Canada announces measures to reduce processing time for immigration applications

On Monday morning, 01/31, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser presented Canada's plans to get the immigration system back on track.

Points covered:

> IRCC will use the $85 million budget to return to the standard processing time for various immigration programs by the end of the year.

> In the 2021 budget, Canada allocated $85 million to reduce processing times for all IRCC programs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also asked Fraser to reduce processing times on the minister's mandate letter.

> > Fraser said in the statement that the budget will allow Canada to return to processing service standards for STUDY permits, WORK permits and Permanent Resident card renewals by the end of the year.

> The department is also working to REDUCE processing time for visitor VISAs and PROOF of citizenship.

>> Fraser announced that IRCC is planning to make 147,000 final permanent residency decisions in Q1 2022 - double the same period in 2021 - for the more than 500,000 permanent residency applications in 2021

> Will also introduce a new Permanent Residence Application Tracker in February 2022 for spouses and dependents to allow applicants to view application information and status online.

> Fraser said an online processing time tracking tool will be introduced in the coming months to provide IRCC customers with more up-to-date estimates of how long it will take to process orders.

> There was no word on a date for when the FSW and CEC draws will resume but said the measures introduced today are aimed at speeding up the immigration process. He said that pausing these draws to process Express Entry applications already placed will allow the IRCC to eventually maintain the draws without further expanding the backlog.

>For Express Entry candidates in Canada who may have to leave their jobs or return to their home countries while the IRCC postpones draws for certain candidates, Fraser said he is looking at options to keep workers in Canada, but they have not yet appeared with a “perfect solution”.

“I know processing delays have been incredibly frustrating for many people. Helping customers get to Canada quickly, with predictable lead times and efficient communication with IRCC remains a top priority for me,” said Fraser.

“Immigration benefits all Canadians – it helps grow our economy and strengthens our communities across the country. Many people are choosing Canada as the place to visit and build their future, and to ensure that we remain competitive, we have introduced concrete measures to ensure that those looking to come to Canada have the customer experience they deserve.”

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