prior to their arrival in Canada and following landing to help them settle and adapt to life in Canada. Pre-arrival settlement services overseas enable soon-to-be permanent residents to make informed decisions about life in Canada and begin the integration process before arrival. In 2020, the Department will continue to improve coordination of pre-arrival services, including orientation information, needs and assets assessments, employment services and onward referrals to domestic settlement services. The Department will also continue to monitor the new approach to pre-arrival service delivery introduced in 2018–2019 to facilitate newcomer transitions to post-arrival settlement services through dedicated pathways for client groups, including refugees, economic and family class immigrants and French-speaking immigrants.

Following arrival, domestic settlement services are made available to newly landed permanent residents to support their transition and integration into Canadian life. The Department funds organizations to provide these in-Canada services to newcomers, which include needs and assets assessments and referrals, information and orientation, language training, employment-related services and connections to the local community.

Through IRCC’s National Call for Proposals 2019, a total of 824 projects aiming to offer a comprehensive set of settlement and resettlement assistance services to newcomers across the country (outside Quebec^{Footnote 19}) have been selected and approved. Examples of projects selected under these criteria include language training, employment-related services, services for French‑speaking newcomers and services supporting social inclusion. These services will also focus on integration of populations that may experience increased vulnerability and marginalization and include programming to respond to the specific needs of women, youth, seniors, LGBTQ2 individuals, and newcomers with disabilities. Funding for approved projects will begin in 2020 and continue for up to five years.

Language supports

In 2020, IRCC will continue to support language training services delivered through a wide variety of organizations across Canada (outside of Quebec). These include flexible and accessible language training services at basic levels and opportunities to improve employability and second official language skills at intermediate levels, including workplace-based language training for employed newcomers. To serve newcomers who are unable to visit assessment centres or attend face to face classes, IRCC will also continue to provide online assessment and training services. In recognition of the unique circumstances and challenges faced by some newcomers to Canada, the Department will also continue to fund targeted language training for specific groups, including women and youth, and which are focused on creating a safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environment.

Through the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023, IRCC will provide language training services in support of the Francophone Integration Pathway for French-speaking newcomers who choose to settle in Francophone Minority Communities and for whom proficiency in both official languages is of great importance to achieve their social and economic integration goals. Launched in 2018 supported by funding of up to $9.5 million over four years, IRCC’s language training services that support the francophone integration pathway increase the amount of and access to language training for French-speaking newcomers in Francophone minority communities. Newcomers who are settling in these communities can access language training in English and in French adapted to their needs and to the specific context and reality of the region where they have settled. Seven organizations across the country will provide these adapted language training services to help newcomers improve their skills in both languages so they can find work and be active participants within their community.

Employment-related services

Through IRCC-supported programming, newcomers have access to targeted services designed to help them gain a deeper understanding of the Canadian workplace. Employment-related settlement services can help these newcomers, including refugees, overcome specific barriers in accessing the labour market through services such as work placements, mentorships, preparation for licensure/certification, networking opportunities, job search skills, employment counselling and job matching services.

In June 2019, IRCC selected 22 organizations from across the country to launch projects in support of the Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot, which aims to allow equal opportunities and increase participation of visible minority newcomer women in the Canadian labour market. Over the next two years, the pilot will:

• continue to increase existing effective services that already serve visible minority newcomer women;
• establish new partnerships with non-traditional partners to fund new, innovative interventions to help visible minority newcomer women access the labour market;
• build capacity in smaller organizations that serve or are led by visible minority newcomer women, and emphasize digital/online learning; and
• test and assess the effectiveness of employment-related services for visible minority newcomer women.

The Department will monitor the effectiveness of this pilot and identify practices that could be tested further or potentially scaled up and offered on a permanent basis. Efforts undertaken through this pilot align with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.^{Footnote 20}

Support for refugees

Through the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), the Government of Canada will continue to help government-assisted refugees (GARs) and other eligible clients when they first arrive in Canada. The Department provides direct income support and funds RAP service provider organizations to deliver immediate and essential services to newly arrived GARs. In 2020–2021, IRCC will review services and service delivery for GARs to identify opportunities to improve IRCC programs and services accessed by this client group in their first year in Canada.

