Citizenship and Immigration Committee on May 5th, 2016

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

If I may switch, what does the IRCC consider as a high default rate for temporary resident visas? I think we heard, in particular, for Mexico that it still has it, but a rate wasn't given. What's considered high for a default rate for people who are on visitor visas who don't return?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

I'd say that's for Mr. Orr.

[Robert Orr]

Yes.

Mr. Chair, I'm not quite sure what is meant by “default rate”. When we're looking at whether there's a visa requirement or not, we look at a whole variety of factors. One of them is the refusal rate. Normally a rate of about 4% is what we're looking at.

We have the refusal rates of various offices around the world, and they vary considerably as to how many we would be refusing, how many we would be accepting. The overall acceptance rate is 82%.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

My concern was, when the example of Mexico was given, that a high number of people weren't returning. That's the rate I'm trying to get at. How do you determine it, and what is considered a high rate?

[David Manicom]

Because at this time we don't have exit controls, we don't know the precise number of people who don't return. What I was referring to is the visa violation rate. Those are known violations, whereby someone commits a crime in Canada and comes to our attention as having overstayed their visa and so forth. We also calculate rates of asylum claims.

A visa violation rate of more than 2% or 3% is considered high.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Would you know the visa violation rate for India, per se? Is there a stat?

[David Manicom]

I don't have it with me. I could find it.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

It would be nice if you could provide that to us.

[David Manicom]

Yes. We could provide it to the committee.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Thank you.

I will now pass my time to Mr. Chen.

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

You have one and a half minutes.

[Shaun Chen, Liberal, Scarborough North, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Speaking through you, Mr. Chair, I'm very pleased, Minister, to hear that the main estimates are seeing an overall net increase in funding for the department, and in particular in the context of Canada's being an open and welcoming country.

I want to ask about the processing times for family reunification. I know that in many cases there are parents and grandparents who are waiting up to four years to be reunited with their families. Some spousal applications take upwards of two years. In my riding of Scarborough North, I've met with constituents, and in fact, just the other week one constituent was almost reduced to tears talking about how he has waited almost two years to sponsor his wife from abroad and about the challenges of waiting so long.

Minister, can you share with us how the budget that is set and the priorities you have given to the department will support family reunification?

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

You have 10 seconds.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Ten seconds. It will do it well, but if I have a chance to amplify later, I will.

Thank you for the question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

Thank you, Minister.

Mr. Saroya, you have five minutes, please.

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Thank you, Minister, for coming here. As well, thanks to your staff for clarifying some things.

These main estimates indicate that IRCC will transfer $1.3 million to the computer for schools program of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, to facilitate the integration of Syrian refugees by providing them with computers. From which departmental program or area will these funds be transferred? Has IRCC funded these programs in the past? If not, what is the rationale for doing it this time?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

It's a very good question, so good that we're scurrying around trying to find an answer. I think the rationale for providing computers to refugees is that in 2016 it's great for one's life to have a computer.

Does anyone have further detail?

[Dawn Edlund]

I don't have further detail; I'm sorry.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

You've stumped us, but we will get back to you on this question.

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

No problem. May I ask another one, please?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Yes.

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Funding requested by the resettlement assistance program has substantially increased in fiscal year 2016-17 because of the government's Syrian refugee resettlement commitment, but is expected to return to a normal level the following year. Resettled refugees have the right to apply for family reunification with immediate family members within their first year in Canada, which means that a second wave of Syrian refugees could be expected.

How has the department prepared for this possibility in resource allocation for the resettlement assistance program in the future?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

You're right that we have this within-one-year right to resettle families, and because of the Syrian refugees, and indeed all refugees, we have to budget for and plan for that eventuality in terms of how, in practice, we are doing it.

Dawn.

[Dawn Edlund]

Mr. Chair, just to clarify, the resettlement assistance program is available for government-assisted refugees and what are called the blended visa office cases. That's not money that's available for a subsequent wave of sponsorships. If the Syrian refugees want to sponsor other family members in the future, they would not have access to the resettlement assistance program funding.

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Minister, this is the last question.

Media reports suggest that IRCC has shut down expedited processing of private sponsorship applications. The government has indicated that all applications for Syrian refugees received prior to March 31, 2016, will be processed in 2016 and early 2017. Applications received after that time will be processed according to the usual procedures.

How many private sponsorship applications for Syrian refugees are in the processing inventory? Has the department allocated additional resources to finish processing the applications received prior to March 31, 2016?