Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

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Wikipedia

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada
Department overview
Formed1994
TypeResponsible for
  • Immigration
  • Refugees
  • Citizenship
JurisdictionCanada
HeadquartersOttawa, Ontario
Employees10,248 (2022)[1]
Annual budget$3.6 Billion CAD (2022)
Minister responsible
Deputy Ministers responsible
  • Harpreet S. Kochhar, Deputy Minister
  • Scott Harris, Associate Deputy Minister
Websiteircc.canada.ca

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC; French: Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada)[NB 1] is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for matters dealing with immigration to Canada, refugees, and Canadian citizenship. The department was established in 1994 following a reorganization.

Organization

The Departmental Results Report (2018–2019), stated that a total of 7,414 full-time equivalent employees are currently employed with IRCC.[2] The same report states that IRCC plans to have 7,378 full-time equivalent employees in 2019–2020 and 7304 in 2020–2021.

Mandate, role and objective

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's mandate is specified in the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act.[3] The Minister of IRCC administers the Citizenship Act of 1977 and its subsequent amendments. The Minister of IRCC works closely with the Minister of Public Safety in relation to the administration of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.[4]

IRCC, together with its partners, has the responsibility of conducting "the screening of potential permanent and temporary residents to protect the health, safety and security of Canadians."[5] The issuance and control of Canadian passports and other travel documents that facilitate the travel of Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons is also under the responsibility of IRCC.[5]

History

Further Information: History of immigration to Canada

Prior to the establishment of the Naturalization Act of 1947, persons who were born in Canada, as well as those who were naturalized Canadians regardless of their country of origin, were all categorized as British subjects.[6] Therefore, during these times, "citizen" and "citizenship" referred to people living in Canada rather than those in possession of Canadian citizenship status.

The Citizenship Act of 1947 established Canadian citizenship as distinct from British subject status.[7] Under the British North America Act 1867, immigration responsibilities were shared by the federal government and provincial/territorial governments and commissions.[8]

Citizenship and immigration legislations

Immigration and citizenship legislation are laws that set standards, policies and practices in accordance with the Citizenship Act.[9] The following is the chronology of Canadian immigration and citizenship laws.

Facilities

IRCC operates a large network of "Citizenship and Immigration Centres" throughout Canada such as Case Processing Centres (CPCs), Centralized Intake Offices (CIOs), and Operations Support Centres (OPCs), as well as an important number of embassies, high commissions, and consulates abroad.[10]

International

Canadian embassies and consular offices abroad handle immigration, refugee, and visa applications, as well as provide consular services to Canadians overseas.[11] There are identified countries in different regions around the globe that are strategically located and serve as case processing centres for students, temporary residents, visitors, refugees and landed immigrants visa applications.[12]

Service Canada is responsible for some of the domestic field operations of the department, while the Canada Border Services Agency controls enforcement and entry control at ports of entry.

IRCC remains responsible for the establishment of policies and processing of permanent and temporary resident visa, refugee protection and citizenship applications.

Funding

The Departmental Results Report for 2018–2019 reported that the actual spending amount by IRCC was CA$2,403,858,757. The budget was spent through various immigration programs.[2]

As part of an initiative called the "Settlement Program and Resettlement Assistance Program," updated application forms are provided online by IRCC for available funding opportunities for settlement organizations across Canada.[13] These programs support organizations that provide settlement and integration services, such as language instruction and employment assistance.

The Government of Canada resettled 25,000 Syrian refugees by February 2016 through several sponsorship programs.:[14]

  1. Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs), who were financially supported by private citizens or organizations;
  2. Government Assisted Refugees (GARs), who were funded by IRCC through the Refugee RAP; and
  3. Blended Visa Office-Referred Refugees (BVORs), which is a type of refugee classified by UNCHR and subsequently paired with Canadian private sponsors.

Citizenship Commission

Under Immigration, Refugees and Immigration Canada, the Citizenship Commission is responsible for the administration of citizenship grants to new applications who are admissible for Canadian citizenship. Composed of citizenship judges across Canada, the Commission's mandate is to administer Oath of Citizenship;[15] process and approve citizenship applications that meet residency requirements.[16]

Citizenship judges

Citizenship judges are obliged to obey the mandate as stated by the Citizenship Commission under the Citizenship Act and the Citizenship Regulations. They provide citizenship application assessment ensuring that the applicants meet the necessary requirements, such as residency, they will administer the Oath of Citizenship during ceremonies and review the rights, privileges and duties of a Canadian citizen, conduct hearings, and supply written decisions following timeline set by the regulation. They are also asked to maintain the integrity of the citizenship application process.[17][18]

Family reunification delays in Quebec

In Quebec, the family reunification program has faced extended processing times due to the limited number of admission places set under provincial quotas. The province establishes annual caps for this category, which were nearly reached in 2023. These limits prevent the federal government from accelerating the processing of applications without exceeding the targets defined by the Quebec government.[19] As of late 2023, applicants in Quebec faced waiting times of up to 42 months to sponsor a spouse abroad, compared with about 13 months in other Canadian provinces.[20] In July 2023, approximately 38,800 sponsorship applications were pending in Quebec.[19] The Quebec Ministry of Immigration stated that the federal government is responsible for processing applications once Quebec issues selection certificates. Federal authorities have also reported backlogs across several immigration programs, as noted by the Auditor General of Canada.[19] Opposition parties and immigration advocates have called on the provincial government to review its immigration priorities and allocation of quotas. Some experts have suggested reducing the share of economic immigrants and increasing family reunification targets to address the growing delays.[19][20]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program since 2015; the legal title is the Department of Citizenship and Immigration (French: Ministère de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration).

References

  1. ↑ "Population of the federal public service by department". January 6, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Departmental Results Report 2018-2019" (PDF). Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ Branch, Legislative Services (April 29, 2013). "Consolidated federal laws of canada, Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act". laws-lois.justice.gc.ca.
  4. ↑ Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (December 4, 2017). "Mandate — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada – Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (March 10, 2020). "Mandate and Role". aem. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  6. ↑ Kurzfeld, Ronen (January 18, 2024). "History of citizenship legislation – Kurzfeld Law". kurzfeldlawfirm.com. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Canadian Citizenship Act, 1947 | Pier 21". pier21.ca. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ Dirks, Gerald E. "Immigration Policy in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on June 3, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  9. ↑ Branch, Legislative Services. "Consolidated federal laws of canada, Citizenship Act". laws-lois.justice.gc.ca. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  10. ↑ Canada, Government of Canada, Global Affairs (December 13, 2013). "English title / Titre en anglais". travel.gc.ca. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "Embassies and consulates". Government of Canada. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018.
  12. ↑ Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (April 16, 2003). "Visa offices outside Canada – Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ "Funding." Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Government of Canada. 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018.
  14. ↑ Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (January 11, 2016). "Supporting Syrian refugees: Open Intake Process for new Resettlement Assistance Program Centres – Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (September 2009). "Discover Canada – The Oath of Citizenship / Le serment de citoyenneté – Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (March 31, 2007). "Citizenship Commission – Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (March 31, 2007). "Roles and responsibilities of citizenship judges – Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (January 27, 2017). "Citizenship judge code of conduct – Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. 1 2 3 4 Colpron, Suzanne (November 13, 2023). "Regroupement familial: Les délais bondissent à presque trois ans". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Why Quebecers are waiting three times longer than other Canadians to unite with their overseas loved ones". Toronto Star. December 13, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2025.