Service delivery improvements

Aimed at testing new and innovative ways to improve the efficiency of settlement services, the Service Delivery Improvement (SDI) initiative allows IRCC to strategically invest in projects that offer insights on program design improvements and efficiencies. Experimentation conducted also provides data and evidence to inform the Department’s understanding of the most effective interventions and enhance outcomes for clients. The first set of SDI-funded projects will be ending in 2020 and lessons learned from this exercise will be collected and analyzed to improve future programming.

The Department is also strengthening its evidence base to assess newcomer outcomes and the effectiveness of settlement programming. In 2020–2021, IRCC will continue to collect information through the annual Settlement Program Client Outcomes Survey, as well as a non‑client version of the survey, to inform program improvements and direction setting.

Interim Federal Health Program

Changes to the asylum claim intake process in 2019 provided claimants with access to medical coverage earlier in their claim process, allowing them to receive a work permit faster, easing the burden on provinces and territories and mitigating potential risks to public health and safety. Beginning in 2020 and continuing until 2022, the Department will work to modernize the IFHP to reduce the administrative burden and deliver enhanced services to IFHP health-care provider beneficiaries.

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

Economic immigration pilots

The Department continues to advance a number of economic immigration pilots aimed at testing innovative approaches to immigration that address specific regional and labour sector needs and at offering immigrants access to tailored settlement services, which is a key approach to retention.

Announced in July 2019, the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot aims to address certain long‑standing labour market needs by helping employers attract and retain temporary foreign workers with Canadian work experience in specific occupations within the agri-food sector, specifically in the meat processing, greenhouse and mushroom production and livestock industries, by providing a dedicated pathway to permanent residence. The pilot will launch and be open for applications starting March 30, 2020, and will last for a period of three years. A maximum of 2,750 principal applicants, plus family members, will be accepted for processing in any given year.

The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots were launched in June 2019 to offer a clearer pathway to permanent residence to foreign in-home caregivers and to replace the expired Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs programs. The new pilots support caregivers’ economic establishment as permanent residents and provide them with a clearer and more assured transition from temporary to permanent status once work experience requirements have been met. The pilots also give caregivers greater flexibility by offering three-year occupation-specific work permits, rather than employer-specific permits, to allow for a fast change of employers, when necessary. The pilots also help families come to Canada together through open work or study permits for the caregivers’ immediate family. Each pilot will accept up to 2,750 applications per year from 2019 to 2024.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP), which focuses on helping employers in Atlantic Canada find, attract and retain skilled immigrants and international graduates to meet specific work force needs. An evaluation of the AIP is expected to be completed in 2020 and will help to inform future policy directions on meeting regional labour market needs and contributing to labour force growth and retention. Building on the successes and lessons learned from the pilot, IRCC is taking the steps required to make the AIP a permanent regional economic immigration program. The permanent Atlantic Immigration Program will have at least 5,000 admission spaces dedicated to it and will continue to complement the PNP.

The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) was launched in January 2019, with participating communities announced in June 2019. It aims to test a new community economic development approach to immigration by tailoring immigration programming to local economic development priorities. Eleven rural and northern communities across Western Canada and Ontario were selected to recruit newcomers who, with their families, are well suited to fill key labour market needs and settle in the communities in the long term. The RNIP also combines meaningful job opportunities with targeted settlement services and mentoring by established members of the community.

All participating communities will begin accepting applications from interested candidates in 2020, and when recommended by a community, the candidate will immediately become eligible for a temporary resident work permit provided that they have already completed an application for permanent residence. As a result, the first newcomers selected under the RNIP are expected to begin arriving in their respective communities in 2020. Moving forward, the Department will continue to provide training and support to communities to help these newcomers adapt to and succeed in their new life in Canada.

The Department continues to experiment with different approaches to regional immigration and will continue to engage with key stakeholders such as provinces, territories, municipalities and other regional groups to spread the benefits of immigration across Canada. One such area of focus for the Department will be the development of a new Municipal Nominee Program (MNP), which will have at least 5,000 admission spaces dedicated to it. This new program will allow local communities, chambers of commerce and local labour councils in designated communities to directly sponsor immigrants with the skills and experience they require. While the MNP remains in the design phase, it is expected to focus on the retention and economic independence of newcomers in order to contribute to sharing the benefits of immigration across the country.

Labour market integration

The Department is committed to promoting welcoming workplaces for newcomers and will continue to encourage cross-cultural awareness among employers and engage them in connecting newcomers in the workplace. IRCC will also continue to work with provinces and other government departments to address challenges in foreign credential recognition for newcomers to aid in their integration into the Canadian work force.

