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SECTION II: ANALYSIS OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES BY STRATEGIC OUTCOME

Strategic Outcome 1: Migration that significantly benefits Canada’s economic, social and cultural development, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians

Immigration is essential to Canada’s economic development and plays an important role in shaping Canadian society. Canada remains a destination of choice for immigrants, and the country benefits significantly from the talent, innovation, investment and opportunity that these hundreds of thousands of permanent residents, temporary foreign workers, international students and visitors bring each year. The challenge for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is to manage this movement of people while balancing goals of economic, social and cultural development, and protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. As it handles considerable volumes of applicants in both the temporary and permanent immigration streams, CIC continues to explore strategies to manage the multiple priorities and goals of the Immigration Program.

Thousands more people apply to immigrate to Canada each year than can be processed and admitted. CIC has made significant headway in better managing its immigration system through Ministerial Instructions and systems modernization.

To protect Canadians and to ensure that the benefits of a more responsive immigration system are not undermined, CIC continued to fulfil its role of identifying applicants for permanent or temporary immigration who could pose security, health or safety risks to the country. Building on its own fraud detection and deterrence expertise, CIC’s success also relies on effective partnerships with other departments and organizations—such as the Canada Border Services Agency22 (CBSA), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police23 (RCMP), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service24 (CSIS), the federal Department of Justice25 and Health Canada.26

To manage health issues related to immigration, CIC continued to develop and implement risk mitigation strategies in cooperation with the Public Health Agency of Canada27 (PHAC), provinces and territories, and other partner countries. Any residual public health risks regarding transmission of infectious diseases are mitigated through the medical surveillance of newly arrived permanent and temporary residents, as required.

Achievement of Immigration Levels for 2010

Each year, under section 94 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Canada is required to table before Parliament an annual immigration plan outlining the total number of immigrants Canada aims to receive in the subsequent year.

In the 2010 Immigration Levels Plan, CIC maintained historical levels of planned immigration. Although school-leavers and other domestic sources contribute the largest proportion of new labour market entrants, immigration is projected to account for all net labour force growth in Canada within the next decade and all population growth within the next two decades.

Although the projected admission range for 2010 was 240,000 to 265,000, a total of 280,681 permanent residents were admitted, the largest proportion in the economic stream as well as almost 67 percent of total admissions. The number represents an 11.3‑percent increase from 2009 and is the highest level of permanent resident admissions since 1957.

These higher than anticipated admissions enable CIC to balance competing priorities while meeting overall economic, family reunification and refugee protection objectives. The unique combination of factors in 2010 that resulted in these unexpected numbers includes ongoing work since 2008 to improve immigration system efficiency and reduce wait times; planned increases in economic immigration announced in June 2010; a rise in non-discretionary family reunification linked in part to events such as the earthquake in Haiti; and growth in categories with high approval rates such as in the Provincial Nominee Program. Also, while CIC had anticipated a significant increase in demand for temporary visas (for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, for example), the actual growth was lower than expected and there was a real decline in temporary foreign workers due to the economic climate, which freed up capacity in the system to increase production in the permanent stream. Finally, there was a faster visa usage rate that meant many applicants who would have normally arrived in 2011 arrived earlier, in 2010. Because a confluence of similar factors is not likely to recur, 2010 will probably remain a high watermark year for admissions.


New Permanent Residents Admitted in 2010, by Immigration Category (Compared with the Immigration Plan)28
Immigrant Category 2010
 Low Range
2010
High Range
Number Admitted
Economic Class  
Federal Selected 89,000 95,200 113,756
Federal Skilled Workers 75% 85,117
Federal Business 10% 10,813
Canadian Experience Class 3% 3,917
Live-in Caregivers 12% 13,909
Quebec-selected Skilled Workers 28,400 29,500 34,240
Quebec Business 1,900 2,100 2,489
Provincial and Territorial Nominees 37,000 40,000 36,428
Total Economic 156,300 166,800 186,913
Family Class  
Spouses, Partners and Children 42,000 45,000 44,896
Parents and Grandparents 15,000 18,000 15,324
Total Family 57,000 63,000 60,220
Protected Persons  
Government-assisted Refugees 7,300 8,000 7,264
Privately Sponsored Refugees 3,300 6,000 4,833
Protected Persons in Canada and Dependants Abroad 9,000 12,000 12,599
Total Protected Persons 19,600 26,000 24,696
Others  
Humanitarian and Compassionate/Public Policy 7,000 9,000 8,736
Permit Holders 100 200 109
Total Other 7,100 9,200 8,845
Category Not stated     7
TOTAL 240,000 265,000 280,681

Program Activity 1: Immigration Program29

Design, develop and implement policies and programs to facilitate the entry of permanent residents in a way which contributes to the economic, social and cultural development of Canada while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ millions)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
129.4 144.9 143.0


2010-11 Human Resources FTEs
Planned Actual Difference
1,275 1,289 (14)

Explanation of change: Total authorities increased by $15.5 million over planned spending due to additional statutory requirements for refunds of previous years’ revenues for the Right of Permanent Residence Fee and additional funding through Supplementary Estimates for Canada’s war crimes program.

Actual spending was lower than total authorities by $1.9 million, primarily due to lower than planned spending on the Immigration Program backlog reduction.


