Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 27th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I call to order meeting number three of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

I want to say a few words about health and safety. I just remind all attendees in the room to maintain a physical distance of at least two metres and to wear a mask as long as physical distancing is not assured.

This is a hybrid meeting; some members are appearing in person in the parliamentary precinct and other members are appearing remotely.

I remind all members to please speak at a pace slow enough for interpreters to keep up. Do not speak over one another. The clerk will be tracking the raised hands, in case someone wants to speak, and keeping a speaking list for the chair.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the House on September 23, all questions shall be decided by recorded vote except for those decided unanimously or on division.

The meeting is being webcast, and is available also on ParlVU.

Today we have some committee business at the beginning, and then we will start the study on the impact of COVID on the immigration system. Before we go into committee business, I want to let everyone know that the clerk has distributed a revised calendar of possible upcoming meetings. The meeting schedule is determined by the whips of all parties. We have the information for the next meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, November 3 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

I want to inform all members about some deadlines. The committee has the main estimates for 2020-21. The deadline to report the estimates to the House is Friday, November 27. The deadline to report supplementary estimates (B) 2020-21 to the House is not later than three sitting days before the final sitting of the supplementary period ending not later than December 10, 2020, or three sitting days before the last allotted day in the current period, which has not been allotted yet. The IRCC advises that members may request individual briefings by the department on the estimates. The clerk can compile the names of members who wish to receive individual briefings.

These were some of the deadlines I wanted to give and some opening remarks.

First, we will begin today's meeting with committee business. We had the subcommittee meeting, and the committee business for today is to adopt the first report of the subcommittee on agenda and procedure. The minutes of the meeting have been circulated by the clerk to all the members. Can I have the motion to adopt the report by the subcommittee on agenda and procedure?

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

I so move.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Do I have unanimous consent to adopt the motion of the report of the subcommittee on agenda and procedure, which has been circulated?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Today we are starting our study on the impact of COVID-19 on the immigration system. The committee will start hearing from the witnesses today.

For our first panel we have, as individuals, Chantale Munger, pedagogical advisor, Cégep de Jonquière; Santa J. Ono, president and vice-chancellor, University of British Columbia; and Chantal Dubé, research and content writer, representing Spousal Sponsorship Advocates, as well as Syed Farhan Ali and Roomila Mirza, associates.

I welcome all of the witnesses. Thank you for appearing before the CIMM committee.

We will start with Chantale Munger.

You have five minutes for your opening remarks.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Madam Chair, I have just one comment before we begin.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Ms. Dancho.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

I have a question for the committee. Do we have an update from the minister with regard to when he will be able to appear before our committee in response to Jenny Kwan's motion that was passed last week?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

We don't have any answer as yet. I will update the committee as soon as I have information on that.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

As you are doing your consultations on that, I suggest that we also consider an evening committee meeting for that. My understanding is that there are two of those that we could get into the queue for each week, when we may be able to meet with the minister, if that's more amenable to his schedule.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I will find the information and update all committee members.

We will start hearing from the witnesses.

The first witness is Chantale Munger.

You have five minutes, Ms. Munger. Please start.

[Chantale Munger, Pedagogical Advisor, Cégep de Jonquière, As an Individual]

Good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you for having me here and for giving me the chance to appear before this committee.

First, I want to speak a little bit about the economic impact of Canada's colleges and institutes. According to an analysis by Colleges and Institutes Canada, known as CICan, in 2014-15, the economic impact of colleges and institutes was valued at $190 billion. In 2018, international students contributed $21.6 billion to the country's gross domestic product, or GDP.

According to another impact analysis conducted in the spring on the effects of the pandemic, the losses amount to $3.1 billion in the 2020-21 academic year alone. In 2018, Canada welcomed 572,000 international students, which constitutes an increase of 154% in eight years. If the market were to collapse as a result of the pandemic, Canada would lose $10 billion over the coming academic years. This amounts to a 46.5% drop in revenue, according to CICan data.

According to the latest overview of international activities provided by the Fédération des cégeps, which comprises 44 CEGEPs, there were 167,000 international students in 2019. This is a key issue in terms of the CEGEPs' vitality. Sixty per cent of CEGEP leaders consider international recruitment very important, compared to only 40% in 2014. This interest is even more acute in the regions, outside the major cities, because the major centres already attract immigrants. The regions must step up their efforts to attract this population.

CEGEPs in the regions are particularly active. The visibility and viability of the programs are at stake. CEGEPs must also make up for the shortfall resulting from the declining population. They also play a major role in territorial vitality. They provide a large pool of skilled workers and training for the labour market. CEGEPs are also major employers in the regions.