In keeping with IRCC’s commitment to support the economic integration of newcomers, the Department will continue to deliver the Federal Internship for Newcomers (FIN) Program. Since its inception in 2010, the FIN Program has established partnerships in five delivery locations with 48 departments, agencies and crown corporations, as well as several provincial and municipal organizations, to provide newcomers with work experience to help them in their journey to integrate into the Canadian workplace. In 2020–2021, the FIN Program will focus on expansion to other communities and increasing its partners.

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

In addition to providing immigrants with language and employment training, settlement services also aim to support the social integration of newcomers into their new communities. Information and orientation services will continue to focus on providing information to newcomers on a variety of topics, including Canadian culture, laws and responsibilities, rights and freedoms, community resources and involvement, and Canadian citizenship.

IRCC will continue to provide supports to allow immigrants, including refugees, to feel part of and participate in Canadian society. Community connection services will continue to aim to build linkages between Canadians and newcomers, including information on Indigenous history and connection to Indigenous populations. The Department will continue to provide support for matching newcomers with Canadians, informal networking activities, events pertaining to culture and history, and field trips to local centres and community organizations.

In support of Francophone minority communities, 13 Réseaux en immigration francophone (Francophone Immigration Networks) located across Canada (except Quebec) bring together a diverse array of partners to welcome and integrate French-speaking immigrants into Canada’s Francophone and Acadian communities. These networks also help to implement the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative, a community-based approach aimed at encouraging newcomers’ sense of belonging and building links between French-speaking newcomers and their new communities. Activities and projects under this initiative are being developed by a community advisory board, with representatives from Francophone communities. The recommended activities will begin in 2020–2021 and run until 2022–2023.

IRCC will continue to provide funding through partners such as Immigrant Employment Councils to help Canadian employers enhance their capacity for hiring, developing and retaining newcomers. The Department will also continue its co-planning and service mapping activities with provinces and territories, supported by comprehensive information sharing, to improve alignment of federal/provincial/territorial settlement and integration investments.

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

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

The majority of funding allocated to this core responsibility is associated with grants and contributions, ranging between $1.554 billion in 2020–2021 and $1.613 billion in 2022–2023 (72% and 80% of the annual funding received for Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration). Funding for 2020–2021 consists of $839 million for settlement support, $123 million for resettlement services, and $592 million for the grant relating to the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration. Funding increases in future years’ grants and contributions are mainly associated with settlement support. The remainder of funds, $595 million in 2020–2021 and $400 million in 2022–2023, will be used to support IRCC’s operational requirements (28% and 20% of annual funding). These operational funds include a portion to support interim federal health-care coverage for eligible recipients in the amount of $242 million in 2020–2021 and $87 million in 2022–2023.

The decrease in planned spending from 2020–2021 to 2021–2022 is mainly attributed to fluctuations in funding received through Budget 2019 announcements for initiatives such as providing health care to refugees and asylum seekers, as well as enhancing the integrity of Canada’s borders and asylum system. This decrease is offset by funding received to support the implementation of the multi-year immigration levels plans.

Grants and contributions

In order to support immigrants and refugees in integrating into Canadian society and the economy, IRCC funds a variety of settlement support services through a network of organizations. Services offered by these organizations help improve immigrant and refugee official language abilities and help newcomers acquire knowledge and skills necessary to integrate into Canadian society and the labour market.

IRCC operational requirements

A portion of financial resources for this core responsibility is used for operational purposes in selecting economic immigrant applicants, processing family member applications to reunite families, and processing refugee and protected person applications to provide a safe haven for those facing persecution, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. IRCC works with federal government security partners and third-party health professionals to verify that individuals meet admissibility requirements. These financial resources also include a special purpose allotment to fund temporary and limited health coverage for eligible beneficiaries, including resettled refugees and asylum claimants.

Further details can be found in the “Spending and human resources” section of this report.

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

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.

Key risks to Core Responsibility 3

As a result of higher demand for citizenship following changes to the Citizenship Act under Bill C-6, IRCC is experiencing increased volumes of citizenship grant applications. This has the potential to hinder IRCC’s capacity to deliver timely and dependable client-centred services. To address this, the Department will continue to develop its plan to modernize citizenship, including citizenship grant operations, to improve processing efficiency and enhance client service.

