Citizenship and Immigration committee  The asylum system right now is currently funded at a baseline of 22,500 claimants a year. That's what we are funded to deal with. Departments individually, under the authorities of the deputy ministers, will have their own contingency and reserve funding. Plus, we also have a pretty strong ability, certainly within IRCC, to search for and find innovative ways to do work quicker, faster, and better, therefore maximizing our output and the dollars that we spend and/or save.

Public Safety committee  Thank you. The ability for us to keep in contact with people is really carried through our operation centre, our contact centre. When people are intercepted and then processed at the port of entry, we are taking their contact information, and so on, so we have the initial information in order to reach out to them.

Public Safety committee  Do you mean those who may not be determined eligible by the IRB?

Public Safety committee  Those who cross through the regular port of entry or jump the border are not jumping a queue, because the system is designed to deal with that type of movement. There is no queue-jumping for those. That processing is not in any way connected to the overseas refugee processing system.

Public Safety committee  The asylum system right now is currently funded at a baseline of 22,500 claimants a year. That's what we are funded to deal with. Departments individually, under the authorities of the deputy ministers, will have their own contingency and reserve funding. Plus, we also have a pretty strong ability, certainly within IRCC, to search for and find innovative ways to do work quicker, faster, and better, therefore maximizing our output and the dollars that we spend and/or save.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  As I mentioned, historically, different populations migrate into Canada through different corridors from the United States, largely because different diaspora communities are centralized in different areas in the United States. For example, in places like Minnesota and so on, you have a high degree of Somali and Djiboutians, whereas on the Pacific coast you have a lot of Chinese, Iraqi, Afghan individuals, and so on.

Public Safety committee  As I mentioned, historically, different populations migrate into Canada through different corridors from the United States, largely because different diaspora communities are centralized in different areas in the United States. For example, in places like Minnesota and so on, you have a high degree of Somali and Djiboutians, whereas on the Pacific coast you have a lot of Chinese, Iraqi, Afghan individuals, and so on.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'll answer that question, Chair. In response to an earlier question, I can say that, as part of the eligibility determination process at IRCC, we have had some very limited conversations with people, asking them some very basic questions about why, what they were thinking, how they ended up here, and so on.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Maybe I'll just go with the immigration side. Overall, when you look at the movement through Lacolle, in particular, it tends to be males, primarily. However, there are a significant number of children. The age variation is usually between 30 and 50 years in the adult population, and the children are a variety of ages.

Public Safety committee  I'll answer that question, Chair. In response to an earlier question, I can say that, as part of the eligibility determination process at IRCC, we have had some very limited conversations with people, asking them some very basic questions about why, what they were thinking, how they ended up here, and so on.

Public Safety committee  Maybe I'll just go with the immigration side. Overall, when you look at the movement through Lacolle, in particular, it tends to be males, primarily. However, there are a significant number of children. The age variation is usually between 30 and 50 years in the adult population, and the children are a variety of ages.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think you raise an excellent point about the migration of people. We also have to remember that the Canadian border is extremely long. Asylum seekers move through natural corridors; there are about four natural corridors across Canada. What is different about this year compared to other years, and this is the anomaly, is a large number of people using one specific corridor though Lacolle, Quebec.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  At this stage, I'm not aware of any such agreement.

Public Safety committee  I think you raise an excellent point about the migration of people. We also have to remember that the Canadian border is extremely long. Asylum seekers move through natural corridors; there are about four natural corridors across Canada. What is different about this year compared to other years, and this is the anomaly, is a large number of people using one specific corridor though Lacolle, Quebec.

Public Safety committee  At this stage, I'm not aware of any such agreement.