To recruit students, CEGEPs must deal with many challenges involving the immigration procedures. There's a world of difference between the reality of our students who wish to study abroad and the reality of the students whom we manage to recruit. International students must go through a maze of requirements from the federal government, the provincial government and the department of education. They must apply for a Quebec acceptance certificate, or CAQ, a study permit and an internship permit. They must provide their biometric data—which is very complex—and they must sometimes undergo medical tests.

Students who wish to do their internship in Quebec don't have an easy time. Quite the contrary. In our view, the requirements are disproportionate. The students must first go through all the steps taken by foreign workers—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry. Can you please stop? I think there is some interpretation issue. We have to stop the clock.

[Chantale Munger]

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry. We just have to figure out the interpretation. You have to speak a bit louder.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Leif-Erik Aune]

Ms. Munger, this is the clerk speaking to you.

Can you raise your microphone?

[Chantale Munger]

Okay.

Can we continue?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Yes, please. We will restart the clock.

Please start.

[Chantale Munger]

I was also talking about students who wish to do internships in Quebec. They don't have an easy time. Quite the contrary. In our view, the requirements are disproportionate. The students must go through all the steps taken by foreign workers, even though the internship will be just a few weeks long and they have the support of the two partner institutions. We're also not allowed to provide assistance because of immigration laws. In this situation, it's very difficult to ensure reciprocity when working with the other universities. It's easy to send out interns, but very difficult to take them in.

I also want to bring up two ironies. The first concerns the large number of students who receive a refusal letter from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, even though they have the language skills and a scholarship from the Canadian government. These students are mainly from African countries with French-speaking populations.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting you. Your time is up. Maybe you can talk further when we come to the rounds of questioning.

The next witness is Santa J. Ono, president and vice-chancellor, University of British Columbia.

Santa J. Ono, you have five minutes for your opening remarks.

[Dr. Santa J. Ono, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of British Columbia, As an Individual]

Good afternoon.

First let me say that it's an honour to join you today from UBC on the traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. I want to further acknowledge the traditional territories from which each of you join us.

Canadians have long understood that our open, multicultural society is a major competitive differentiator and a major key to our long-term prosperity as a nation. The current moment offers an opportunity for Canada to be more competitive for international talent and to bring more economic value and more skilled immigrants to Canada. Our population is aging. These new skilled immigrants will be crucial to guaranteeing the long-term quality of life for all Canadians in our post-pandemic recovery. Other jurisdictions, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, have prioritized attracting and retaining international students. Canada needs to ensure that we aren't placing ourselves in the position where we can't compete and attract this much-needed talent.

International students are also a major contributor to Canada's research enterprise, and enrich the learning environment for all the Canadian students on our campuses. Importantly, many international students choose to stay and make Canada their home, representing a major source of highly skilled talent needed for the Canadian economy, a resource we know that Canada needs especially as we emerge from this pandemic. As many of you know, international students bring significant benefits to Canada, economically as well as socially. International students contribute more than $20 billion per year to the Canadian economy. They play a significant role in Canadian post-secondary revenue. Last year, at UBC alone, of the $650 million in undergraduate tuition revenue, more than 60% came from international undergraduate students.

It goes without saying that COVID-19 continues to have profound impacts. That is particularly true for the post-secondary sector in our ability to welcome international students and researchers. I want to thank the federal government for its extraordinary efforts to ensure that Canada continues to be a leading global centre for international education and a destination of choice for international talent. I want to particularly thank Minister Mendicino, Minister Bain, Minister Ng and the many public servants who have worked collaboratively with universities; the U15, of which I am chair; Universities Canada; and the Canadian Bureau for International Education to address new and unique pressures facing our immigration system and to create supports for international students in light of the pandemic.

In that spirit, and in recognizing the incredible challenges that face the government in operating our immigration system during a global pandemic, there are a few areas in which we can continue to make improvements together. The first is the responsibility being given to the post-secondary sector to manage and support the quarantine of students entering Canada to study. We're doing so very successfully. The second is to improve processing times for study and work permits, particularly as we gradually return to in-person instruction and research across Canada. The third is greater flexibility in the processes that reflect these unique times. The fourth is to build an even closer tie between the immigration department and universities as we work through permit processing issues and many specific challenging individual cases. The last one is to ensure that international students and researchers continue to be seen as an essential part of Canadian society as we look to such new pandemic measures as eligibility for an eventual vaccine.

I look forward to your questions and our discussions.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Mr. Ono. You finished your opening remarks in slightly over four minutes, which is good.