IRCC is currently undertaking several key transformational projects, including the Passport Program Modernization Initiative (PPMI) and the Passport Modernization Abroad Project (PMAP), to improve the delivery of the Passport Program. Because several of these projects are led and managed across multiple federal government departments, effective coordination and collaboration among stakeholders is essential to their success. IRCC will continue to focus on risk management and ensure that its case management systems are able to meet the productivity requirements for passport issuance.

Read more about these planned mitigation activities in the planning highlights below.

Planning highlights

Departmental Result 7: Eligible permanent residents become Canadian citizens

In 2018–2019, more than 207,000 people were granted Canadian citizenship, an 84% increase over the previous fiscal year. A significant reason for this increased demand for citizenship was the coming into force of Bill C-6, which amended the Citizenship Act to make it easier and give more flexibility to permanent residents in becoming Canadian citizens. In 2020–2021, the Department will continue updating the citizenship grant operating model and client service tools with the aim of reducing processing times, improving service delivery and client experience, and enhancing system efficiency while maintaining program integrity. The Department will also bring forward a plan to eliminate fees for citizenship for those who have fulfilled the requirements for obtaining it.

The Department remains committed to revising the citizenship guide and Oath of Citizenship to better reflect Canada’s diversity and, in particular, to include more Indigenous perspectives and history. In 2020–2021, the Department will continue to engage with stakeholders, including Indigenous organizations, minority populations, women, Francophones, LGBTQ2 individuals and persons with disabilities, on the content of the revised citizenship guide to support newcomers in studying for the citizenship test. IRCC also remains committed to completing the legislative work on changes to the Oath of Citizenship to reflect the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

IRCC will engage in a proactive communications campaign to encourage eligible permanent residents to become Canadian citizens by showcasing the value and pride of Canadian citizenship and highlighting the benefits of active and engaged citizenship to all Canadians, especially young Canadians.

Departmental Result 8: Canadians’ international travel is facilitated

In 2020–2021, the Department will continue to modernize the Passport Program through phased implementation of PPMI, which aims to improve business processes and introduce a new domestic service delivery model to increase efficiency in application processing and respond to evolving global security requirements. The implementation of a new issuance platform will introduce automated decision making to the Passport Program, thereby increasing its capacity to leverage technology. In 2020–2021, the Department will also pilot a digital service channel aimed at improving client communications and increasing IRCC’s ability to digitally capture client data. This will enhance the identification of risks and trends and lead to improved data integrity and efficiency.

IRCC also plans to initiate PMAP to update service delivery abroad and replace legacy systems nearing the end of their lifecycles. This will allow Canadians who work, live or travel abroad to continue accessing passport and travel document services.

The Department will continue to work with its federal partners to establish linkages with provincial and territorial systems in order to improve the quality of data received by IRCC and protect the integrity of Canadian passports. IRCC will also continue to study and pilot new approaches to detect and prevent fraud in the Passport Program and further facilitate travel for Canadians through the use of innovative technologies. For example, in 2020–2021, IRCC will work with the CBSA and Transport Canada to develop, test and pilot a digital travel credential that enables pre-authentication of travel and enhances pre-arrival screening benefits. Continued cooperation with international partners, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association, will similarly advance global interoperability in travel document technologies.

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

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

Funding for this core responsibility is used to promote the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and to issue secure and internationally recognized Canadian citizenship and travel documents.

Citizenship funding

For the citizenship component, resources are mainly used for assessment activities, administration of tests, criminal record checks, activities to detect and prevent fraud, citizenship ceremonies and development of tools such as citizenship tests and guides. Citizenship planned spending from 2020–2021 to 2022–2023 ranges between $69.2 million and $71.7 million.

Funding Passport operations

IRCC collaborates with Service Canada and GAC to facilitate travel for Canadians and contribute to a safe and secure travel regime by issuing Canadian travel documents that are internationally recognized and respected.

The Passport Program operates on a full cost-recovery basis from fees charged for travel document services.

The reduced revenues that started in 2018–2019 are expected to continue in future years, and as such, are anticipated to result in planned funding gaps ($136.3 million in 2020–2021, $74.6 million in 2021–2022 and $7.9 million in 2022–2023). However, as planned at the onset of the 10-year business cycle, funding gaps are covered by the accumulated surpluses from previous years. This will ensure that the Passport Program’s operations and modernization initiatives will continue to operate on a revenue-neutral basis.

The decrease in funding for the Passport Program between 2020–2021 and 2022–2023 is further explained by the near completion of deliverables associated with investments such as PPMI and ePassport projects.

