Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 7th, 2022

[A voice]

No.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Oh. So I don't know how many meetings this one is. You have four departments coming for two hours each. How many meetings are you proposing?

[A voice]

There will be four.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Is that in the motion? I mean, for other committees I've sat on, there's always a time frame.

I didn't receive it; that's fine. I'm just saying that I'd like to know, if I'm voting on something.... Since I'm substituting for an individual, I feel I have the right to have the information in front of me.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Madam Clerk, can you please email it to all the members before we vote on the motion?

Ms. Diab, just to clarify, there is no mention of the number of meetings in the motion.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Madam Chair, I have now received it. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

Is there any debate?

Seeing none, we'll vote on the motion moved by Ms. Kwan.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

I'll abstain. I don't know enough about this. I think we need to continue talking about it, but I will abstain on principle.

(Motion agreed to: yeas: 6, nays 0)

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

The motion is adopted.

Mr. Genuis, go ahead.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

On a point of order, Madam Chair, I don't want to belabour the point, but it is an important issue: Voting is not the time to offer a rationale for voting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Mr. Genuis.

Seeing no further hands raised, we can go to our witnesses, who have been very patient in waiting to give their opening remarks. Based on the time we now have left, we have about 70 minutes for this panel and the second panel, so we will try to shorten the time for both panels.

We will start with Mr. Leblanc, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal.

Mr. Leblanc, you will have five minutes for your opening remarks. Please begin.

[Michel Leblanc, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal]

Good afternoon.

I usually begin by thanking the committee for inviting me. Today, however, I want to say instead that you have been the committee least respectful of its witnesses in the past 13 years. Madam Chair, in my opinion, you are the one who has had the least control over the conduct of this meeting in a manner respectful of your guests.

I am flabbergasted. In the business community, we have to deal with the delays in processing the applications of temporary and permanent immigrants.From now on, I think I'll use this meeting as inspiration when I speak publicly. I'm dumbfounded.

Immigration is clearly one of the central economic challenges facing Quebec and Quebec society, as you may have observed in the last provincial election. The labour shortage is a major concern for the business community, one that affects the economy's ability to develop and that of our businesses to grow adequately. As a result, an enormous amount of attention is paid to the number of vacant positions in Quebec's economy and to immigration-related challenges. Immigration is one of the solutions to that labour shortage.

Delays in the system are clearly a major obstacle for us. Caused by Quebec government processes in some instances and by those of the Government of Canada in others, those delays affect temporary migration, and thus temporary foreign workers, and permanent immigration.

The present situation creates considerable confusion, which obscures accountability for both federal and provincial processes. People in the business sector call me with their problems. They can't determine which person or order of government is responsible. In addition, both orders of government automatically shirk their responsibilities; each one always asserts that the other is responsible for the delays that businesses and immigrants suffer.

Now I'll say out few words about temporary immigration and temporary foreign workers.

The temporary foreign workers program is essential. Unacceptable delays occur from the moment businesses find temporary foreign workers. Those delays may be as long as one year, which is really too long. The purpose of this program is to meet immediate needs by calling upon qualified and available resources.

It is unacceptable for federal government processes to take so long from the moment individuals are selected. Then there is a transition to permanent immigration, and, once again, the situation is mind-boggling. There are delays in Quebec. Waiting time for the Quebec selection certificate is 11 months. It then takes another 24 months to obtain residence from the federal government.

It's easy to say that the 11‑month time in Quebec is too long, but a 24‑month wait courtesy of the Canadian government is equally absurd. The delay in the rest of Canada obviously totals 26 months. We don't have an 11‑month delay as in Quebec, which explains why temporary workers in Quebec want to move elsewhere in Canada to try to accelerate the process.

We acknowledge that the federal government has invested additional funding in the past year and has committed to hiring more staff. We also acknowledge that efforts are currently being made. However, there is an obligation of result. Regarding expected results, it's been said that the number of names on waiting lists could decline by 80% by the end of the year. However, we think an effort should be made to eliminate all delays over the next six months.

The federal government must ensure that its processes are clear and that it discharges its obligation of result respecting recognition of resident status and in the treatment of people who pass through the Quebec experience program, the QEP. In addition, it should, of course, ensure that citizens and businesses are well aware of their responsibilities.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Mr. Leblanc.

We will now move to LUSO Community Services. We have Ms. Irena Sompaseuth, settlement services manager.

Ms. Sompaseuth, you have five minutes for your opening remarks. Please begin.

[Irena Sompaseuth, Settlement Services Manager, LUSO Community Services]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good afternoon. My name is Irena Sompaseuth. I am the settlement services manager with LUSO Community Services in London, Ontario. Thank you for having me here today to share my feedback with respect to the experience and the challenges that newcomers currently face with immigration application processing times.

