Gender-based analysis plus

Introduction

In 2018, Parliament passed the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act. The Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports are being used to fulfill the President of the Treasury Board’s obligations to make public, every year, analysis on the impacts of expenditure programs on gender and diversity.

Each organization is responsible for conducting their own Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus).

The Policy on Results indicates that Program officials, as designated by Deputy Heads, are responsible for ensuring data collection for meeting policy requirements.

Applicability

All organizations must complete GBA Plus supplementary information tables in Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports on an annual basis.

Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus Governance and Capacity

Equity, fairness, inclusion, and intersectionality are important considerations for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) when facilitating the arrival of immigrants, providing protection to refugees, offering settlement programming to newcomers, granting citizenship and offering passport services.

Governance

In October 2023, IRCC established a new Equity Branch to serve as an equity-focused centre of expertise for the Department. This is intended to help IRCC take a more intersectional approach to equity and ensure greater consistency and fairness in all aspects of IRCC’s work including people management, policy and program design, and service delivery.

The Equity Branch provides guidance and monitors performance on anti-racism, GBA Plus, accessibility, equity policy, and other initiatives that will support improving the wellness of the workplace and achieving equitable outcomes for employees, clients and Canadians. Branch mandate includes the work of the Employee Support Office, the Office of Conflict Resolution, and the Equity Advancement Office (formerly Anti-Racism Task Force). An Ombuds Office will be added to the Branch in the future to serve as an independent channel of recourse for employee complaints regarding racism and discrimination, and other well-being related issues. Additionally, the Ombuds Office will play a key role in identifying systemic biases in employment systems and the workplace and ensuring that departmental actions are effective in remedying issues.

The GBA Plus Working Group serves as a community of practice to enhance the understanding and application of GBA Plus across all areas of IRCC. With 73 members from across the Department, the Working Group allows the participants to consult on equity considerations in policy proposals. This year, the working group addressed a range of priority topics including IRCC’s GBA Plus Policy Review, an anti-racism vision for the settlement, GBA Plus in the Express Entry Ranking System, and instilling GBA Plus in the Call for Proposals for the settlement sector.

Human Resource (HR) programs and Employment Systems Review

IRCC is striving to improve diversity in its hiring. In 2023, IRCC undertook a review to identify whether there are barriers for employment equity (EE) groups in HR processes. The information collected will support the development of a multi-year Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ARDEI) Plan, which will address barriers faced by EE groups.

• IRCC is actively responding to the Clerk’s Call to Action in 2021 on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the in Federal Public Service and Forward Direction in 2023 by setting and pursuing multi-year goals to promote growth and representation of equity-seeking groups. This includes mandatory training for all IRCC employees, departmental events and virtual town halls to promote awareness, middle managers anti-racism foundational training, and Trust Circles with Indigenous, Black and Racialized employees and senior management.
• The Department has made significant strides in advancing employment equity following the launch of a comprehensive strategy to achieve employment equity baselines reflective of the Canadian population by 2024. This strategy, endorsed by IRCC’s Executive Committee in October 2021, centers on providing access to disaggregated employment equity data, an accountability model and customized training and tools for managers and HR professionals. Since its launch, the strategy has driven increases in representation across all categories. However, further efforts are necessary to achieve baselines for representation across various career levels within each employment equity group.

Anti-racism & Equity

In 2023–24, IRCC continued to bolster its anti-racism governance to more effectively tackle systemic racism and embed equity as a core value across the Department. This commitment is demonstrated through initiatives that foster a more equitable workplace, and policy and programs that undergo GBA Plus assessments. Strategies were identified to integrate anti-racism and equity-related measures into departmental planning, evaluations, and reporting of results. The initiatives outlined in IRCC’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0 (2021-2024) were further developed to advance equity for employees, clients, and Canadians.

Capacity

In 2023–24, IRCC made significant strides in bolstering departmental GBA Plus capacity to enhance the methods to monitor and evaluate policy and program outcomes. The Department led strategic initiatives to improve data utilization and disaggregation, and promoted tools and resources to better integrate GBA Plus into the Department’s work.

