Addressing a backlog of permanent residency (PR) applications, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has outlined its response to recommendations from a recent audit. Here’s a breakdown of the key points:
Clearer Timelines:
- Applicants will receive estimated decision timelines based on application volume and age.
- Service standards will be established for programs lacking them (e.g., economic class sponsorship).
- New service standards and updates for existing ones are expected by December 31, 2024, and March 31, 2024, respectively.
- A clear method of communicating these timelines to applicants will be developed by December 31, 2024.
Addressing Differential Wait Times:
- The OAG report highlighted disparities in processing times within programs.
- IRCC acknowledges this and attributes it to the case-by-case nature of applications, with some requiring more scrutiny.
- A tool to monitor wait times by country of residence will be launched by October 1, 2024.
- A pilot program to assess the impact of ethnicity and race on processing times will be implemented by the same date. Findings will be incorporated into future analysis by April 1, 2025.
- To tackle internal delays, IRCC will develop a monitoring system to pinpoint bottlenecks in the processing workflow by April 1, 2024.
Matching Workload to Resources:
- The audit identified unequal workload distribution across IRCC offices.
- IRCC acknowledges this and partially attributes it to the prevalence of paper applications and interview requirements in specific regions.
- A tool to monitor output and identify wait time discrepancies is under development with a target completion date of April 1, 2024.
- Workload allocation will be adjusted based on targeted immigration levels and available resources.
- A review of position creation and staffing in sub-Saharan Africa, a region facing a backlog due to limited office capacity, is expected by June 30, 2024.
Monitoring AI in Decision-Making:
- The OAG recommended examining the impact of AI-powered tools on processing times.
- IRCC acknowledges its increasing reliance on AI for tasks like:
- Automating eligibility assessments
- Distributing applications
- Identifying applications requiring further verification
- Workload distribution
- Summarizing client information
- Triaging and responding to client inquiries
- Biometric assessment
- While acknowledging the efficiency gains from AI (e.g., processing 98% of spousal TRV applications), IRCC will monitor the impact on differential wait times for PR applications.
- If necessary, resources will be reallocated to address any identified disparities by April 2025.
This blog post summarizes IRCC’s action plan to address the backlog and improve the efficiency of PR application processing.
