It's not easy.
Evidence of meeting #45 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 ircc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #45 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 ircc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:20 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
Number two, the immigration process is a lengthy process. Unlike what we think, it's about numbers.
4:20 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
If I get whatever CRS or whatever points, I pass. That's not the way.
Number three, definitely they need advice. Even if someone is graduated from university, is an engineer or whatever, even lawyers from other jurisdictions, that doesn't mean they understand the law in Canada.
Those are the three main reasons, I believe.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Okay. Thank you.
The next question is to both of you.
I'm interested in language at the call centre. When I talk about language, it's not just the different languages and the availability of people to respond, which I don't think we have. I see this with my own mother. She's been here for almost 40 years. Her English is excellent, but she won't understand what someone has said to her.
As quickly as you can, I would love to get your thoughts on your experience with the call centre and the level of how we respond to the questions and the information that we receive, because there are different levels of English.
I'll start with you, Ms. Rico.
4:20 p.m.
President, Canadian Council for Refugees
Yes, I think one of the elements is that first of all, the officers at the call centre should be nice and should have customer service training and be able to simplify. I know we are dealing with the law, but there is a way that we can understand and interpret the law and simplify the answers.
Also, facilitation is a challenge. We don't expect that in the call centre everybody will speak different languages, but right now we have a challenge that when they speak and we have an interpreter to help, they do not facilitate it. You need to use a representative and you need to fill out all those forms. That limits the access to the information for the client at the call centre, and sometimes it's frustrating for them.
If they simplify the English, it would be best. That's what we are recommending. Also, if they don't speak the client's language, they should focus on refugees and accept interpreters, because most of us in the community have interpretation, we have interpreters, and we can facilitate that communication.
4:20 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
Just in short, as we said, it's about law. In my opinion, plain English is used; however, what makes it more complex is when you get one of those words that mean so many things.
I will give you a very simple example. A person can say, “Which status am I?”, or the person doesn't know where they stand because they only know about PR or temporary, and then you say, “You're on implicit status”, and they ask, “What is all this about?”
How can you make this simple?
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Do you mean how can you define the terminology better, or make it clearer or simpler?
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
You cannot. It is used in the law. I believe the agent should transmit the information to the person calling, especially if it's the client, to tell them where they stand, and this makes it definitely more complicated. I have seen, in those cases, when you had something like that, they used to send the client the definition. Let me tell you, that makes it even more complex for the client.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Thank you.
Just very quickly, is there anything that we can do up front? Before people actually come to Canada to immigrate here or to file for refugee status, what information can we give up front or make available that might make it easier on this end?
Ms. Rico, could we start with you, please?
4:25 p.m.
President, Canadian Council for Refugees
For refugees, right now we have the pre-arrival programs. There are some, especially for government-assisted refugees, that the community agencies—
4:25 p.m.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Jenny Kwan
I'm sorry to interrupt. The time is up.
We will have time for one more round.
Go ahead, Ms. Rempel, for five minutes.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you, Madam Chair. What a great chair you are.
This is for Mr. Kurland. I want to ask you a few questions around the electronic travel authorization. You've been in the media around this recently, in March with CBC. You noted that the rules and exemptions are more complex than officials would have travellers believe.
Bringing this discussion back to client services, in your experience, is there anything the government could be doing to better inform travellers of this requirement so that they're not sideswiped by the new rules?
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
Does that question go to me?
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
Technically, what's going on so far is that we saw the report two weeks ago, and it said that 98% of applications, if I'm not mistaken, were approved within seven minutes. Seeing that report, I would not see.... This is the data given to us. I believe this is a fairly acceptable turnaround time.
The rest was only 2%, and I believe those 2% were not really clarified. What are they? Are they rejected and not accepted to come to Canada, or was there further investigation required in those cases?
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Are you hearing anything else from your broader clientele in terms of issues with this particular program or with its introduction?
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
Not really.
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
This is the report that we got from IRCC, and our clients didn't come.... The report says 98%. I don't know where those 2% would go, but probably to the community of consultants.
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
However, I haven't had any issues brought to my attention yet.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Some of my colleagues have been bringing up a theme of interactions with MP offices when people are accessing consulting services and then require an MP to intervene. Is there anything the government can do to prevent the escalation of files to MP offices, as it relates to your line of business?
From my own personal experience, sometimes we get stuff referred from immigration consultants. There is really no consistency in how that happens. Even for us, as legislators who end up offering this service, is there anything that you can advise to us in terms of consistency on applying service at an MP level?
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
In your case, you have access to any file. In my opinion, if you have access to the same model that, probably, authorized representatives are looking for, I think that would facilitate it a lot and save you a lot of time in going again and doing an access to information request.
You would have this layer, or interface, easily accessible and would tell the client, “Your file is here. That's all I can do for you, sir.” However, at least you give him an answer.
In the particular cases that we have right now that go to you, especially those that are referred by my colleagues or myself, it is very clear that we are in a grey area. The file has stopped and has remained unprocessed for six months, or something like that.