Promotion of tools, resources, and employee networks

The Department continued to promote GBA Plus tools and resources, providing guidance on how to apply them to IRCC’s policies, programs, and operations. These tools help strengthen departmental capacity for uncovering and monitoring different outcomes related to gender, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Tools and resources are promoted through various channels at IRCC, including training, advisory boards, and employee networks. In 2023, IRCC provided online training and GBA Plus resources for all employees, including an “Introduction to GBA Plus” course, Racial Impact Assessment Tool (RIAT), and guidelines for inclusive writing. In addition, the Settlement, Integration and Francophone Affairs Sector led a series of GBA Plus training sessions to raise awareness and build capacity among IRCC settlement sector staff. This included two sector-wide staff surveys to collect information about awareness and barriers and a plan forward to continue to raise awareness among sector employees. At a broader level, the Anti-Racism Advisory Board and Anti-Racism Sector Leads, with approximately 65 members combined, supported the promotion of tools and resources, share best practices to further equity throughout the Department. Additionally, the Department supported employee networks, mentorship programs, and diversity-focused training opportunities, including the Women’s Network, the Black Employee Network, the Persons with Disabilities Employee Network and Committee, the Racialized Employees and Allies Network, the Indigenous Peoples Circle, and Pride@IRCC. These groups and initiatives are championed by senior management, and promote inclusion, address barriers, and increase the sense of belonging for all employees.

Review of GBA Plus Policy

Internal consultations were undertaken to review IRCC's existing GBA Policy. The focus of this review was to identify gaps in the intersectional aspects of identity and lived experience included in the “Plus” of GBA Plus, acknowledge the non-binary aspects of gender, and deepen the integration of GBA Plus within IRCC’s policy and program development cycles.

Human resources (full-time equivalents) dedicated to GBA Plus

The Department had 11.5 full-time equivalents dedicated to GBA Plus.

Section 2: Gender and Diversity Impacts, by program

Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

Program Name: Visitors

Program Goals:

The Visitors Program facilitates the entry of travellers to Canada. This results in positive societal and cultural impacts that can come from shared experiences and transfer of knowledge between visitors and Canadians. Furthermore, there are positive residual impacts from visitors who return to Canada as students, workers or permanent residents.

Target Population: Eligible foreign nationals seeking to enter Canada as visitors

Distribution of Benefits:

Issuance of Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs) and Electronic Travel Authorizations (eTAs)

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Visitor data indicates that more females applied for super visas (a visa intended for parents and grandparents that provides multiple entries for a period up to 10 years) than males. In July 2023, the period for which a super visa holder could remain in Canada increased to five years per entry to support family reunification.

While visitor applicants who do not identify as males or females make up less than 0.01% of all TRVs and eTAs issued, the number of applicants who are selecting Gender X on their visitor applications is steadily increasing since the introduction of the expanded options.

Individuals unable to communicate in either English or French make up almost half of all super visas issued.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

The Visitors Program facilitates travel to Canada by issuing TRVs or eTAs to visitors. Eligibility to obtain these travel documents is not based on gender or other diverse identity factors.

Other Key Program impacts:

In June 2023, IRCC lifted the visa requirement on eligible travellers from 13 countries flying to or through Canada (eTA Expansion Program). These 13 countries included: The Seychelles, Morocco, Panama, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Argentina, Trinidad & Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand, and the Philippines. The eTA Expansion Program results in a faster, easier, and more equitable client experience for racialized visitors to Canada. Early results indicate that the partial visa exemption has successfully encouraged travel for all visitors from these countries in a broadly gender-balanced manner.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

The Department will continue to use GBA Plus data from the annual Client Experience Survey of Citizenship and Immigration to assess whether specific client groups or demographics experience certain aspects of the Visitors Program differently.

Program Name: International Students

Program Goals:

Target Population: Eligible foreign nationals seeking to enter or remain in Canada as international students

Distribution of Benefits:

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Program Name: Temporary Workers

Program Goals:

IRCC collects information about age, country of birth, country of residency, and official language on work permit holders which allows for monitoring and analysis of program impacts based on gender and diversity.

Target Population: Vulnerable workers in Canada

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Workers with an Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers (OWP-V) would have originally come to Canada on an employer-specific work permit under the TFW or the IMP. These workers would have subsequently applied for an OWP-V as they were experiencing or were at risk of experiencing abuse in the context of their employment in Canada. In 2023, 70% of all OWP-Vs were granted to males, and the majority of the permit holders (1,235) were between the ages of 30-44 years old. As well, approximately 21% of OWP-Vs were issued to individuals from India and 15% to those from Mexico.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Other Key Program impacts:

The OWP-V provides foreign workers in Canada on valid employer-specific work permits access to an open work permit if they are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, abuse in their job. This allows foreign workers to quickly leave the abusive situation and start working for any eligible employer in Canada.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

We intend to continue to collect data about temporary workers data over time. Analysis of OWP-V applications and approvals is used to improve the internal trauma-informed training course for immigration officers who process OWP-V applications.

