Evidence of meeting #78 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was kingsley.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement, Canada Border Services Agency
Thank you.
Michèle alluded to this earlier. We don't have a single layer of defence. I spent much of my career in aviation safety, were we have multiple layers of defence that stop accidents from happening. We have the same approach in the immigration system.
It starts with the applicant and the applicant's having to vouch for the fact that they're responsible for this application and that their documents are true and genuine.
The second layer of defence is our colleagues at IRCC reviewing those documents. They get training for that. They look for that, and they do follow-up.
The third layer of defence is at the port of entry or gateway, with the border services officers who are trained to spot fraudulent documents. They are supported by document experts—
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Okay, can we stop there? That's the answer I'm looking for. What is that process at the border, please?
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement, Canada Border Services Agency
I wouldn't want to limit it to the border, with all due respect, because we don't want a single point of failure.
What we have are border services officers who are trained to assess individuals and look for fraud in all sorts of domains as well as being given training to identify fraudulent documents. They are supported by document specialists who can review documents. That is one layer of defence.
The subsequent layer of defence is the other work that Michèle described domestically, and also our own border services officers who work inland. That's how this case started. It was our getting intel leads leading to the use of fraudulent documents, so we did an administrative review—
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
The issue is about how you're going to continue this, because we are looking at cuts in both your budgets going forward here. If this is going to continue to be an expanding program, how are you going to meet the requirements of enforcing anything here when there's less and less money in your budget?
5:35 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic, Family and Social Migration, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I think the minister spoke about this earlier. We're looking at the program broadly. We're looking at enhanced integrity measures. We're looking to a recognized institution model to make sure that institutions that are really stepping up and providing supports are benefiting from priority processing. We're also looking at that study, work, stay continuum and at how we can better target that so that we make sure that the people coming in are really supporting Canada's objectives.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you.
Now we will go to my friend, Mr. Ali.
Go ahead for three minutes.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Wonderful. Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to the officials for being here today.
In your October 4 correspondence you informed this committee that charges had been laid against Brijesh Mishra for immigration-related offences, but that he is one of many hidden agents identified in cases the task force reviewed.
Can you provide this committee with any other information regarding these hidden agents, or other organizations of these agents on a larger scale?
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement, Canada Border Services Agency
Over the last five years we have done over 800 investigations into IRPA offences, and that has led to over 1,000 charges.
Mr. Mishra is just one example of that, but I'm not going to comment on specific cases, because we don't want to compromise those cases, and we have to let them play out.
I was in an awkward position here at the last committee hearing, as that case was maturing, but I could not speak to it. I can tell you now that charges have been laid.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Through the chair, so that means you are still reviewing other actors who are in this sort of business, to identify and lay charges.
5:35 p.m.
Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement, Canada Border Services Agency
I would suggest again that's another one of those letters of defence that I talked about. We are always actively conducting two types of investigations—criminal investigations against the act itself, as well as administrative investigations. That is fundamental to ensuring the integrity of the system.
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Thank you.
Do you think it would be beneficial for this IRCC-CBSA task force to establish itself permanently to handle any future situations of exploitation of international students or other newcomers to Canada? Why, or why not?
5:40 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic, Family and Social Migration, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
In fact, we are doing that in the sense that on the website “How to report fraud” we did include new instructions. We have updated that website so that genuine students, who feel like they have been impacted by fraud, can signal that to the department. The task force will in fact review those cases.
While we may slow down some of the activities once we get through this particular cohort—we'll see what comes through that website—the process is now established and the criteria, the things we're looking for, are all established. We do plan on continuing to use them.
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON
Ms. Kingsley, you were talking about current numbers in response to Ms. Jenny Kwan. Do you want to add something, because you didn't have an opportunity?
October 24th, 2023 / 5:40 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic, Family and Social Migration, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Actually, I would say there was a question about those who had departed prior to their findings of inadmissibility.
When we met with the committee in June, we thought that was 10 people. It was, in fact, 13. The task force has reviewed those cases, and six have been found to be genuine; seven have been found not to be genuine.
Those people do not have an inadmissibility finding, and so there is nothing that stops them from reapplying to come to Canada. Notes have been left in the system.
In the case of the genuine students, they would be considered a de novo case. In the cases of non-genuine students, they are still assessed as de novo cases, and they probably would be subject to greater scrutiny, because of the past action, but they would be considered new cases.