Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 21st, 2025

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

This is my department. This is our department.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Okay. That was a pretty straightforward question.

That role is therefore outside the mandate of universities and provinces.

That being said, there was a report on this issue recently on the television program Enquête. I hope you watched it, even though I understand information is not widely circulated within your department. This was a high profile matter in Quebec, where an international criminal network has been using the study permit system. This was reported in the first episode of this year’s Enquête program. The program draws a large audience in Quebec. I do understand that sometimes there is a lack of awareness of what goes on in Quebec. In any event, these criminal groups are using the study permit program to bring people into the country. We are talking about close to $500 million in profits from the proceeds of crime related to romance scams, identity theft, drug-related theft, auto theft and so on. In response, the IRRC’s spokesperson shifted blame to universities and the Government of Quebec.

How do you explain this type of response and yet you have just told me that you are responsible for these steps?

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

We are responsible for actually following through in terms of monitoring if there are such situations, including the fraud concerning anything where there was—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

The question is this: What explanation is there for your spokesperson blaming universities and the Government of Quebec, and yet you have just told me that it is your responsibility? How do you explain the fact that your spokesperson gave that response after the program on Enquête?

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

As I was saying, this is something we monitor. We are not the enforcement agency on this one. We share all the information with the CBSA and the RCMP. That is the procedural way to do that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kochhar.

Next, we have five minutes for Mr. Redekopp.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the team for being here today.

The minister's briefing binder showed a wait time for some humanitarian and compassionate categories of up to 50 years. I think the website today says that it's greater than 10 years. This includes Hongkongers, Ukrainians, Sudanese and all the other people we invited to our country. Now, the government is effectively saying they will never be processed.

Deputy Minister, do you think it's reasonable for a newcomer to Canada to wait 50 years for their claim to be processed?

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

I'll start, and if you need more precision, I'll turn to my ADM colleague here.

We have started mentioning, on our website, a forward-looking processing time, which means that if you apply today, it would be the time taken to actually get that visa over time.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I understand that. Do you think it's reasonable to have somebody wait 50 years for that to be processed?

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

I'd comment on one thing: It is dependent on the number of spots available, which is the immigration-level decision. It is not based on—

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I'll take that as a yes, then, that you do think it's reasonable to wait 50 years for a claim to be processed.

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London Centre, ON]

Madam Chair, on a point of order, the deputy minister did not say that. Our colleague's an experienced colleague, but he's putting words into the mouth of the witness.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

That's debate.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

That's not a point of order.

Mr. Redekopp, your time begins again.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you.

I didn't hear a no, so I'm taking that as a yes.

Deputy Minister, have you advised the government to stop accepting United Nations-selected government-sponsored refugees and instead use those levels to keep the promises you made to persecuted persons from Hong Kong, Ukraine and Sudan who are already in Canada?

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

I'll turn to Jean-Marc.

[Jean-Marc Gionet, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Protection and Family Programs Sector, Department of Citizenship and Immigration]

As was discussed earlier in the context of the broader immigration levels planning, we have to find the balance between all the various pathways and commitments that we've made, including for Hong Kong and Sudan but also for the United Nations refugees we accept.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you.

What I'm hearing you say, and you can tell me if I'm wrong, is that we're going to continue to bring in people even while we have many, many people in our country right now who are trying to go through the H and C category. We're still going to keep on bringing people in. That's what I'm hearing you say.

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

That is not how we actually proceed. We do not have any cap, or we don't have intake control over asylum. This is one category in which people are actually coming in and we cannot stop—

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I'm sorry to interrupt, but these were specific programs. These aren't general asylum claims. These are the Hong Kong programs. These are the Ukraine programs. These were specific programs with known numbers.

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

That is what we are trying to do. In terms of those numbers that were created so far, Ukraine, for example, was a temporary program. If you are turning toward becoming a permanent resident, you will have to apply through the economic levels, which will take you that many years. There is limited space in the levels plan.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you.

Would it be possible to table with the committee, by each stream in the H and C category, how many files have been processed, by quarter, for just the last two years, for 2024 and 2025? That would be very helpful to us. Is that something you can provide?

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

To be precise, are you looking for the last two years of data?

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Yes. I'm looking for the data for the calendar years 2024 and 2025.

[Harpreet S. Kochhar]

We will provide that.