LUSO is a neighbourhood resource centre with a variety of programs that support the needs of vulnerable and marginalized communities, including newcomers and immigrants of all immigration categories. Through our settlement services programs, newcomers can access information and assistance to help them make informed decisions about their settlement and their families' settlement.

We have assisted individuals with various types of settlement needs, such as finding suitable and affordable housing, accessing health care and other services in their community, and finding employment and volunteer opportunities, as well as providing newcomers with information on various immigration applications.

Over the past few years, we have had a high number of clients who have sought assistance with the citizenship application process. While guiding newcomers through the process, we have observed quite a significant variability in the processing times. We have had clients who have submitted their applications for citizenship in 2019 and early 2020 and yet still have not received a response or any update on their applications.

The pandemic had a significant impact on newcomers' lives on so many levels, and it has also affected service delivery and the operations of agencies, businesses and service providers. IRCC has been attentive and proactive with resuming pre-COVID processing times by hiring many new staff to help reduce the backlogs. In the recent period, we have seen that processing times have indeed been reduced, with citizenship applications submitted in late 2021 or early 2022 being processed with pre-COVID processing times.

However, there are still many applications in the inventory with no response or any update provided to the applicants regarding the status of or any potential issues with their citizenship applications. In addition, it has been quite challenging for individuals to connect with an agent from IRCC's call centre. When they call throughout different times of the day within business hours, individuals are not even placed in the queue to wait for an agent to become available. Rather, they are disconnected from the call with a message that all agents are currently busy and to try to call again later.

It is important to state that the backlogs and the delays in processing times have had a major impact on the most vulnerable high-risk applicants, such as refugee claimants. Due to IRCC's limited capacity to process applications in a timely way because of COVID, refugee claimants are facing significant delays to receive their refugee protection claimant documents, to attend an interview and to receive their work permit.

While waiting, they can access limited supports and services; however, these are individuals who have experienced unimaginable hardships and are in a situation where they have very few rights and options. While every refugee claimant has faced their own unique challenges, they all have experienced great obstacles and adversity and are separated from their families, and therefore they are in stronger need of access to supports, care and financial stability.

I have a few recommendations for tackling these issues and reducing the backlogs in immigration applications.

IRCC has recently announced its ongoing work and commitment to strengthen Canada's immigration system and to reduce application backlogs and delays. As part of the plan, IRCC has hired over 1,000 new employees. Through my work with newcomers, I have seen that this has already helped to increase the processing capacity, as more recent applications have been processed with pre-COVID processing times.

While this is a step in the right direction, further work is necessary to have more agents available through the call centres, where applicants can have an opportunity to speak with an agent, ask questions and receive information and an update on their file. Not being able to contact IRCC to receive updates and information has been quite concerning and challenging for many individuals and their families.

It would also be beneficial to have additional staffing resources allocated specifically to processing applications from 2019 and 2020.

Resuming in-person citizenship tests and in-person oaths at citizenship ceremonies would also help to expedite the processing times of citizenship applications, as there are many applicants who miss the ceremony or have to retake the test due to technical glitches at the time of the session.

Lastly, allocating staffing resources to prioritize work permit applications for refugee claimants would help tremendously to alleviate the stress and financial challenges they face during the initial resettlement period in Canada. Without these vital resources and tools, refugee claimants are at a much higher risk of homelessness and other hardships that could further affect their lives and their health.

Thank you for listening and for giving me the opportunity to join the meeting today to share my feedback and recommendations.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

We will now proceed to the Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association. We have with us Ms. Valois, the president.

Ms. Valois, you will have five minutes for your opening remarks. Please begin.

[Stéphanie Valois, Lawyer and President, Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association]

Good afternoon, everyone.

The Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association, the AQAADI, is the largest association of francophone lawyers in Canada. We now have more than 450 members, most of whom practise immigration law.

As you know, processing times have a major impact on applicants' lives, regardless of the process in which they are involved. Immigration cases have a determinant effect on the lives of applicants, and the current major problem of delays leaves them highly vulnerable.

We want to address the issue from three angles: first, the delays and, especially, the unfair manner in which submitted files are processed; second, the lack of transparency and predictability; and, third, communication with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, more specifically on how to reduce the number of IRCC web forms that must be filed and the resulting workload for MPs' offices.

I now invite Ms. Krishna Gagné, our association's vice-president, to address you.

[Krishna Gagné, Lawyer and Vice-President for Economic Affairs, Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association]

Good afternoon.