Program Name: Temporary Workers – International Experience Canada

Program Goals: Through the negotiation of youth mobility agreements and arrangements, International Experience Canada (IEC) facilitates international work experience opportunities for youth aged between 18 and 35 years old in partner countries around the world.

Target Population: Canadian and foreign youth (ages 18–35) from IEC countries and territories.

Distribution of Benefits:

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Other Key Program impacts:

IEC promotional and engagement activities in 2023–24 included five events directed to Indigenous youth/organizations and three directed to 2SLGBTQI+ youth/organizations.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

Anonymized data exchanges with partner countries, including on age and gender, are included in each of the youth mobility agreements and arrangements of the IEC program. In spring 2024, IEC started the annual data exchange with partner countries for the 2023 season.

Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

Program Name: Federal Economic Immigration

Program Goals: Canada’s economic immigration programs select immigrants with an enhanced likelihood of establishing themselves economically in Canada. Although the eligibility criteria varies among the economic immigration programs, there are usually thresholds for work experience, education and training, and language proficiency.

Target Population: Foreign nationals of working age

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

In 2023, permanent residence admissions under the federal economic immigration programs and pilots (Canadian Experience Class, Caregiver Programs, Economic Mobility Pathways Program, Federal Skilled Trades, Federal Skilled Workers, Federal Business, Agri-food Pilot, and Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway) consisted of 47% females and 53% males. The majority of principal applicant admissions for these programs were between the ages of 15-29 (53%) and 30-44 (43%).

In 2023, permanent residence admissions under the two Federal Business Programs (the Start-Up Visa Program and the Self-Employed Program) included 49% females and 51% males. While this represents a close parity between the two groups, females were underrepresented as principal applicants (35% compared to 65% for males).

People admitted to Canada through the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Workers Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program consist of 48% females and 52% males (principal applicants and spouses or dependents), with some variation by program.

The programs, managed under Express Entry (Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Workers Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program), require skilled work experience and favour those with higher levels of education, language and Canadian work experience as more points are provided to candidates with those attributes. Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking System is calibrated to reward individuals with attributes shown to lead to positive economic outcomes post landing. Furthermore, although all adults are able to submit their expression of interest to apply for Express Entry, the system awards maximum points to individuals who are 29 years and younger. In 2023, 54% of those who received an invitation to apply for permanent residence were between the ages of 20-29. Hence, due to differences in point allocation based on age, candidates who are 30 years and older may have a decreased likelihood of receiving an invitation to apply.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Other Key Program impacts:

With the objective of addressing structural labour shortages in Canada and supporting economic growth through Francophone immigration in communities outside of Quebec, category-based selection was launched in summer 2023 to invite to apply for permanent residence, individuals with French language proficiency or work experience in eligible occupations facing structural shortages. Those with work experience in an eligible occupation or with French language ability may have an advantage.

The Department initiated an evaluation of Caregiver Programming in 2023, which will apply a GBA Plus and anti-racism lens to the assessment of expected outcomes for this programming.

Program Name: Regional Economic Immigration

Program Goals:

Regional economic immigration programs, namely the Provincial Nominee Program, Atlantic Immigration Program, and Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, allow provinces, territories, and communities to play a role in the selection of immigrants to fill in local and regional labour market needs.

Target Population: Foreign nationals of employment age

Distribution of Benefits:

Total number of permanent resident admissions, against the annual immigration levels plan

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Program Name: Family Reunification

Program Goals: Canadian permanent residents and citizens may sponsor certain relatives to come to Canada as permanent residents, bringing many economic, social, and cultural benefits.

Target Population: Foreign nationals reuniting with family members in Canada who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents

Distribution of Benefits:

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Key Program Impact Statistics

Key disaggregated statistics related to the spousal and partner program:

Key program impact statistics

Key disaggregated statistics related to the parent and grandparent program:

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

For the Family Reunification Program, the Department currently only collects data on country of citizenship, country of birth, and country of residence, but this can only give a proxy when it comes to analyzing the racialized impact of a program. An important data gap, that the Department is working on, is the collection and integration of race-based data.

