Evidence of meeting #6 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was applicants.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Carol McKinney  Immigration Program Manager, Chandigarh, India, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Patricia Nicoll  Deputy Program Manager, Manila, Philippines, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Angela Gawel  Director General, International Region, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Catherine Bailey  Immigration Program Manager, Manila, Philippines, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

6:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Good evening.

This is the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, meeting number 6, on Tuesday, November 26, 2013.

We're meeting until 7:30 tonight. We have a whole group of speakers.

Here in Ottawa we have Angela Gawel, who is the director general of the international region with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. All the way from India, we have Carol McKinney and Barry Irvine.

Do you hear me?

6:30 p.m.

Carol McKinney Immigration Program Manager, Chandigarh, India, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

That's correct, sir.

6:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Thank you.

And we have, all the way from the Philippines, Catherine Bailey and Ms. Patricia Nicoll.

Hello. Can you hear me?

6:30 p.m.

Patricia Nicoll Deputy Program Manager, Manila, Philippines, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Hello. Yes.

6:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Good.

I gather it's been explained to you that all of you have a total of 20 minutes.

I assume, Ms. Gawel, that you're going first and that you won't take 20 minutes; otherwise we won't hear from India and the Philippines.

You may proceed.

6:30 p.m.

Angela Gawel Director General, International Region, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Thank you.

Good evening, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. My name is Angela Gawel, and I'm the director general of the international region.

I'm pleased to appear before you today and hope that our testimony will be helpful to you as you undertake your study of the temporary resident visa for visitors.

International Region plays a two-directional role. We deliver programs and implement policy and operational changes overseas and we also use the knowledge and expertise available at our visa offices abroad to inform the development of new policies and programs. In both cases, the objective remains to be as facilitative as possible for genuine applicants while minimizing risks to Canadians.

CIC remains committed to facilitating the movement of genuine visitors. We recognize the importance of this program to Canadians, both on a personal level, such as for visits from friends and family from abroad, as well as in terms of its contribution to Canada's economy. This commitment is reflected in our high acceptance rate, which in 2012 stood at 82% globally, as well as in the various new tools we've been implementing to enhance client service, about which I'll speak more later on.

The temporary resident visa program is CIC's largest business line. In 2012, we received close to 1.2 million applications and issued slightly more than 950,000 visitor visas. Considering these numbers, it is crucial to have a robust and ongoing process for assuring that we protect the health, safety, and security of Canadians and the integrity of our programs.

Detecting or preventing fraud can be difficult as verifications of documents submitted by applicants are not always possible or easy to carry out, especially when there is collusion with foreign officials or other individuals responsible for the issuance of the local documents. CIC, in collaboration with our security partners, works hard to detect and prevent document fraud.

In addition to document fraud, we are also confronted with identity fraud, which can be facilitated by unscrupulous organizations. As you know, Canada has introduced the use of biometrics to specifically address this issue. This facilitates the travel of legitimate visitors while assisting in the detection of those who seek to mask their true identity.

We are constantly undertaking anti-fraud activities in all our missions abroad. Because of their local knowledge and expertise, documentation, and processes related to document issuance, officers abroad are an invaluable source of information and are key in identifying specific local risks. This information is then fed into the department's fraud or anti-fraud approach. Our staff maintains a network of contacts with relevant and trusted local institutions abroad that can assist in the validation of documents.

We also work closely with officials from embassies of like-minded countries.

Another challenge we face with regard to the temporary resident visa program has been the increase in the number of applications received. Intake grew by 48% between 2002 and 2012, placing great pressures on the overseas offices in terms of providing good client service while continuing to exercise the due diligence required to ensure program integrity.

CIC received funding in budget 2013 to help alleviate some of this pressure, particularly in key markets such as China, India, and Brazil. This funding has allowed CIC to deploy additional resources overseas in a strategic manner to respond to new opportunities, including the timely processing of temporary resident visas.

CIC has established an active modernization strategy to support sound workload and workforce management, streamlined business processes, and automated e-services. This far-reaching transformation is still under way, but we are making progress.

One example of our modernization strategy is a move towards centralized processing. With increased centralization, our visa offices overseas play a key role in informing the development and ongoing revalidation of risk indicators. These indicators are used to differentiate the lower-risk applications, processed centrally, from the more complex cases that are better processed abroad, where there is the appropriate local knowledge and expertise.

In addition to achieving economies of scale, centralization allows visa offices overseas to concentrate their efforts on higher-value activities, such as intelligence gathering and reporting, liaison with partners and stakeholders, the oversight of service providers, and anti-fraud and quality assurance activities that further enhance the integrity of our programs.