First, I'll address the processing times and the injustices they cause. These times are very long and unfair. For example, some files that were submitted to a particular program in 2019 may still not be processed in 2022, whereas others submitted in 2022 are being processed this year. The result is thus unfairness in processing for reasons of which I'm unaware.

That leads us to our second topic, the guidelines. According to those guidelines, 80% of files are processed in accordance with IRCC's posted service standard. Consequently, we have no idea of the outcomes of the remaining 20% of files or of the related processing times standard. That represents one in five files, which is not trivial. Files are not processed in accordance with the first-come, first-served rule. Furthermore, the 80% of files that are processed in accordance with the standard are not processed fairly either. The last person to submit a file may receive a response before someone who filed an application a year earlier.

These delays have major consequences for applicants and all associated stakeholders, including educational institutions and employers.

Consider the permanent resident cards, for example. Delays in receiving cards are extremely long once applicants have been admitted to Canada as permanent residents. In many instances, cards aren't received by every member of a single family at the same time because they aren't sent out at the same time. As a result, children may receive their cards whereas the parents have not, and vice versa. In addition, no service standard is posted regarding these cards. Consequently, applicants become captive in Canada. They can't leave in the event of a family emergency until they receive that necessary plastic rectangle.

Now let's consider processing times for work permit applications, which run to approximately six months. That figure varies, but the delays have consequences. Individuals can readily file work permit applications when they already hold a valid permit but may ultimately lose it if their application is denied. As a result of the length of processing times, applicants awaiting a response may wind up with an expired work permit and must then request that their status be restored. However, between six and nine months may elapse before they receive a response to an application for restoration of status. In the meantime, applicants can't work, access RAMQ, Quebec's health insurance plan, or receive care, apart from psychosocial support if they are in distress. This causes genuine situations of vulnerability that are entirely attributable to delays in the processing system. The system thus simply renders vulnerable people who previously were not. As immigration lawyers, we witness this situation every day.

Now we come to the issue of position changes within a single business. As we all know, we are experiencing labour shortages. However, certain employees who, in some instances, could be promoted or change positions within the same business are currently unable to do so. They must abide by processing times of five or six months, sometimes even much longer. This precludes immediate promotions and substantial pay increases within a single business.

Student visas and study permits are also a problem. When students receive their letters of admission to an educational institution, usually in February, they file their applications for a Quebec acceptance certificate, the CAQ. Approximately four weeks later, they receive their CAQ, which arrives in March or April. They file their study permit application…

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting. Your time is up, Ms. Gagné. You can please wind up.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe]

Lastly, I would like to discuss IRCC's lack of communication. As lawyers, we don't have a point of contact with the department. We have to submit web forms, which clog up the system. Furthermore, the system isn't functional because it takes approximately two months for the web forms to be processed. Decisions are thus rendered without even…

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, Ms. Gagné. You will get further opportunity once we go into the round of questioning.

We have heard from the three witnesses on our first panel. I have two options for the members. Please let me know which way you would like to proceed. One option is to have a five-minute round for each party, end this panel, and then bring in the other witnesses. We have two witnesses for the second panel. The other option is to hear from the other two witnesses now. We have one witness by video conference, and the other witness is in the room. Then we can go into the round of questioning based on the time we have available.

Please let me know how the members would like to proceed.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, are we able to extend at the back end, or do we have a hard stop?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

No, we have a hard stop at 3:05.

Option one is to have a five-minute round and then start the second panel. Option two is that we hear from the other witnesses.

Mr. Hallan, go ahead.

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

We're good with option one.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Okay.

Do I see anyone for option two? No.

Okay, we will have a five-minute round of questioning from each party. We will start with the first member.

Mr. Benzen, you will have five minutes for your round of questioning. Please begin.

[Bob Benzen, Conservative, Calgary Heritage, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to all the witnesses for being here on Friday afternoon at the beginning of a long weekend. We really appreciate your being here today. I also want to apologize for the long delay it took to get to this point. I listened to all of you speak, and I have empathy for all the things that you said.

I do want to point out one thing quickly, and that is that I want to defend our chair. Our chair does an excellent job. She's been very fair, but she does have processes and procedures she has to follow and, unfortunately, that's just how it turned out today. She has done a very good job since I've been on the committee, and I applaud her for the good work that she's done.

One of the things we're seeing is that IRCC is really trying to modernize, whether it's virtual ceremonies, online portals or using AI. I'd like all the witnesses to talk a little about how this new modernization is working. If all of you had one thing that you wanted to do, one thing that you could change, or one technology or procedure that you could change that would make a difference in speeding up these long backlogs, what would it be? I'd really like to hear what you have to say.

Any of the witnesses can answer, and all of them should answer, please.