Evidence of meeting #11 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was claim.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON
Thank you.
One of the goals of Bill C-12 is to enhance the integrity of Canada's immigration system.
From the IRB's perspective, what additional tools or safeguards in the bill will help detect and prevent abuse while maintaining Canada's humanitarian commitments?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
I think that's a question for the IRCC in how they present this.
To us, preventing abuse is making sure that we have the FESS on file and that we inform the minister when we detect something in the file that the minister has not detected. We inform them, and we ask them to appear before the IRB. We have mechanisms in place to continue to ensure the integrity of the system.
Liberal
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON
Will the information-sharing provision in this Bill C-12 be of assistance to you at the IRB? If that's the case, what will be the impact of that?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
I think this information-sharing is more about the CBSA and the IRCC than the IRB.
Liberal
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON
So the information collected by the IRCC will not help the IRB.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
There are things we need, and the rules of the board dictate what we require by way of a basic information form to start a claim.
We like to have the decision of the minister to intervene or not. Like travel visa documentation, those are things we already have or are available if the department gives them to us. It's already possible to get these under the current legislation.
Liberal
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON
Effective implementation will require coordination between the IRCC, the CBSA and the IRB.
What mechanisms are being put in place to ensure consistent information sharing to avoid duplication and to support the smooth rollout of the reforms envisioned in Bill C-12?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
I think it's more about how we manage this, keeping in mind that the IRB is a tribunal and—
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
—and the CBSA and the IRCC are both parties in front of the tribunal. I always have to keep that in mind.
Liberal
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON
Budget 2025 included a significant focus on the future of immigration in Canada. It included the 2026-28 immigration levels plans.
Can you tell us why this measure was important in regard to the recognition of eligible protected persons in Canada as permanent residents?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
The IRB is not involved in the levels discussion at all. The levels plan is purely IRCC.
As I said earlier, I believe the measure you're referring to is for people who have been granted protected status. That was after—
Liberal
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
It has no impact on the IRB. It is for those people who have gone through the IRB and received a positive decision. The IRCC potentially has a plan for these people to get permanent residence faster, but it does not involve the IRB.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Julie Dzerowicz
Thank you.
Since we have only about eight minutes left, I'm going to give three and half minutes to the Conservatives, three and a half minutes to the Liberals and then one minute to Monsieur Simard.
Mr. Menegakis, please go ahead for three and a half minutes.
Conservative
Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you for appearing before us once again.
I just want to wrap my head around something. Did you say it's a six- to eight-month wait for CBSA screenings, and you can't do anything during those six to eight months until you get information from the CBSA ?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
First I want to say that the CBSA is working very diligently at this. I get the number of cases that they have.
What they're doing is a security screening. That allows us to know that the person is the person they are. It allows us to make sure that we can proceed with a degree of certainty around identity and security issues.
Conservative
Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
In those six to eight months, we don't know if they are safe to be in the country, because we're waiting for a security screening. In those six to eight months, they're collecting all the benefits while they are here as asylum seekers. Is that correct?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
They are asylum seekers and they are entitled to whatever benefits are connected to that.
Conservative
Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
They are collecting all of that.
Then there's a process of 90-plus days before abandoning.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
That's unless the claim is actually ready to proceed.
Conservative
Conservative
Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
It sounds like these folks can be in the country almost a year without a proper screening. They're collecting benefits and waiting, and we don't know if they're safe to be in the country. They're collecting benefits and they're tied up in the system.
I disagree with my colleague opposite that we're on a par with Germany. Germany is a country that has double the population we have. It is in the heart of the European Union, surrounded by 28 other countries. This is Canada.
There are 290,000 people; let's just call it 300,000. That's an exorbitant number of people, and it takes very long to process them. When do you anticipate catching up?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
We are now able to do 80,000 claims a year. We are aiming for more than that—