Good afternoon, everyone.
I call meeting number 11 of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to order.
Before we proceed, I have the following health and safety reminder for everyone. I remind all attendees in the room to physically distance yourselves from others by at least two metres and to wear a mask unless you are seated and more than two metres from anyone else.
This is a hybrid meeting. Some members are appearing in person in the parliamentary precinct, and the others are appearing remotely.
Please speak at slow enough pace for interpretation to keep up. The clerk will be tracking raised hands and keeping a list for the chair. All questions shall be decided by a recorded vote, except for those decided unanimously or on division, based on the order adopted by the House of Commons on September 23. The meeting is being webcast and is available on ParlVu.
We now have our first panel of witnesses today on the impact of COVID-19 on the immigration system. In the second panel, we will have the IRCC officials.
In our first panel, we have Usman Mahmood, barrister and solicitor, appearing as an individual; the Saint Mary's University Students' Association, represented by the president, Bryn de Chastelain; and the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, represented by the chief executive officer, Jennifer Watts.
On behalf of all members, I welcome the witnesses to today's important meeting as we end our hearings on our study of the impact of COVID-19 on the immigration system.
All of the witnesses will have five minutes for their opening remarks, and then we will go into the round of questioning. We will start with Mr. Usman Mahmood.
Mr. Mahmood, you can please start. You will have five minutes for your opening remarks. Thank you.