Further details can be found in the “Spending and human resources” section of this report.

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

Internal Services: Planned results

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 services that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. These services are:

• Management and Oversight Services
• Communications Services
• Legal Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Financial Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology Services
• Real Property Management Services
• Materiel Management Services
• Acquisition Management Services

Planning highlights

Client service excellence

A key aspect of improving client service is understanding how clients interact with the Department and thinking about their journey across the entire range of IRCC services, from the moment a client looks for information to when they receive a decision or arrive in Canada. IRCC will continue transforming its approach to service design by improving its understanding of client needs, developing prototypes and testing these new products with clients before launching them, with a focus on simple, digital services that are accessible to all. This includes improving self-serve tools such as those used to check case status and program eligibility.

The Department is also focused on improving client service through innovative new technologies. “Quaid,” a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence, provides automated replies to questions on social media and has delivered over 70,000 responses to clients since its launch in October 2018. In 2020 and going forward, new functionality will be deployed to the chatbot, including expansion to the IRCC website and redirecting of simple enquiries, such as those seeking general immigration information or eligibility advice.

Work force and workplace transformation

The Department will continue to adapt and transform its physical accommodations, information technology infrastructure and people management practices to better support its employees as well as the clients they serve. In 2020 and going forward, IRCC will continue to leverage its 2018–2023 Strategic Accommodation Plan and its People Management Strategy to address continuing and emerging departmental growth, create a more modern and agile workplace and attract a high-performing, adaptable and diverse work force.

IRCC depends on its information technology systems and digital platforms to effectively deliver services to millions of people in Canada and around the world while also protecting the health, safety and security of all Canadians. In 2020, IRCC will be looking at stabilizing, modernizing and transforming its digital platforms to allow the delivery of a world‑class client experience, improve processing times and maintain a high standard for program integrity across all lines of its business.

IRCC will also continue to actively support the development and training of its employees, encourage alternative work arrangements—such as teleworking and flexible work schedules—and promote employee mental health and well-being.

The Department makes investments in the necessary infrastructure in order to effectively deploy programs and services and, ultimately, to ensure readiness for program growth. These resources also include significant funding to support the Department’s information technology function.

Spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the Department’s planned spending and human resources for the next three consecutive fiscal years, and compares planned spending for the upcoming year with the current and previous years’ actual spending.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2017-2018 to 2022-2023

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

Departmental spending graph

Text version: Departmental spending trend graph

Year	Statutory spending (in millions)	Voted spending (in millions)	Total spending
2017-2018	-162	2,079	1,917
2018-2019	66	2,338	2,404
2019-2020	269	3,094	3,363
2020-2021	218	2,624	2,841
2021-2022	152	2,451	2,603
2022-2023	85	2,459	2,545

This graph represents actual spending incurred by the Department from 2017–2018 to 2019–2020 and planned spending from 2020–2021 to 2022–2023.

Budgetary planning summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned spending for each of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) core responsibilities and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

Due to changes in IRCC's reporting framework in fiscal year 2018–2019, expenditures by core responsibility for 2017–2018 are not available.

Total spending from 2017–2018 to 2022–2023 is influenced by several items such as the increase in permanent resident admissions; permanent residents’ settlement and integration into Canadian society; the support of provinces and municipalities for temporary housing of asylum claimants; the welcoming and the delivery of interim health coverage to refugees; the increase in temporary resident volumes; and fluctuations in passport issuances over the 10-year business cycle for the Passport Program.

The significant net decrease from 2019–2020 to 2020–2021 is mainly attributable to grants and contributions related to the Interim Housing Assistance Program and the initiatives for the resettlement of Syrian refugees, for which funding ends on March 31, 2020. The decrease is also attributable to fluctuations in the Passport Program’s net financial position (revenues over expenses) which serves to fund the Program’s operations and modernization initiatives. These decreases were offset by funding related to the implementation of the multi-year immigration levels plans. Overall, the decrease does not impact the Department’s human resources and full-time equivalents (FTEs) as a significant portion of the decrease is related to transfer payments.

The planned spending from 2019–2020 to 2022–2023 is further influenced by Budget 2019 announcements such as enhancing the integrity of Canada’s borders and asylum system; providing health care to refugees and asylum seekers; improving client service; helping travellers visit Canada; and the implementation of Canada’s International Education Strategy. Funding, including amounts outlined for these Budget 2019 measures, was allocated to the Department through the Estimates process or the Budget Implementation Vote.

