Marc Miller and the Deputy Minister outlined IRCC’s top priorities on October 24. CIMM organized a meeting with Canada’s Deputy Minister and Immigration Minister recently. During the discussion, they laid out the primary objectives for IRCC.
Canada’s immigration minister has to function with IRCC stakeholders and the provincial and territorial governments. This way, they will be able to develop appropriate immigration strategies to help the Canadian economy progress. Besides this, family reunions will become more prominent, and there will be more refugees and asylum seekers.
Miller must also follow a mandate to encourage French language proficiency among people outside Quebec.
In addition, Christiane Fox, Deputy Minister, has a non-political role to play within the immigration system. Being the senior civil servant, she has to supervise IRCC’s management ways. Her job also includes implementing strategies and policies and handling individual and budget-related issues.
Marc Miller and the Deputy Minister outlined IRCC’s top priorities, such as solidifying the International Student Program
Miller even spoke at length about the fraud related to the international student. Further, he asked the committee to declare the initiatives to solidify the global program’s integrity in the forthcoming weeks.
IRCC is currently putting efforts into the Trusted Institutions Framework to enhance Canada’s International Student Program’s integrity. Even though there are fewer details, the program will largely depend upon evaluating Designated Learning Institutions to understand the requirements to be seen as trustworthy partners. This means the criteria will showcase whether these institutions are dependable concerning the organic intake. They must test the authenticity of these students and ensure that they experience safety and security.
Moreover, the minister even urged not to restrict the number of international students arriving in Canada.
A report by Neil Yeates
Neil Yeates, former Deputy Minister, released a report this year laying out the steps to enhance IRCC’s productivity. IRCC commissioned this report to assess whether the existing framework of IRCC identifies the best approach to undertake the mandates successfully.
Surprisingly, the report claimed that IRCC’s current methods are not that productive. Hence, the report comprised several key suggestions. The current Deputy Minister, Fox, asked the committee to share the report within two weeks.
She confirmed that this report wasn’t released officially earlier because she wanted all the members of IRCC to read it carefully. They could address their issues with her if necessary.
The status of Express Entry draws
According to the committee members, the Express Entry draws have happened less frequently since Marc Miller was appointed as the new immigration minister.
However, the Deputy Minister justified the fewer Express Entry draws due to an IT glitch. This technical issue occurred while the category-based selection draws were being introduced. She even affirmed that the current numbers might be less but will rise in the upcoming weeks.
Fox responded that a category-based draw will occur for skilled trades in December this year when asked about the skilled trade professionals.
What is CIMM?
Twelve Canadian parliament’s MPs constitute the CIMM, with at least one member coming from a significant political group. These individuals within the CIMM supervise the immigration and multiculturalism-associated federal policies.
This is not the first time that this committee sat to discuss vital immigration challenges; it does so consistently. The latest issues which the members have been discussing in regular meetings include the following:
- Application backlog issues.
- Pending bills before the parliament, including Bill S -245. This bill is about the amendment of the Citizenship Act and addressing the inconsistencies related to international students.
- They also address issues related to the Canadian government by suggesting special measures. For instance, modifying the special immigration initiatives for Hong Kong individuals. Also, the retaining of 700 Indian students who entered Canada through false acceptance letters.
The upcoming Immigration Levels Plan
By November 1, IRCC will make the upcoming Immigration Levels Plan official for 2024 to 2026. The Immigration Levels Plan plays a crucial role as it assists the Canadian government in implementing various measures concerning housing, education, healthcare, and settlement services. As a result, newcomers will get immense help when they initially arrive in Canada. This plan will not only reunite families and help asylum seekers and refugees, but it will also address Canada’s economic needs.
Miller addressed the rising issue of higher costs and lack of affordable housing, leading to lesser immigration. However, he stated that it is all the more essential to bring in more new immigrants and get more houses constructed.
In an interview, he also claimed that the upcoming Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026 will either have equivalent immigration targets or increased levels. The current plan confirms to admit 500,000 new permanent residents every year by 2025.
If you have questions related to the Canadian immigration process, you can access all relevant details through Make Home Canada’s immigration consultants. Write to us at [email protected]