Another modernization initiative has been the outsourcing and expansion of the visa application centres—VACs—network to more than 126 VACS in 91 countries. In addition to being the main conduit for biometric enrolment, VACs generate efficiency gains by reviewing applications for completeness and thereby reducing overall processing times. VACs also provide services to clients in locations where we are not present and do so in the local language.

Another initiative is the online submission of applications for temporary resident services. This is an attractive alternative, as it can be done electronically from home, including payment of fees, while permitting the client to retain their passport until the visa is ready for issuance.

In 2011 CIC extended the maximum validity period for multiple-entry visas from five to ten years. In 2012 visa officers issued more than 400,000 multiple-entry visas. These visas give the client additional flexibility and eliminate the time and expense of making repeated applications. These multiple-entry visas are an efficient and cost-effective option for the many visitors, such as business people or family members, who are frequent visitors to Canada. In this way, we facilitate the arrival of legitimate travellers while ensuring that the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the safety and security of Canadians and the integrity of our programs.

Finally, we are also active in supporting processing during emergencies, such as the typhoon which recently struck the Philippines. We take seriously our role in supporting Canadians in affected areas. We provide priority processing for all types of applicants including new temporary resident visa applications from those in affected areas, who are family members of Canadians and permanent residents.

6:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

We're not getting the translation.

Stop the clock, please.

Okay. Let's try it again.

6:35 p.m.

Director General, International Region, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Angela Gawel

Should I go back to the beginning of that paragraph?

6:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

You can repeat it in French.

6:35 p.m.

Director General, International Region, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Angela Gawel

Very well.

Finally, we are also active in supporting processing during emergencies, such as the typhoon which recently struck the Philippines. We take seriously our role in supporting Canadians in affected areas. We provide priority processing for all types of applicants, including new temporary resident visa applications from those in affected areas, who are family members of Canadians and permanent residents.

This concludes my opening remarks. I will now give the floor to my colleague from Chandigarh, Carol McKinney.

6:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Hello, Ms. McKinney. You're next.

How's the weather in India?

6:40 p.m.

Immigration Program Manager, Chandigarh, India, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Carol McKinney

It's great. It's about plus 22 today. How is it in Ottawa, sir?

6:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

It's just terrible, but you go ahead with your presentation. We're going to live through our weather.

Welcome to the immigration committee.

6:40 p.m.

Immigration Program Manager, Chandigarh, India, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Carol McKinney

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My name is Carol McKinney and I am the program manager of the visa office in Chandigarh. I would like to provide a short overview of Chandigarh's operations in delivering Canada's visa program in the region that it serves.

The Chandigarh visa office is a satellite office of New Delhi, processing temporary resident applications from states in northern Indian, primarily Punjab and Haryana. There are six Canada-based officers supported by nineteen locally engaged staff members.

In 2012 we issued a record number of visas, 18,088, almost three times more than were issued in 2005, with an acceptance rate of 53%. Not only has the number of applications received increased, but so too has our approval rate, which was 38% in 2004, the year our office opened.

Our processing times have also improved, with 80% of the temporary resident visa applications processed within our client service standard of 14 calendar days.

In spite of economic growth in India, there is a strong incentive for residents of the Punjab to seek better economic opportunities abroad. The large Punjabi community in Canada exerts a strong pull factor, particularly among the young unemployed or underemployed. As many of these individuals do not meet Canada's visa requirements, officials from Canada and from key partner countries are very concerned about the growing evidence of fraud and misrepresentation.

Chandigarh is aware of the possibility of fraud in all of its business lines. In 2012, 329 applications were refused under section A40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for misrepresentation discovered through verifications. However, overall, we estimate that between 15% and 20% of the applications we refuse contain misrepresentation of some kind. Examples of fraudulent documents include those received from students, such as fraudulent letters of acceptance, language test certificates, academic records, reference letters, and identify documents.

Temporary foreign work applicants often provide fraudulent ESDC labour market opinions and fraudulent letters for their employment in India. Fraud encountered in visitor visa applications usually involves falsified Indian bank statements or falsified documentation from Canada, such as invitations from non-existent Canadians or fraudulent funeral home letters for funerals that are not taking place.