Program Name: Refugee resettlement

Program Goals:

Refugees are individuals residing outside of their home country who cannot return for fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular group, or have been seriously affected by civil war or armed conflict, or have been denied basic human rights on an ongoing basis.

IRCC assesses vulnerability based on intersectional identity factors and country conditions.

Target Population: Resettled Refugees

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The Department has several facilitative measures for vulnerable refugees at risk due to intersectional identity factors. The Urgent Protection Program (UPP) provides expedited resettlement to persecuted persons who are facing immediate threats to their life, liberty, or physical safety. In 2023, 232 individuals came to Canada through UPP.

Gender-based persecution is one of the grounds upon which Canada grants refugee protection. As a result of forced displacement, refugee women and girls are at a heightened risk of violence. As such, referral organizations and IRCC officers may identify women or girls in perilous or permanently unstable situations; and where urgent or expedited processing may be necessary. Women at risk may be offered a Joint Assistance Sponsorship and a longer period of support to become integrated and established in Canada.

Additionally, individuals in a number of countries around the world experience serious human rights abuses and other forms of persecution due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics (SOGIESC). Individuals fleeing persecution for reasons related to their SOGIESC can qualify as refugees as members of a particular social group. Canadian migration officers will assess a resettlement applicant’s vulnerability in their country of asylum to determine if the applicant requires expedited processing. This may include individuals whose legal or physical safety is at risk due to their SOGIESC.

For Canadian citizens and permanent residents who wish to privately sponsor LGBTQI+ refugees, the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership, established in cooperation with the Rainbow Refugee Society, encourages Canadians to support LGBTQI+ refugees and strengthens collaboration between 2SLGBTQI+ organizations and the refugee settlement community in Canada. Through the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership, the Government provides start-up costs and three months of income support, while private sponsors offer nine months of income support. In 2023, there were 50 landings of refugees through this partnership.

In June 2023, IRCC entered into a memorandum of understanding with Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to assisting persecuted LGBTQI+ individuals globally in locating safe havens. As an official referral partner, Rainbow Railroad will collaborate with the UNHCR to refer refugees for resettlement to Canada through the GARs program, thereby enabling more LGBTQI+ refugees to begin anew in Canada.

Internationally, IRCC reinforced Canada’s commitments to protections against persecution based on SOGIESC, gender equality, diversity, LGBTQI+ protection pathways, and the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence in statements delivered at the October 2023 UNHCR Executive Committee meeting and the December 2023 UNHCR Global Refugee Forum.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

The annual voluntary IRCC Newcomer Outcomes Survey (NOS) gathers information from clients of settlement and/or resettlement services, as well as newcomers who did not access IRCC-funded services. An intersectional lens applied to the analysis of the survey enables the Department to understand the outcomes of clients and newcomers belonging to equity-seeking groups.

Target population: Afghan foreign nationals

Following the fall of Kabul in August 2021, IRCC announced the expansion of Canada’s resettlement program in response to the situation in Afghanistan. This expansion includes a humanitarian program that aims to resettle members of vulnerable and at-risk groups of Afghan nationals, including female leaders, LGBTQI+ people, human rights defenders, journalists, and members of religious and ethnic minorities.

The Department has considered GBA Plus in the design of the Afghanistan resettlement initiative by partnering with referral organizations that are experts in identifying priority vulnerability factors for refugees and also by offering tailored supports are for vulnerable Afghan refugees (e.g., females, LGBTQI+, etc.). By March 31, 2023, Canada had welcomed 29,733 vulnerable Afghans and refugees under the initiative.

In addition, the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership was expanded in response to the Afghanistan crisis, providing an additional 150 spaces for Afghan LGBTQI+ refugees between 2022 and 2024.

Program Name: Humanitarian/Compassionate and Discretionary Immigration

Program Goals:

The Humanitarian and Compassionate and discretionary Program includes temporary public policies to provide flexibility and discretion to the Minister to grant exemptions or facilitate permanent residence in exceptional circumstances and/or cases not anticipated in legislation. These deliver immigration programs to individuals and their families who would not otherwise qualify under a regular immigration category. GBA Plus is used to ensure that intersecting identities are taken into account, and to assess outcomes on diverse groups.

