Thank you.
When we first proposed the new fair and balanced asylum system, we estimated that it would realize savings for taxpayers, primarily provincial governments, of some $1.6 billion over five years. In fact, we now anticipate that the savings will be substantially larger, with perhaps an additional $400 million in estimated savings, because the number of new claims being made in the new system is down substantially, by some 65%. We were anticipating a reduction of only some 10% of the number of new claims under the new system, but in fact the reduction so far has been in the range of 65%.
This is a bit of a shot in the dark, but our best estimate is that over the course of five years, should the current trends continue, we will see something in the range of $2 billion in cumulative savings, primarily for provincial taxpayers, because there will be fewer people making claims and false claimants will be staying for months rather than years, meaning huge savings in terms of access to provincial welfare. Of course, there would also be savings through the interim federal health program and various other social benefits.
The other area was parents and grandparents. Well, we actually haven't made a cost estimate on that. Let me put it this way. We estimate that an immigrant senior who arrives at the age of 65 likely will consume approximately $125,000 in lifetime publicly funded health benefits if they arrive as a permanent resident. A couple likely consumes in the range of a quarter of a million dollars in public health benefits for the duration of their lives in Canada as permanent residents, in addition to other social benefits. For those who instead choose to come through the super visa, obtaining private insurance, a couple at the age of 65 would represent an estimated cost savings, just to the health care system, of a quarter of a million dollars.