Recently, Canadian Immigration Minister Mr. Marc Miller unveiled Canada’s fresh approach to enhancing its immigration system. 

Canada’s immigration department IRCC has been working with stakeholders and the general public throughout the year to develop the future of a robust immigration system Minister Miller. 

Consequently, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to integrate this assessment into its new immigration strategy described as “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future.” 

He acknowledged that in recent years, the immigration system in Canada has not been particularly helpful, and IRCC aims to address this. 

After the announcement of Miller on Canada’s Improved Immigration System, IRCC has publicized a new report discussing the latest strategies in order to keep stakeholders aware of the department’s plans related to immigration. 

There are numerous issues that IRCC is focusing on to improve the Canadian immigration system, including the following: 

  • Integrating labor market needs with the immigration system in a better way. 
  • They are incorporating new ways into the immigration system to enable new immigrants to easily submit and track their applications digitally. 
  • Enhancing the application processing service standard of IRCC. 
  • Assisting smaller communities in Canada in attracting and keeping additional newcomers. 
  • Encouraging francophone immigration in communities throughout Canada. 

Major Pillars of Canada’s Improved Immigration System 

IRCC has outlined three pillars and various initiatives to implement in the recent report in order to retain Canada’s reputation as a preferred immigration destination for newcomers. These are as follows: 

  • Develop a more welcoming environment for new immigrants 
  • Integrating immigration with labor market needs 
  • Create an extensive and synchronized growth strategy 

Each pillar is defined as follows. 

Develop a More Welcoming Environment for New Immigrants 

According to the IRCC department, it intends to provide an appealing and more satisfactory experience for all individuals who utilize its services. 

Digital Platform Modernization (DPM), a new operating structure, is essential for these initiatives. 

As stated by the IRCC, the new digital platform will increase efficiency and enable the department to satisfy the exceptionally high demand for study, work, travel, and living in Canada. 

Digital self-service, enhanced automation, and an online single window into immigration are just a few of the new features of the platform. 

IRCC anticipates that Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) will accelerate the application processing, enhance the integrity of the program, and make the immigration process more transparent and more human-centered. 

Integrating immigration with labor market needs 

Minister Miller emphasized in his speech the significance of making sure that immigration satisfies the labor market needs of Canada. 

IRCC claims that in order to attract and retain skilled individuals from all high-demand fields, including construction and healthcare, it has to determine the skills required, individuals who possess these skills, and how to pair them with available jobs in Canada most effectively. 

This also includes expanding options for overseas students and temporary workers who possess in-demand skills to stay in Canada. 

Moreover, the report underlines that one method of attracting skilled candidates is the launch of Express Entry category-based draws for candidates with work experience in critical industries. 

Further, to integrate Canada’s immigration policies with the long-term skills and labor plan, IRCC is establishing a new role of Chief International Talent Officer. The new Officer will be in charge of gathering details regarding the talent and skill Canada will require in the years to come, as well as making certain that immigration integrates with Canada’s labor market and sectoral procedures efficiently. 

Create an Extensive and Synchronized Growth Strategy. 

As noted by the IRCC, in addition to enticing skilled workers, there is also a need to focus on support and settlement services for new immigrants as well as managing the demands of Canadian people. Major issues include housing and healthcare facilities in the country. 

As per Minister Miller’s assumption, certain immigrants may leave Canada due to the difficulties caused by housing, affordability, and having their international certifications recognized. 

The report further discussed that national and regional immigration programs, like the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), are essential to maintaining growth and strengthening Canada’s economy. 

IRCC also recognizes a growing need to assist both permanent and temporary residents. It further added that it would examine additional alternatives for developing an integrated strategy to manage healthcare, housing, and infrastructure between government departments as well as working closely with provinces, territories, and municipalities. 

Restructuring of IRCC: Needs and Improvements 

The immigration department, IRCC, requested a report earlier this year from Neil Yeates, the former immigration Deputy Minister, intending to evaluate the current structure of IRCC and find whether it is effective in assisting IRCC in attaining its goals. 

Yeates, as a former Deputy Minister, was once the department’s most senior civil servant and had extensive experience in how the department is run. 

In this report, there were various suggestions concerning reorganizing the IRCC department to a line-based structure, reforming the governance system, developing a supportive culture within the department, and implementing a robust planning and reporting system. 

When Canada’s current Deputy Minister, Christiane Fox, was questioned about the report by journalist Paul, she stated that she has started to make changes within the department progressively beginning in June 2023. 

She added that the IRCC department is implementing some of the suggestions mentioned in Yeates’s report. 

For instance, IRCC is currently being organized across business lines. This means that in order to be more responsive to global developments, the IRCC workers will be dispersed among the several clients that the department serves. 

Furthermore, according to a recent audit conducted by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) in Canada, it was determined that the IRCC’s backlog of PR applications was unacceptable in 2022 and provided suggestions to process applications more effectively to maintain service standards. 

These suggestions included examining service standards, the time IRCC should take to process applications, and managing the workload in regional offices. 

Immigration Levels Plans for 2024-2026 

IRCC released Canada’s Improved Immigration System prior to Canada’s Immigration Levels Plans for 2024-2026, which is scheduled to be announced today. 

Lawfully, the Canadian government is mandated to release the immigration-level plan in every non-election year by November 1. The plan highlights the total number of permanent residents Canada intends to accept in the upcoming three years from all classes. The permanent resident levels are further categorized by program. 

Recently, Minister Miller informed the Canadian Parliament’s Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration that Canada’s high immigration targets must be sustained. This implies that the IRCC department will almost certainly continue to maintain a heavy workload despite undergoing structural changes.