Latest news with #IRCC
Cision Canada
18 hours ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
One in Eight Language Education Programs Shut Down: Immigration Policy Putting Canada's Official Languages Sector at Risk Français
OTTAWA, ON, July 24, 2025 /CNW/ - According to Languages Canada, over 13% of Canada's accredited English and French language education programs closed in the first quarter of 2025 alone, marking the sharpest decline in the sector's history. The number of accredited Official Languages programs is now at its lowest since 2011. The sector has seen a dramatic decline in recent years. In 2019, it generated $6.7 billion in economic activity and supported over 75,000 jobs. In 2024, those numbers shrank to $3.7 billion and 35,000, despite Canada's global reputation for quality language education and its recognition as a top destination for English and French language learning. "Canada's immigration system has become unpredictable and unwelcoming," said Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada. "Students and their families now see Canada as too risky, and institutions are finding that Official Languages programs are no longer financially viable." A Policy Crisis of Canada's Own Making In 2024 alone, 13 major changes were made to IRCC's International Student Program, all in response to issues unrelated to language education, such as housing and workforce gaps. Yet none considered the impact on Canada's Official Languages programs, which play a unique and strategic role in national infrastructure, productivity and identity. These programs were not responsible for housing shortages (most students live with Canadian families during their studies) and did not displace Canadian workers (language students are not allowed to work). Nevertheless, they have borne the brunt of poorly targeted policies. The most recent policy change prevents Official Languages students from transitioning smoothly into post-secondary programs, dismantling long-standing and effective pathways between Canadian institutions. This not only undermines decades of successful collaboration but also puts students and their families in precarious situations. As Peralta observes, "We rightly express concern when Canadian students are denied opportunities in the U.S. due to unfair policies—but the truth is, tens of thousands of international students already in Canada are now facing similar injustices here." Retention, Productivity, and Integration at Stake Research shows that international students completing language programs before entering post-secondary studies in Canada have higher GPAs and better retention outcomes, offering a measurable return on investment for institutions. These programs also foster better integration into communities, and a safer and more productive workforce. "Language is not just a learning outcome—it's national infrastructure," added Peralta. "It drives academic success, workplace productivity, and social cohesion." A Loss of Identity Beyond economics and student success, the erosion of Canada's Official Languages education sector represents a profound cultural loss. Canada's bilingual identity is a cornerstone of its values and global brand. As language programs disappear, so too does Canada's commitment to inclusion, diversity, and shared identity through its Official Languages. As Peralta concludes: "My hope is that our newly elected government asks how Official Languages education can be a strategic advantage to the country, as infrastructure to reaffirm Canadian identity, support productivity in all sectors, and foster inclusive and socially cohesive communities." About Languages Canada Languages Canada is the voice of Canada's official languages education providers. Our 170 members include English and French public college and university language programs and private language schools, located across nine provinces. Collectively, they welcomed 97,000 international and domestic students into Canadian classrooms and communities in 2024 (down from 150,000 in 2019). Languages Canada members are committed to operating in accordance with the LC Quality Assurance Framework and Accreditation Scheme, which are rooted in student protection, quality education, and ethical business practice. To learn more, visit
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Business Standard
19 hours ago
- Health
- Business Standard
Canada invites 4,000 foreigners in healthcare, social services for PR