While some of the fraud is perpetrated by applicants on their own initiative, unscrupulous consultants exploit the desire to travel to Canada and actively mislead clients. The agents may submit a number of applications with similar misrepresentation without declaring their status, as required by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The commonalities and the fraudulent documentation that are found in various unrelated applications are clear evidence that one source is responsible for the submission of all of the applications. Unfortunately, these applications do not include agent information, thereby making it difficult to identify and trace those responsible. Many applicants trust the advice given to them by agents, and, regrettably, many are misled. The agents usually require that a significant portion of their fee be paid upfront, which means they benefit even if a high percentage of their clients' applications are refused.

In order to improve the processing of applications from genuine visitors, the Chandigarh office has been working with Canadian religious institutions. Our office now has a simple procedure that allows us to confirm invitations from genuine Sikh religious workers. This is one example of Chandigarh's efforts to work cooperatively with trusted Canadian institutions in order to provide quality client service.

To combat fraud in our visa program, a new anti-fraud officer position was created in Chandigarh in September 2012. This position has increased our capacity for field verifications when fraud is suspected, including cases referred to us from New Delhi for local investigation. Chandigarh's invaluable anti-fraud support allows Delhi's anti-fraud officer to investigate in other parts of India.

In addition to assisting New Delhi, Chandigarh's new anti-fraud officer has also provided support to local law enforcement officials, who, particularly in the Punjab, have been targeting unregistered and unlicensed consultants. Canadian missions in India also participate in joint initiatives with local police and our close international partners—Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S.A.—in our battle to put unscrupulous agents out of business.

For example, on the basis of information provided by Canada and its partners, the Punjab police, on May 6, 2013, raided the offices of six Jalandhar-based consultants. This resulted not only in the arrest of the owners of five consulting companies but also included the seizure of what is the equivalent of $36,000 Canadian, 42 passports, and 152 potential visa applications containing suspected false documentation.

Chandigarh is hopeful that these efforts will lead to a reduction in the number of fraudulent applications we receive. This in turn would encourage and support the mission's continued increase in acceptance rates and allow us to continue to facilitate the travel of the many genuine applicants we already approve.

This concludes my remarks. I will now hand the floor to my colleague Catherine Bailey in Manila.

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Ms. Bailey, you have about six minutes. Can you do it?

6:45 p.m.

Catherine Bailey Immigration Program Manager, Manila, Philippines, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

I will try to read quickly.

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Okay.

6:45 p.m.

Immigration Program Manager, Manila, Philippines, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Catherine Bailey

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Thank you for coming.

6:45 p.m.

Immigration Program Manager, Manila, Philippines, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Catherine Bailey

Thank you.

My name is Catherine Bailey, and I am the immigration program manager in Manila.

I understand that the committee is conducting a study on temporary resident visas for visitors. I will therefore concentrate my comments on temporary resident applications and on what we are doing to meet some of the specific challenges we face.

The Manila visa office is a large centre for both permanent and temporary migration. Our office currently consists of 19 Canada-based officers, including two medical officers and a CBSA liaison officer. There are also 77 locally engaged staff, 10 of whom are designated to render decisions on visa applications.

We are responsible for a large territory that includes the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and a large swath of small Pacific islands.

To give you an idea of the size of our program and to provide some context, we receive some 30,000 temporary resident visa applications per year. In the past two years, we have taken over the work formerly done by the visa offices in Tokyo and Seoul, which were closed as part of the government's Deficit Reduction Action Plan. This has added substantially to our student and temporary foreign worker movements.

An important CIC initiative that will provide better service to our clients is the opening of visa application centres, or VACs. The previous VAC in Manila was replaced by a new centre in July 2013. New VACs also opened in Cebu City, Tokyo, and Seoul this past summer. Such centres provide personalized service, and in the local language, if preferred by the applicant.

One of Manila's biggest challenges is the ability to communicate quickly and effectively with the applicant. Infrastructure in the Philippines is poor, especially outside of major centres, and our clients are spread out over a large archipelago, making communication with clients difficult.

A solution that has worked well has been the use of mass texting. This not only reaches many applicants at once, but also eliminates inefficiencies for embassy staff. This tool has been successfully used by the mission in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

Although continually faced with challenges, the Manila visa office has embraced new opportunities, such as the implementation of the e-Medical platform. This technology has facilitated the processing of medical examinations by not only sending results directly from the physician to CIC's computer system, but also by automating portions of the assessment. E-meds have been used since early 2013 by most of the countries served by the regional medical office in Manila. E-meds have improved processing times, especially for TRVs. Although medical assessments are often the longest part of the non-immigrant visa process, the protection of public health in Canada is invaluable, especially given the high rates of TB in certain parts of the Philippines.

Another technology that benefited the mission in Manila has been the introduction of e-applications. This new tool has been well received. Since e-applications were introduced, about one half of our study permit applications have come in through this channel, which has enhanced work sharing and reduced administrative effort.

