Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My name is Claudette Deschênes and I am the assistant deputy minister of operations at CIC. I am accompanied today by Paul Armstrong, director general of the centralized processing region at CIC.
I want to thank the committee for inviting me back. I had to think about that.
On a number of occasions recently, I have appeared before members of the committee to share with them the steps CIC has taken to deliver efficient and effective service, delivery that is integrated across our global network, facilitated by technology and partnerships, and guided by thoughtful risk management and quality assurance.
As members of the committee know, we live in an increasingly interconnected and complex world, and the hallmark of any successful government department is to constantly seek innovative ways to improve service to the public without compromising security.
We are doing a lot here in Canada and overseas to meet the goal and to make our immigration system work more efficiently and effectively. To that end, we have set service standards in a number of areas.
Although this list is not exhaustive, in 80% of responses to employers on exemptions from labour market opinions, it is our goal to provide an opinion within five business days from the time a complete request is received.
In 80% of overseas applications, we expect to make a final decision within 12 months from the time the family class application--and this would mean spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, and dependent children overseas--is received at the Mississauga case processing centre.
For 80% of new permanent residents, we will send an initial permanent resident card within 40 business days from the time the confirmation of permanent resident form is completed at a port of entry or at a CIC inland office.
We will provide all eligible applicants with a funding decision on their application within 90 business days of confirming their eligibility for funding or we will inform the applicants within that timeframe of any additional processing time that may be required. This is on grants and contributions.
Expanding our online services and increasing the use of online applications are just some examples of how we are achieving our objectives.
Our service standards can now be measured against CIC's actual performance and the results will be used to support our goal of enhancing service delivery.
We are committed to transparency, management accountability and citizen-centered service. Our service commitment is now outlined to the public on our website.
Thank you. My colleague and I will now be happy to respond to your questions.