Evidence of meeting #129 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was study.
A video is available from Parliament.
Director, Temporary Resident Program Division, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I don't have those numbers.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Can you undertake to get them for us and send them to the clerk?
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Yes, we can.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
If I can add, we can certainly provide that information—
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
—to the committee in writing, but I would just add that the numbers provided were in relation to the live-in caregiver program—
Conservative
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
The current standard for our pilot is six months, and we're seeing that it's actually much lower than that.
Conservative
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
It depends on which cohort we're talking about. For the live-in caregiver program, we've committed to do a shorter service standard for those who have come in recently.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
You've committed, but are they getting longer or shorter? I am not asking what you're committed to but whether they are getting longer or shorter.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I think overall they are getting shorter, but we'll come back with more details for the committee.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
You'll provide that information to the clerk.
I have the same questions with respect to the live-in caregivers, when it comes to reuniting families here in Canada. What are the wait times? How large is the backlog? Perhaps you don't have that either.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
No. It would be related to the actual finalization of the PR application, which is when their family members could join them.
Conservative
Director, Temporary Resident Program Division, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Is that for the live-in caregiver program?
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Yes, when it comes to reuniting families in this country.
Director, Temporary Resident Program Division, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We don't have that but we can get it to you.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
You'll get that too, and the same with respect to the backlog and whether the wait times are getting longer or shorter. You'll provide that to us too?
Director, Temporary Resident Program Division, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
That's correct.
The only number I can share with you, that I have with me, is that in May 2014, the backlog stood at 62,000 applicants. As of August 2018, the inventory has been reduced to less than 8,500.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Okay. Which of the streams of the temporary foreign worker program is having the most difficulty supplying the needs of employers?
Director General, Temporary Foreign Worker Directorate, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
I don't know if I can answer that directly. It's a demand-driven program, so the employers need to apply to the program and meet the conditions—
Conservative
Director General, Temporary Foreign Worker Directorate, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Yes, so over the years there have been changes to the program to restrict access.