Canada has issued 4,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residency in its latest Express Entry draw held on July 22, 2025. The draw focused on candidates working in 37 healthcare and social services occupations. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score cut-off for this draw was 475, down 29 points from the previous category-specific draw for the same sector held in June 2025. Candidates needed to have created their Express Entry profile before 1:08 p.m. UTC on March 13, 2025 to be eligible. Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses General practitioners and family physicians Dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists and optometrists Psychologists, social workers, and counsellors Licensed practical nurses, medical technologists and technicians Veterinary technicians and veterinarians Massage therapists, chiropractors, dieticians and audiologists Nurse aides and patient service associates Paramedical occupations Pharmacy and therapy assistants A complete list of all 37 eligible National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes was published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Canada's Express Entry system in July 2025 This was the fourth Express Entry draw of the month. Previous draws included: July 21: 202 ITAs under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) with a CRS cut-off of 788 July 8: 3,000 ITAs under the Canadian Experience Class with a CRS cut-off of 518 July 7: 356 ITAs under another PNP draw with a CRS cut-off of 750 So far in 2025, IRCC has issued 49,403 ITAs through the Express Entry system. The total number of candidates in the pool stood at 256,914 as of July 20, 2025. Category-based selection helps lower CRS candidates For candidates with CRS scores below 500, category-based selection continues to be one of the most accessible pathways to permanent residency. To qualify under this route, applicants must: < Have a minimum of six months of full-time, continuous work experience < This work must be in one of the designated occupations < The experience can be gained inside or outside Canada What is the Provincial Nominee Program? Canada's PNP allows provinces and territories (except Quebec and Nunavut) to nominate skilled individuals for permanent residency. Each region has its own selection streams targeting workers, graduates and business owners who can contribute to the local economy. Express Entry draws this year have largely concentrated on PNP candidates, while other draws have been directed towards French-language speakers, Canadian Experience Class applicants, and category-specific occupations.
Ottawa Citizen
a day ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa and Gatineau will 'bear the brunt' of public service cuts: report
Article content In his analysis, Macdonald said that the hardest hit departments could be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Article content The CRA's recent job losses of around 7,000 could double to 14,277, according to the analysis. Article content Meanwhile, for ESDC, full-time job losses could be 2,000 next year with that number doubling to more than 4,000 by 2028. The losses could impact services such as employment insurance and Canadian pension plan payments. Article content IRCC, which already shed 1,944 jobs, is set to double that to 3,847 in three years time. Article content For Macdonald, there is no way to cut 15 per cent of departmental budgets without impacting services. He said that there is a cyclical trend of the federal government cutting down the size of the public service, only to rehire later to curtail public frustration with poor service delivery. Article content Article content 'It's definitely cheaper to make people wait online for eight hours,' Macdonald said in an interview. 'It's definitely cheaper for the federal government. (It's) terrible for Canadians and businesses trying to get tax advice, but it's cheaper.' Article content The size of the federal public service grew significantly during the government of then-prime minister Justin Trudeau until there was a reduction in the last fiscal year. There were 357,965 workers in the federal public service in 2025, according to the most recent data released by the Treasury Board, down from 367,772 the year before. Article content In his letters, Champagne reportedly asked ministers to find savings of up to 7.5 per cent next fiscal year, 2.5 per cent the year after and 5 per cent in the 2028-29 fiscal year, adding up to a total of 15 per cent. Article content A few federal organizations were spared by the exercise, including the offices of the auditor general, parliamentary budget officer and the Supreme Court of Canada. Article content Article content Crown corporations have also been asked to find savings to help Carney's government reach the promised $25 billion in savings in the Liberals' platform from the recent election campaign.