To support the delivery and compliance of the core business, investments are required to ensure IRCC operations meet all aspects of security, policy and legal requirements as well as uphold commitments made to the Department’s partners.

Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

For the period covered by the Departmental Plan, the significant decrease for this core responsibility from 2020–2021 to 2021–2022 is mainly attributable to fluctuations in funding received through Budget 2019 announcements for initiatives such as helping travellers visit Canada; improving client service; and the implementation of Canada’s International Education Strategy.

Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

Variances in funding are mainly attributable to Budget 2019 announcements related to enhancing the integrity of Canada’s borders and asylum system; providing health care to refugees and asylum seekers; and the implementation of the immigration levels plans, which aims to boost permanent resident admissions to 350,000 by 2021.

Citizenship and Passports

Variations in this core responsibility are attributable to the Passport Program. The Passport Program is currently in the second half of its 10-year business cycle where expected reductions in passport applications are occurring due primarily to the introduction of the 10-year passport in 2013, thereby reducing future revenues.

Internal Services

There is no significant variance in funding for this core responsibility through the period covered by the Departmental Plan.

2020–2021 Budgetary planned gross spending summary (dollars)

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending for 2020–2021.

Planned human resources

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned FTEs for each core responsibility in IRCC’s departmental results framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

Due to changes in IRCC’s reporting framework in fiscal year 2018–2019, figures for FTEs by core responsibility are not available for 2017–2018.

The FTE increase from 2017–2018 to 2018–2019 is mainly due to the additional resources required to support the processing of increased levels in permanent resident admissions, address the increased volume in temporary resident applications and deal with irregular migration at the Canada-U.S. border.

The significant fluctuations in the level of FTEs from 2019–2020 to 2022–2023 are mainly attributable to resources received through Budget 2019 announcements such as enhancing the integrity of Canada’s borders and asylum system; improving client service; helping travellers visit Canada; and implementing Canada’s International Education Strategy.

As necessary, the Department may realign FTEs to accommodate for those areas where pressures arise.

Estimates by vote

Information on IRCC’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2020–2021 Main Estimates.

Condensed future-oriented statement of operations

The condensed future‑oriented statement of operations provides an overview of IRCC’s operations for 2019–2020 to 2020–2021.

The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future‑oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on IRCC’s website.

The significant net decrease from 2019–2020 to 2020–2021 is mainly attributable to grants and contributions related to Interim Housing Assistance Program and the initiatives for the resettlement of Syrian refugees, for which funding ends on March 31, 2020. The decrease is also attributable to fluctuations in the Passport program’s net financial position (revenues over expenses), which serve to fund the program’s operations and modernization initiatives. These decreases were offset by funding related to the implementation of the multi-year immigration levels plans. Overall, the decrease does not impact the Department’s human resources and FTEs as a significant portion of the decrease is related to transfer payments.

Total revenues are expected to increase by $42.4 million or 15.1% in 2020–2021 when compared to the forecast results of 2019–2020 due to an increase in the volume of passport applications over the next years.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister(s): Marco E. L. Mendicino
Institutional head: Catrina Tapley
Ministerial portfolio: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Department: Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Statutory and Other Agencies: Citizenship Commission, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Enabling instrument(s): Section 95 of the Constitution Act, 1867, the Citizenship Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and the Canadian Passport Order.
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1994

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 (IRCC) 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

The IRCC’s approved Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory for 2020–2021 are as follows:

Text version: Reporting framework

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 business lines that adhere to 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 business lines that adhere to 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 are processed within 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 passport applications that are processed within 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
  • Provincial 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

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

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

• Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-based analysis plus
• Status report on transformational and major Crown projects

Federal tax expenditures

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2020–2021.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, and the Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government‑wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis. The tax measures presented in this report are solely the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

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: www.cic.gc.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 a Department over a 3‑year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)

A plan or project that a Department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Departmental 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 factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that consists of the Department’s core responsibilities, 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.

experimentation (expérimentation)

The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare, the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works and what doesn’t. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

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. Full‑time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

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

An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2020–2021 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2015 Speech from the Throne, namely: Growth for the Middle Class; Open and Transparent Government; A Clean Environment and a Strong Economy; Diversity is Canada's Strength; and Security and Opportunity.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative in which 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 up to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the 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 of the Department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the Department’s core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

An external 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.

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.

strategic outcome (résultat stratégique)

A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.

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.