Transport committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair. Once again, it is hard to give general answers, given the range of programs we offer. However, I will give you some examples. Mr. Gillespie talked about the post-graduation work permit program. Very recently, using technological tools, we put in place a renewal, an extension of work permits to take into account the processing times for permanent residence.

Transport committee  Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm happy to intervene on behalf of IRCC. I'll provide a bit of context here in terms of all the measures we are taking. You're right, there is quite an inventory and backlog that we need to work through. In addition to what Mr. Gillespie mentioned in the opening remarks, it's important to note the progress that is being made since we've doubled down on efforts to work through that inventory and those backlogs.

Transport committee  I'll have to get back in terms of confirming the actual stats. I have a bit of a breakdown. I can talk to you about the work permit applications, for example. We currently have an inventory of 316,000. I believe the figure for the temporary resident visas is around 800,000. Again, I don't have those statistics at my fingertips.

Transport committee  I have statistics in terms of processing times as of September for work permits. This is not specific to the transportation sector, but on work permits generally. As of September 2022, they stand at approximately 116 days. As Mr. Gillespie mentioned, with the measures we're putting in place in terms of hiring additional staff and using the technology to find new and efficient ways to process, we're looking to return to service standards in the spring of 2023.

Transport committee  Again, as I think my colleague, Mr. Gillespie, mentioned, there is a priority on truck drivers, for example. As you and this committee are no doubt aware, there is a high demand. As the program and pathway to apply for work permits has no cap and is unlimited, we've seen resurgence in the volume of applications across all lines of business.

Transport committee  I believe I would have to defer to my colleagues from ESDC for that question.

Canada-China Relations committee  Unfortunately, I don't have that information at my disposal.

Canada-China Relations committee  Yes.

Canada-China Relations committee  On the topic of privacy protection, all the information that's gathered at the visa application centre is transmitted directly to Canada, and it's a one-way process. It operates similar to our client facing web page. There's no immigration data that is retained at the VACs. The information is stored here in Canada.

Canada-China Relations committee  Unfortunately, I don't have the processing times at my fingertips for the resettled refugees, but we can certainly provide you with that information. On that particular topic, IRCC does have mechanisms in place. If there are cases where persons in need of protection need expedited processing, because there is an imminent threat to life, safety and security, we do have our urgent protection program, which we operate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for the question. As my colleague from Global Affairs mentioned, we're taking the issues very seriously, and there are discussions with partners. It has been rightly noted. If issues arise while foreign nationals are—

Canada-China Relations committee  I do have some stats as of June 30, 2022. Out of the applications received on the temporary resident side, the work permits, there have been 14,054 processed, of which 12,477 have been approved. On the permanent resident side of things for those measures, 1,851 individuals have applied, as Mr.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you for your question, Mr. Bergeron. In the case of VFS Global, the Government of Canada has done its due diligence by vetting the contractor when the contract was awarded for services to collect biometric data provided by visa application centres. Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Contract Security Program, in partnership with IRCC, consulted the main security agencies to determine what measures were required.

Canada-China Relations committee  The Government of Canada requires all employees of visa application centres who have access to personal information, including subcontractors' employees, to undergo security screening equivalent to a reliability check done in Canada.

Foreign Affairs committee  In response to that question, Mr. Chair, the reality is that we have existing pathways and are expediting the processing of immigration applications for Ukrainians and persons residing in Ukraine. We are putting them all at the front of the queue. We have put in place measures to waive fees, but we still have to ensure that we do the proper vetting and screening of those applications, even though they are being prioritized and put at the front of the queue.