Our third witness, from Spousal Sponsorship Advocates, is Chantal Dubé, research and content writer.

Ms. Dubé, you have five minutes for your opening remarks.

[Chantal Dubé, Research and Content Writer, Spousal Sponsorship Advocates]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Through my involvement with the Spousal Sponsorship Advocates over the last several months, I have been a witness to the suffering of many couples and families as they try to manage the worries and difficulties of the pandemic, all the while contending with isolation from their immediate family members, who form their primary support network.

When the pandemic took hold and government processes were halted, hills became mountains. As Canadian spouses and partners, our ability to travel to visit with our foreign spouses was nullified due to border closures and essential quarantine measures, and air travel became a risky proposition and a scarce commodity.

With that change of circumstances, the impact of notorious temporary resident visa refusals for foreign spouses on the grounds of paragraph 179(b) became more than a nuisance; it became a very real barrier to family reunification, leaving us effectively unable to visit with one another, unable to witness the birth of a first-born child, unable to provide family care during a medical or mental health emergency and unable to provide the support that may have prevented such emergencies from occurring in the first place.

Our spouses are regularly denied TRVs due to fears they will overstay their welcome, and yet no one in their right mind would put the long-term goal of permanent family reunification at risk by doing such a thing.

Our applications for spousal sponsorship regularly linger in the system for absurd amounts of time due to fears that our marriages are not genuine, and yet the overwhelming majority of relationships are genuine, even if they may be unusual. The government's measures that are in place to protect against unauthorized migration and marriages of convenience are measures that impose hardship on all in order to catch a small few.

I would like to draw the committee's attention to the brief that has been submitted by the Spousal Sponsorship Advocates and to make its members aware that we have collected several examples of personal testimony related to this issue that are available upon request. The brief puts forth information and evidence to demonstrate the extent of the impact of existing government policies and processes as they apply to spousal sponsorship as well as recommendations. It speaks to the profound effects they have had on individuals and families as compounded by the global COVID-19 crisis over these last seven months.

To provide you with a personal example of that damage, I give you Mr. Syed Farhan Ali.

[Syed Farhan Ali, Associate, Spousal Sponsorship Advocates]

Thank you very much, Chantal.

Thank you, honourable Madam Chair and honourable members of the committee.

Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to highlight the issues we have gone through during the 34-month process of my spousal immigration case. I will try my best to squeeze the miseries of 34 months into two minutes.

The current system basically lacks compassion and empathy. For 34 months we have suffered through severe mental stress, anxiety, depression, feelings of deprivation, lack of sleep and appetite, and most importantly, suicidal thoughts. I missed the birth of my kids, but thanks to the United States that granted me a five-year B-1/B-2 visa in 2016 by knowing only that my wife is Canadian and that I wished to see her.

I was somehow able to see my kids after a couple of months in the U.S. I missed their births. We have spent thousands of dollars on travel, etc. I missed their first step and their first birthday. My wife takes care of six kids and a sick mom, and she has faced all the storm alone up until now.

Regarding the process, it's stressful and unclear. It leaves the applicant in the dark. There are long, silent gaps after the submission of additional documents, causing unnecessary delays and stress, while other streams get approved in six to eight months. With visas being denied for applicants from developing countries because of paragraph 179(b) judging the application on the basis of wealth and properties, relationships mean nothing. Why would someone stay in Canada and jeopardize their case? Spouses are immediate family; we are not tourists.

These are a few of the many issues we faced. We need the sympathetic—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Mr. Farhan, I'm sorry for interrupting. Your time is up. We will have to go to the rounds of questions.

Thanks to all witnesses.

We will now start with our first round. We have Mr. Hallan for six minutes.

Mr. Hallan, the floor is yours.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

First and foremost, I want to thank the advocacy group. We had a rally over the weekend, which most of my honourable colleagues attended. Just to hear the courage all of you in sharing your personal stories and what you've had to overcome so far, just like some of the testimony we heard here today....

It was very disappointing to see that no Liberal ministers showed up for that rally—even though they were invited—to hear the real-life impact that you all are facing with these delays and what's happening.

It really is more personal when you hear these stories. We hear about these through our offices. We try to help accommodate...but these are real-life impacts on your lives. Thank you for sharing your stories.

Again, many courageous stories were told. There were many heart-wrenching testimonies from the many speakers at that rally.

I also want to give you a little more opportunity, a minute or so—I know that's not enough time—to share a brief overview of what was spoken about inside that rally, and a brief overview of what the concerns were.

Mr. Farhan, could you please share a little more of your experience?