Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Fiscal Year 2020-2021

As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, this report provides information on travel, hospitality and conference expenditures for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021 except for information withheld under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.

Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by a federal department or agency relate to activities that support the department or agency’s mandate and the government’s priorities.

IRCC’s Mandate

IRCC selects and welcomes, as permanent and temporary residents, foreign nationals whose skills contribute to Canadian prosperity. It also reunites family members.

The Department maintains Canada’s humanitarian tradition by welcoming refugees and other people in need of protection, thereby upholding its international obligations and reputation.

IRCC, in collaboration with its partners, conducts the screening of potential permanent and temporary residents to protect the health, safety and security of Canadians. IRCC is also responsible for the issuance and control of Canadian passports and other travel documents that facilitate the travel of Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons.

Lastly, the Department builds a stronger Canada by helping all newcomers settle and integrate into Canadian society and the economy, and by encouraging, granting and providing proof of Canadian citizenship.

Further details about authority, mandate and programs can be found in IRCC’s Departmental Results Report (DRR), Departmental Plan (DP) and other sources of relevant information located on IRCC’s Web site.

Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures

IRCC works in a multi-faceted, rapidly changing policy environment. Canada is a nation built on immigration, which has always played an important economic role in meeting our labour market needs. International migration is increasingly complex, with the movement of people being closely linked to trade, global health, and security concerns. Even as we strengthen partnerships at home, we must also foster international partnerships to ensure well-managed, safe and secure international migration.

Managing in a global environment dictates that IRCC must travel in order to ensure program integrity and to provide an oversight and monitoring of its national and international operations.

With the significant investments made by the government in the Immigration Programs in the past years, IRCC deployed resources for processing in its networks and to engage with various stakeholders. In a normal context such activities would have an impact on overall travel requirements allowing the department to deliver on its mandate and commitments. Travel expenditures are required to face the growth in permanent and temporary residence applications, to deliver the right training for the department workforce, and to maintain and reinforce the necessary liaison with key partners and stakeholders for business delivery.

IRCC’s hospitality expenses are mainly derived from activities related to events and meetings with foreign dignitaries as well as with federal, provincial, and territorial stakeholders.

IRCC’s conference expenses include congress, convention, briefing seminars or other formal gatherings where participants debate or are informed of the status of a discipline.

Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Year ended March 31, 2021

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

Travel:

Departmental travel expenditures for 2020-21 have decreased by $17.6 million (-97%) in comparison to 2019-20. This is mainly attributable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel limitations put in place during 2020-21 as part of the department’s response to ensure the security of employees in Canada and abroad and to limit the spread of the virus. With this in consideration, the department had to adapt to the pandemic environment to ensure business continuity, to train its staff and to maintain engagement with key stakeholders. To do this, the department re-directed resources and increased investment in its tele-video conferencing tools and infrastructure and in the development of new digital processing and training tools allowing operational continuity. Such investments also allowed the department to maintain engagement with stakeholders. Furthermore, these tools and infrastructure will continue to be leveraged in a post-pandemic environment.

Hospitality:

Departmental hospitality expenditures for 2020-21 have decreased by $289 thousands (-91%) in comparison to 2019-20. This is mainly attributable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. This reduction stems from limitation to meet face-to-face for various events during the pandemic.

Conference fees:

Departmental conference expenditures for 2020-21 have decreased by $163 thousands (-20%) in comparison to 2019-20. This is mainly attributable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. Similarly to previous items, several conferences were cancelled during the pandemic, resulting in the decrease in conference fees.

Minister and minister’s exempt staff:

Departmental expenditures for international travel by the Minister and the Minister’s exempt staff have decreased by $68 thousands (-100%) in comparison to 2019-20. The significant decrease is mainly explained by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel limitations put in place during 2020-21.

For further details on international travel, please visit the IRCC Proactive Disclosure web page.