We're well aware of education and employment document fraud in the Manila visa program. To combat it, visa section employees in Manila carry out regular program integrity activities, including quality assurance exercises. These exercises allow us to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities and risks. A primary area of concern remains the quality of so-called “nanny schools”. Much effort is made by our staff, in conjunction with local authorities, to verify whether the nanny schools offer genuine training that conforms to our requirements.

As I have indicated, Manila's temporary foreign worker workload has increased significantly since 2011, due partly to the closure of the visa offices in Tokyo and Seoul. The mission in Manila not only absorbed Tokyo's and Seoul's “International Experience Canada”, or IEC programs, but also had to manage an increased demand by Canadian employers for foreign workers.

This has meant that we have needed to organize and support the provision of information and instructions to clients in Japanese and Korean, the development of expertise in Korean and Japanese culture by the visa section, and the management of expectations of Korean and Japanese clients, who had become accustomed to personalized service provided by the former visa offices. Although processing of IEC cases is being transferred to Canada, which will reduce the workload in our offices and result in faster processing times for the applicants, Manila will continue to provide exceptional client service.

Filipinos, however, continue to be the largest component of Manila's temporary foreign worker program. They are destined to a variety of sectors, from low-skilled food service positions to highly skilled trades and medical professions.

Filipino workers may be hired one at a time by an individual employer or in large groups, depending on the need. Larger movements to a single employer are monitored by staff to identify bottlenecks in the process, to streamline office procedures accordingly, and to gauge employer needs. Collaboration with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration is imperative for the effective implementation of our temporary foreign worker program.

The Live-in Caregiver Program is an important component of Manila's Temporary Foreign Worker Program with its own unique challenges. It is important to note that because the majority of live-in caregiver applications worldwide have historically been Filipinos, Manila not only shares its expertise and knowledge with other visa offices, we also assist with the verification of Filipino documents.

In closing, Mr. Chairman, the many important changes that have taken place at CIC over the past few years will allow Manila and other parts of our network to streamline our operations and use our limited resources in a more efficient manner. Such change always comes with challenges; however, l firmly believe that we are making tremendous progress. Our goal remains to provide quality service to clients who seek non-immigrant or immigrant visas in order to come to Canada, while protecting program integrity and the safety and security of Canadians. This is what we strive for and what motivates our work.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

6:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Thank you to all of you.

The committee members now have some questions to give you.

We'll start with Mr. Menegakis.

6:50 p.m.

Conservative

Costas Menegakis Conservative Richmond Hill, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to our officials for appearing before us today, both from here in Ottawa and from as far away as Chandigarh and Manila.

Before I begin with my questions, Ms. Nicoll and Ms. Bailey, I'd like to express our condolences to all of the people and the families who are affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Please express to everyone with whom you are in contact that our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time.

I'd like to begin my questioning.

We've been studying this temporary resident visa program, starting back in the spring of this year. During this time, we have heard from some opposition MPs on this committee and some witnesses, particularly when a negative decision is brought forth, that the decisions are completely arbitrary and that no objective criteria are used.

That's a bit of a concern, so I wonder whether you can tell us whether that is true. If not, can you please explain what criteria are used and how they are applied?

Maybe we can start with you, Ms. Gawel.

6:55 p.m.

Director General, International Region, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Angela Gawel

There are several factors that these officers will consider when assessing a temporary resident visa application. We will look at such things as ties to the home country, the reasons for travel, the person's means, and so on. All of those things factor into a decision made by the visa officer. I would say that it's not an arbitrary decision; it's a considered decision based on many factors.

6:55 p.m.

Conservative

Costas Menegakis Conservative Richmond Hill, ON

Thank you for that clarification. It's not an easy job. We understand that quite often there has to be an “as objective as you can be” opinion as to whether or not someone is telling the truth, or whether they have given all of the right information.

Perhaps I can ask our officials from Manila and Chandigarh whether they think there is a way to further improve the criteria that are in place now. Could you weigh in on that?

6:55 p.m.

Immigration Program Manager, Manila, Philippines, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Catherine Bailey

From the perception of Manila, I would say we have made great strides over the past year in getting more information out to applicants and authorized representatives about the sorts of things they should be mentioning on their application forms. We've worked to improve the information on our website; we have many standardized answers to questions.

We encourage people to submit as much information as possible in support of their applications. The onus is on the applicant to provide the information, and a visa officer is placed in a very difficult position if the information isn't there. So we encourage people to submit as much information as they can in support.