Evidence of meeting #41 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 data.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
The majority of the money is being spent on spouses and children, and therefore, it has limited impact on the parents and grandparents.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Borys Wrzesnewskyj
Thank you.
Before we proceed to Ms. Kwan, just for clarification, Mr. Orr, you said you would get back to the committee in terms of the request from Ms. Rempel on information, but you can't give us a time by when you would provide that information.
By when could you provide the committee a date for that information? You obviously need to go back to consult in your department. Would it be a day that you would need to consult so as to provide us with a date? It does have an impact on the report we would then be issuing.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I think it's fair to say we could probably do it by the beginning of the week and have information to you on what the timing is.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I'm just not in a position to say how complex or not it is.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Borys Wrzesnewskyj
That's absolutely understandable. Thank you for that clarification.
Ms. Kwan, for three minutes, please.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
I have a quick question, as we know that all of this is tied to immigration levels numbers. Right now as it stands, to reduce the existing backlog you have for parents and grandparents, what sort of immigration levels numbers do you need to accommodate that?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Chair, as we've seen over the last few years, given levels space of approximately 20,000, numbers are coming down quite significantly.
Yes, if we had higher levels, then yes, we would be able to clear it faster, for sure. I haven't done the modelling to know exactly what that would be.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Can you do the modelling so we can get that information? Likewise, if we can get the modelling, if we were to increase the number of applications from 10,000 to 20,000 and then from 20,000 to 30,000, what would that look like in terms of the need for immigration levels numbers to change? If we could get that modelling, I would really appreciate it. That would give us a sense of the lay of the land.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Just to be clear, is that with existing levels of approximately 300,000?
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
No, with changes in the immigration levels numbers.
I have one other question. For live-in care workers or care workers now, the wait time, we've been told, is four and a half years on average by any standard, and this is reunification with children and families. By any standards, this is not reasonable. Can you tell us what the department needs in order to reduce those unreasonable wait times for families to be reunited, especially for care workers who are here to take care of our own families?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Again, there has been a significant increase in the numbers within the levels plan to allow us to reduce the inventory of that category.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
If it's tied to the levels plan, can we then also get the modelling on what you require from the levels plan to address this issue?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We can try to put something together.
Yes, Mr. Chair.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you.
Related to that, all things are related to resources as well. We just heard that the $25-million injection in reducing backlogs is primarily being put toward spouses and children, but not parents and grandparents.
Again, on that question, what sort of resources would the department need for it to be reduced in terms of the wait times? What witnesses have said is reasonable is somewhere in the parameter of six months to a year.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We would have to look at that. Doing some of that financial modelling is very complex, but yes, we will try to get back to you on that.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
You were just putting on the record some of the data you have in terms of the contributions. Can you finish providing that information to us?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I think there was just one more point I wanted to make with regard to earnings. Parents and grandparents earned on average $14,036 after one year in Canada, and $19,982—just under $20,000—after eight years in Canada. The equivalent measure for all immigrants is $22,686 after one year of arrival, and $35,317 after eight years.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Borys Wrzesnewskyj
I'd like to thank the departmental officials for their appearance before the committee once again.
With that, we shall suspend to go in camera.
[Proceedings continue in camera]