Humanitarian/Compassionate and Discretionary Immigration - Hong Kong

Target Population: Hong Kong foreign nationals with education or work experience in Canada

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The Temporary Public Policy creating pathways to permanent residence for Hong Kong residents is relatively gender balanced. In regard to age, recent education was used as a proxy to target applicants with high human capital, there was a small number of applicants who graduated from a post-secondary institution at an older age, met the eligibility requirements and were admitted under the public policy.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Humanitarian/Compassionate and Discretionary Immigration - Family Violence

Target Population: Foreign nationals in vulnerable situations

Distribution of Benefits:

Key program impacts on gender and diversity

In 2019, the Department implemented initiatives to support foreign nationals in Canada who are in situations of family violence in finding safety, including an expedited process to apply for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds or an expedited, fee-exempt temporary resident permit (TRP). These measures specifically support those whose immigration status may be precarious, due to their reliance on an abusive spouse or partner for their status in Canada (including, but not limited to, sponsored spouses and partners). In 2023, 53 applicants were approved for the expedited Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) measure for victims of family violence and 155 applicants were approved for the TRP for victims of family violence. The majority of applicants for both measures are female between the ages of 19-40. This data includes dependant children.

Humanitarian/ Compassionate and Discretionary Immigration - Out of Status Construction Workers

Target Population: Out-of-status construction workers in the Greater Toronto Area

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The public policy for Out-of-Status Construction Workers (OSCW) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) predominantly benefits men, reflecting the overall demographic of the construction sector, as wells as low-income individuals as undocumented migrants typically have lower wages than immigrants with proper work authorization. While the majority of beneficiaries are working age (67% between the ages of 30-59), children and youth are also benefiting from this initiative.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Other Key Program impacts:

The Temporary Public Policy for Out-of-Status Construction Workers in the Greater Toronto Area, introduced in 2020, was extended in January 2023 for another year and the cap was expanded from 500 principal applicants to 1,000 principal applicants. This public policy will end on July 2, 2024, or once 1,000 principal applicants have been granted permanent residence.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

The female-to-male ratio of principal applicants continues to be low under the extended Out-of-Status Construction Workers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The Department continues to gather results and lessons learned to inform future regularization policy and programming.

Program Name: Asylum

Program Goals: The In-Canada Asylum System assesses the validity of claims and provides protected person status to individuals who are in Canada and found to have a well-founded fear of persecution or are at risk of torture, or cruel or unusual punishment in their home countries.

Target Population: Asylum claimants

Distribution of Benefits:

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

The Department has conducted significant data analysis of anonymized information on gender, age, country of birth, and family structure to better understand the barriers clients face within the program. Additionally, we are committed to continuously improving our data collection methods to provide more comprehensive insights and inform future regularization policy and programming.

Program Name: Settlement

Program Goals: IRCC supports the successful integration of newcomers to Canada through settlement and integration services.

Target Population: Permanent residents and some temporary residents

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

Newcomers to Canada benefit from the Settlement Program.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

By applying a GBA Plus lens, the Department acknowledges the need to pay attention to systemic barriers and the ways identities, experiences and histories connect or overlap to create unique needs and experiences Settlement services supported by IRCC include female-only language programming, peer mentoring, provisions for persons with disabilities, translation/interpretation, short-term counselling, and child-care services.

The Settlement Program is advancing Truth and Reconciliation by delivering programming that increase awareness and of Indigenous-related history and culture among newcomers, and facilitating meaningful connections between Indigenous Peoples, newcomers and Canadians.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

The annual IRCC Newcomer Outcomes Survey (NOS) gathers self-reported outcomes from clients of settlement and/or resettlement services, as well as newcomers who did not access IRCC-funded services. The intersectional lens applied to NOS responses enables the Department to address the needs of equity-seeking groups. A more in-depth disaggregated outcomes analysis is currently underway to compare outcomes of different populations. The Department also leveraged the National Call for Proposals to implement in-program design changes related to EDI and GBA Plus.

Program Name: Settlement - Gender-based Violence Strategy Partnership

Target Population: Permanent Residents and some Temporary Residents experiencing gender-based violence

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific demographic group outcomes:

The Gender-based Violence Strategy Partnership under the Government of Canada strategy It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence is continuing with an additional $2M in funding for five years until 2026. The funding supports a settlement sector strategy on gender-based violence through a coordinated partnership of settlement and anti-violence sector organizations (ngbv.ca). The Gender-based Violence Strategy Partnership is continuing through Budget 2021 investments with an additional $2M in funding for five years until 2026. Initial project results indicate that the initiative has successfully established a common base of knowledge for service providers and has increased collaboration between the settlement and anti-violence sectors.