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
$68M project to secure, revamp Canada's asylum system shut down unexpectedly, documents show
Social Sharing A $68-million project led by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that was meant to revamp Canada's outdated asylum system and enhance the integrity of the country's borders was quietly shut down last year — an "unexpected" move for some in the government because it was only partly completed, internal documents show. Now, some critics fear the outcomes that were achieved may be more harmful than beneficial for people seeking protection in Canada. IRCC's "asylum interoperability project" began in 2019 and was supposed to wrap up by 2022. It came during a surge of asylum seekers entering Canada, putting pressure on an already struggling system that relied heavily on paper files. Its launch followed calls for major reform. The main goals of the project was "to transform the asylum system" into a digital one, automate data and create real-time information sharing between three departments — IRCC, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). If these tools are so effective and being implemented, then why do we still have this backlog? - Wei Will Tao, immigration and refugee lawyer It also hoped to "enhance integrity, security and deterrence within the asylum system," while improving efficiency and service to claimants, documents show. It allocated about $48.4 million to IRCC, $15.5 million to CBSA and $3.8 million to the IRB over several years to meet these goals, an internal document shows. IRCC said it had used 75 per cent of its allocated funds. Through access to information documents, CBC News has learned the project was abandoned in February 2024 after it failed to get another extension from the Department of Finance. But just months after prematurely halting this project, then Immigration minister Marc Miller told the House of Commons immigration committee: "I want to reform the system. It's not working in the way it should." At the time, he said Canada's asylum and refugee system was still struggling due to volume and inefficiency. According to records obtained by CBC, about 64 per cent of the interoperability project was accomplished. IRCC either scrapped or "deferred" the rest of the tasks to future major IT projects. "The decision to close the project was unexpected," reads a 2024 CBSA briefing note. The latest IRB data shows a backlog of 288,198 pending applications as of last month — a historic high that's nearly tripled since June 2023, when the interoperability project was well underway. "The first question is, if these tools are so effective and being implemented, then why do we still have this backlog?" said Wei Will Tao, an immigration and refugee lawyer. Automation, online portal among goals achieved All three departments operate their own IT systems, "causing program integrity risks" and delays, a project document reads. While incrementally rolling out improvements until its shutdown in 2024, the project faced "capacity issues," "black-out periods" in IRCC's internal application processing tool Global Case Management System (GCMS), and a "downgrade" in priorities which led to delays past its 2022 finish date, records say. The project still managed to build an online refugee application process, and automated case creation, data entry and admissibility checks, according to documents. For IRB hearings, the project also allowed more real-time information exchange between departments. The process to detain and remove people from Canada was also "enhanced," according to a CBSA briefing note, citing the ability to automatically cancel valid work or study permits when a removal order is issued, among other improvements. But there were several wish list items the project couldn't make happen — like a CBSA officer portal and online applications for pre-removal risk assessments (an application for people facing removal from Canada.) Another task that was skipped — a function to "view notes associated with a claim in one place," which would have helped officers' workflow, CBSA records show. In a closing note, one government official noted that "the project did deliver on every benefit identified but not all to the depth it aimed to." IRCC declined an interview. The department didn't specify which tasks it was unable to complete, but said in an email those may be part of future projects. IRCC has hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to digital modernization in the coming years. Impacts felt, but questions remain "The actual project itself and the fact that there's huge funding … that came to us as a bit of a surprise," said Tao, who's part of a collective of experts monitoring AI and technological advances in Canada's immigration system. Tao said he didn't "want to deny the positivity" of some digital advancements. But he raised questions around transparency, the kind of information being exchanged between the three departments and how it's being used by each partner — especially because the IRB is an arms-length, independent tribunal. These so-called streamline mechanisms are actually making life harder for people. - Syed Hussan, Migrant Rights Network "What if there's information that's being transmitted behind the scenes that we're not a party to, or that could implicate our clients' case without us knowing?" asked Tao, founder of Heron Law Offices in Burnaby, B.C. Despite multiple followups, the IRB did not respond to CBC's requests for information. IRCC wrote to CBC that the IRB maintains its adjudicative independence. "We do have serious concerns about this interoperability — being yes, an efficiency tool and a way for things to be streamlined — … [but] is our ability to contest these systems being altered, or even perhaps barriered, by these tools?" Tao asked. "Digitization is not the answer," said Syed Hussan, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network. "These so-called streamline mechanisms are actually making life harder for people." Hussan said the digital-focused application system has "caused immense havoc" for some people with technological barriers. He also questions the "enormous focus" on sharing private information between agencies and the oversight of that. "What is framed as a technical step forward is actually a series of policies that make it harder for refugees to gain protection," said Hussan. "It's part of a broader turn rightward towards Trump-like policies in the immigration system." Hussan said what the system actually needs is more resources for settlement organizations and claimants who need protection. "Instead there's actually just mass firing of federal civil servants as well as underfunding of settlement agencies and money being put into these digitization projects — which largely seem to be about streamlining removals rather than ensuring rights," Hussan said. Canada enforced more removal orders in the past year than in any other 12-month period since 2019 — 18,048 in the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to CBSA data. NDP MP and immigration critic Jenny Kwan said she was also in the dark about this project. "The quiet abandonment of the initiative is very troubling and speaks to a further failure of the system," said Kwan in an email to CBC. She is demanding answers from the Liberal government. IRCC said in an email that the decision to close out the project early was unrelated to workforce adjustments or restructuring. "While [this project] delivered important advancements, Canada continues to face significant migration pressures," wrote IRCC, pointing to the Strong Borders Act (Bill C-2). The department said the reforms in that legislation will build on "the foundation laid" by the asylum interoperability project, and "further modernize and protect the integrity of the system." CBSA said in a statement it's "committed" to work with IRCC to incorporate more improvements in future projects. The Department of Finance declined to comment.