Key program impacts on gender and diversity

Not available

Supplementary Information Sources:

Refer to the settlement sector strategy on gender-based violence.

Program Name: Settlement - Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot

Target Population: Racialized Newcomer Women

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

The Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot (RNWP) first launched in 2018 and concluded in 2022–23. Research on the impact of the interventions has continued in 2023-24, through which the Department has been able to draw lessons from the pilot and integrate findings into Settlement programming. Notably, the Department used knowledge gained from the pilot to prioritize targeted programming for racialized newcomer women.

The latest results as of February 2024, show improvements for program participants in career adaptability. This translates into increases in an increased likelihood of working, more hours of work, and higher earnings. Program participants were more likely to find employment relevant to their skills and experiences faster than participants of the pilot who used regular employment services.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports

Program Name: Citizenship

Program Goals: The Citizenship Program aims to provide equitable access in the delivery of citizenship services. To support these program goals, the Department collects demographic to inform program analyses. Collectively, these data support GBA Plus analyses and outcomes.

IRCC plans to continue to leverage technology to improve client service and processing, while also continuing to advance accessibility and inclusion through online applications, virtual interviews, ceremonies and hearings. The Department developed an up-front waiver process that is more facilitative, accessible, and transparent for clients requiring a waiver of the knowledge and language requirements. The Department also increased the duration for completing the knowledge test from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. A gradual and thoughtful uptake of technology is planned to ensure that such tools are built to detect and prevent bias or any discriminatory impacts, and performance will be monitored to identify and correct any potential unintended impacts.

Target Population: Eligible permanent residents applying for a grant of citizenship; Canadian citizens who apply for other citizenship services (proofs, renunciation, and search of records).

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific Demographic Group Outcomes:

All Canadians and Newcomers/Immigrants.

Applicants may benefit from enhanced accessibility and affordability as modernization initiatives are implemented and the Department develops options designed to minimize financial barriers faced by certain applicants. The positive impact of these initiatives is expected to be greater for some groups, including low-income individuals, applicants with lower-level Official Languages competencies, those with disabilities and families.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

Other Key Program impacts:

The Department is finalizing a new citizenship guide that will respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 93 by providing a more balanced and inclusive history of Indigenous peoples. The new guide will also cover the evolution of civil rights and freedoms, especially those of racialized minorities, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, women, and individuals with disabilities. In addition, the new guide will be available in accessible formats such as large print, braille and audio.

The Department worked with Indigenous experts to develop a video on the theme of welcoming and Reconciliation that is now played at all citizenship ceremonies.

Program Name: Passport, including Certificates of Identity, Refugee Travel Documents, Diplomatic and Special Passports

Program goals:

In 2023–24, the Passport Program continued to review its operational policies using an adapted Racial Impact Assessment Tool. This work continues in 2024–25 as the Department makes adjustments 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

Target Population: The number of Canadian citizens, combined with the number of non-Canadians eligible for Canadian passport or travel document services, is impossible to accurately calculate due to many different avenues and eligibilities to these services. According to Statistics Canada, the total number of Canadian citizens is 33.1 million (2021). Around 26.5 million travel documents were in circulation at the end of 2023 calendar year.

Distribution of Benefits:

Specific demographic group outcomes

The Passport Program has collected data that shows that applicants come from diverse family structures and as a result, the Program continues to make updates to its policies and procedures in recognition of this diversity. For example, in 2023–24, the Passport Program updated its policy for applicants with one name only. This policy update removed the “XXX” in the given name field of the passport in lieu of the field remaining blank for clients who have one name only. By removing XXX, the Passport Program is able to increase inclusivity as it relates to diverse cultural and ethnic naming conventions that do not adhere to Western naming approaches which usually contain both a given name and a surname. In 2023–24, the number of passports issued with no given name was 5,537.

In 2023–24, work continued to implement updates to the Passport Program’s operating model for child passport applications. These updates are expected to be fully implemented in 2024–25. These changes will better reflect modern approaches to family law in Canada, easing the burden for families, and reducing operational burden for processing officers.

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Not available

GBA Plus data Collection Plan:

The Passport Program collects several key data elements through the application form, such as gender (including the gender “X” identifier), date of birth (age), and place of birth. Additional client demographics are collected through the annual client experience survey. Data collected through both the application form and the client experience survey enable the Department to assess GBA Plus impacts.

Internal Services

Program Name: Acquisition Management Services

Program Goals:

IRCC is committed to meeting the Government of Canada’s commitment of awarding 5% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses.

Target Population: Indigenous populations

Other Key Program impacts:

IRCC has successfully implemented the mandatory minimum target of 5% of the value of federal procurements awarded to Indigenous-owned businesses. In 2023–24, IRCC awarded $36 million to Indigenous-owned businesses, surpassing its target of $18.5 million of planned procurements.

Program Name: Communications Services

Target Population: The Canadian public and IRCC stakeholders and clients

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

In accordance with IRCC’s Disaggregated Data and Analytics Directive (DDAD), IRCC’s public opinion research (POR) surveys, including the Annual Tracking survey, include demographic questions asking participants to share their gender, age, race, citizenship status, etc., to allow for the disaggregation of data. Collecting disaggregated data allows the Department to evaluate whether certain groups are under or over-represented in samples. To reduce barriers and improve accessibility, we include diverse perspectives at all project stages and collect data using multiple formats that respect plain language requirements.

Work is ongoing to diversify and broaden the scope of stakeholders invited to attend or participate in the Department’s consultation and engagement activities, with a significant increase in the number of 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous, and faith-based organizations involved in IRCC’s outreach efforts. For our annual consultations on immigration levels, we broadened the range of stakeholders and partners invited to complete our online consultation survey, from 513 organizations in 2019 to 4,780 organizations in 2023 – a significant increase in four years. Since 2022, we have also worked to increase the proportion of underrepresented groups invited as part of immigration levels planning. This work led to an increase in the number of surveys completed by underrepresented groups – from zero in 2022 to 11 in 2023 for Indigenous organizations, from two to eleven for 2SLGBTQI+ organizations and from seven to 10 for faith-based organizations.

The Department is actively working on identifying, removing and preventing barriers in our communications activities, in support of the Accessible Canada Act. IRCC proactively asks participants to identify any needs for accommodation when engaging with external stakeholders and partners. We are now able to offer French and English simultaneous interpretation, as well as American Sign Language (ASL) and Quebec Sign Language (Langue des signes québécoise) interpretation, as needed.

Program Name: Human Resources Management Service

Target Population: IRCC employees

Key program impacts on gender and diversity

Not available

Other Key Program impacts:

In 2023-24, Human Resources updated the tool that allows us to better identify Employment Equity gaps by gender to include acting appointments and promotions. Additionally, data from the Executive Feeder Talent Management Questionnaire continues to be used to provide recommendations to Executive Resourcing looking to staff vacant EX-01 positions with candidates from EE groups, with experience in a particular field.

Program Name: Management and Oversight Services – Evaluation

Program Goals:

As evaluations help to provide evidence, inform decision-making, and support accountability within IRCC, where appropriate, evaluations undertake a GBA Plus lens, including the disaggregation of data and surveys to provide information to program managers and senior management to better understand program results, with a view to improvements and toward addressing challenges and barriers.

Target Population: IRCC programs, immigrants and all Canadians

Key program impacts on gender and diversity

Not available

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan:

All evaluations have incorporated a GBA Plus lens when appropriate, which included, among other factors, consideration of clients’ age, gender, immigration status, country of origin, mother tongue/linguistic profile, and geographic location (i.e., urban and rural).

Also, the Department worked closely with departmental data and performance measurement experts to develop new methods to monitor GBA Plus implementation across IRCC. to monitoring, reporting and analysis of program impacts.

Program Name: Administration, Security and Accommodation (ASA)

Target Population: IRCC employees

Other Key Program impacts:

The Accommodation Strategy for IRCC's office space aims to modernize and optimize workspaces, fostering staff reintegration into contemporary, accessible, and flexible environments. IRCC maintains its commitment to prioritizing accessibility and employee wellness in workplace design, including ongoing efforts to identify spiritual spaces and ensure compliance with accessibility standards. Soliciting feedback from DEI groups through an inclusive design working group is ongoing. Plans are underway to install inclusive artwork by minority group artists, such as Indigenous and Black artists, in various IRCC office locations.