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business Standard
Canada Super Visa: Parents of immigrants can stay up to 5 years per visit
Living far from family? Canada's Super Visa offers a longer stay for parents and grandparents. What is the Canadian Super Visa? According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to enter Canada multiple times over a period of up to 10 years. Each visit can last up to five years at a stretch. This is not a permanent residence pathway. It's still a visitor visa, just with longer permitted stays. While it spares families the need to keep reapplying for entry, it does not give work rights or access to public benefits. How is it different from a regular visitor visa? Here's how the Super Visa differs from a standard visitor visa as per IRCC: Number of entries: A visitor visa typically allows single entry for a short visit. The Super Visa allows multiple entries for up to 10 years. Stay duration: Visitor visa holders are usually allowed to stay for up to six months per visit. Super Visa holders can stay for up to five years at a time. Eligibility: Anyone can apply for a visitor visa. The Super Visa is strictly for parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Purpose: Visitor visas are issued for general tourism or short visits. The Super Visa is tailored for extended family reunification. Who is eligible for a Super Visa? According to IRCC, to apply for a Super Visa, the applicant must: • Be a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident • Apply from outside Canada • Have valid medical insurance from a Canadian provider worth at least CAD $100,000, valid for a minimum of one year • Submit a signed letter of invitation from their child or grandchild in Canada • Clear a medical exam, prove intent to return, and provide documents about the home country's conditions How to apply 1. Send a letter to sponsor your parents or grandparents. This must include: • Name and date of birth of the applicant • Purpose and duration of the visit • Home address and contact number • Address where the applicant will stay in Canada 2. Choose whether to apply online or on paper 3. Collect all supporting documents, including: • Passport • Birth certificate or other documents proving the relationship • Marriage certificate (if applicable) • Proof of medical insurance • Letter of invitation 4. Fill out and submit the Super Visa application form Once approved, the visa is stamped in the applicant's passport and remains valid for up to 10 years, subject to passport expiry. Processing time and cost If applying from India, the average processing time for a Super Visa is about 78 days, but it can be extended, according to the July 2025 update by Canada immigration. Here are the costs involved: CAD $100 – application processing fee CAD $85 – biometrics fee CAD $200 to $300 – medical exam fee Can your parents work in Canada on a Super Visa? No. The Super Visa does not grant the right to work in Canada. It only allows extended visits. Anyone who wants to work must apply for a separate work permit and secure a job offer. Important to know Many families also purchase international travel insurance for their parents to cover any unexpected medical issues or travel-related disruptions such as delays or baggage loss. While not mandatory beyond the medical insurance required for the visa, it can offer peace of mind. Canada also offers a Parents and Grandparents Program, which is a route to permanent residency for Canadians and permanent residence. However, demand usually exceeds supply, so IRCC uses a lottery-style draw to select eligible sponsors. Applications are only accepted from those drawn in the lottery.