Expected
Results
Performance
Indicators
Targets Performance
Status
The arrival of permanent residents who contribute to Canada’s economic, social and cultural development; and the protection of the health, safety and security of Canadians Labour market participation—employment rates for very recent immigrants (individuals who have been immigrants to Canada for less than five years) compared to the Canadian average Improvement in participation rate relative to Canadian average by 2013 Met all: Labour force participation for both the Canadian born and very recent immigrants30 declined slightly in 2010. Labour force participation for very recent immigrants continues to be lower than for the Canadian-born population (56.7% and 63.3% respectively). The gap between males is much smaller (1.3%) than the gap for females (labour force participation for female immigrants is 11.2% lower than for Canadian-born females).

A different story exists for recent immigrants,31 where average labour force participation (64.3%) now exceeds participation by the Canadian born.
Number of permanent resident arrivals by category according to immigration plan CIC’s admission planning range as set in the 2010 immigration plan:  240,000 to 265,000 persons. Exceeded: A total of 280,681 permanent residents were admitted to Canada in 2010, nearly 6% above the high end of the projected 2010 admission range. The increase is due to higher economic and immediate family admissions. Total economic admissions exceeded the high end of the planned 2010 range, and in the family class, admissions in the spouses, partners and children category were at the high end of the range. The 2010 admissions number represents an 11.3% increase from 2009.

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

CIC has seen continued progress on the Government of Canada’s three main goals as articulated in the fall 2008 Action Plan for Faster Immigration32: reduction of the backlog of applicants in the federal skilled worker (FSW) category; reduction of wait times; and improvement of labour market responsiveness. Since then, through two sets of Ministerial Instructions (November 2008 and June 2010) that limit new FSW applicants to those meeting Canada’s labour market needs, CIC has reduced the FSW backlog (applicants awaiting a decision who applied before the action plan came into effect) by nearly 50 percent as of March 31st, from 640,000 to 322,623, and admitted more than 54,000 new permanent residents in this stream with skills and experience in high-demand occupations. The total number of FSW applicants awaiting a decision has gone down 22 percent (including those who applied before and after the launch of the action plan).

CIC maintained its commitment to family reunification. Family migration accounted for 21 percent of overall migration in 2010; and the planned family immigration levels for 2011 maintain this emphasis on family reunification. Steps were also taken to improve the integrity of family immigration: a regulatory proposal to expand the current family sponsorship bar for those who have been convicted of family violence crimes; amendments to strengthen and clarify the regulations that prohibit the use of bad faith relationships for the purpose of immigration; ministerial town halls and on-line consultations33 on the issue of marriage fraud; and work on the proposed new measures to deter abuse of the program through the use of marriages of convenience.34

Lessons Learned

The evolution of Ministerial Instructions since 2008 provided CIC with valuable experience in the use of policy and program tools to advance the Government of Canada’s main goals for economic immigration. The first set of Ministerial Instructions35 (MI-1) relied on “indirect” means—required experience must have been in a relatively small number (38) of eligible priority occupations—to reduce intake to accelerate backlog reduction and improve labour market responsiveness. While initially successful, earlier gains began to erode by early 2010 as a new MI-1 “inventory” of more than one year of processing emerged, with a relatively small number of occupations over-represented. In response, a second set of Ministerial Instructions36 (MI-2) in 2010 took a much more “direct” approach to intake management by placing an overall annual limit on new FSW applications (20,000), as well as limits per occupation (1,000). This direct measure on application intake produced the desired result of limiting new applications in the FSW category, thereby enabling backlog reduction to resume and expediting applicants with skills most needed for Canada’s economy, who continue to be processed largely within 12 months. Compared with MI-1, MI-2 was more effective in achieving the objectives of the 2008 Action Plan for Faster Immigration and this lesson learned will inform future Ministerial Instructions.

The principal lesson learned from the Federal Skilled Worker Program evaluation is that changes in selection criteria can make a significant difference to immigrant outcomes. Controlling for all other factors, immigrants selected under the criteria introduced in 2002 have had better employment and earnings outcomes than those selected under the former system. Drawing on this positive result, CIC is proceeding with refinements to the current system to make the program even more labour market responsive. However, federally selected points-tested immigrants account for only 16–17 percent of all new permanent residents annually. More work is needed to understand how the economic outcomes of other categories of immigrants can improve, but the increased participation rate for recent immigrants cited above suggests they are participating at rates equal to or above those of the Canadian born, five to 10 years after arriving.

The first federal evaluation of the Provincial Nominee Program began in 2010. Data for the evaluation was provided by the federal government as well as provincial and territorial governments. As provincial nominee programming differs across provinces and territories in recognition of their unique economic and labour market needs, the federal evaluation needed to take into account existing provincial and territorial methods for gathering performance data and monitoring and reporting on program outcomes. As anticipated, some challenges related to the availability of provincial and territorial data, as well as the consistency in the method of its collection across jurisdictions, were identified. One of the aims of this first evaluation is to collaborate with provinces and territories to implement a common set of performance measures to identify the type of data needed and to provide consistent data for future evaluations.

Program Activity 2: Temporary Resident Program37

Design, develop and implement policies and programs to facilitate the entry of temporary workers, students and visitors in a way which contributes to Canada’s economic, social and cultural development while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ millions)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
114.2 72.2 61.3


2010-11 Human Resources FTEs
Planned Actual Difference
682 584 98

Explanation of change: Total authoritieswere $42 million lower than planned spending, primarily due to resources transferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade through Supplementary Estimates to support new visa requirements. As well, authorities decreased from planned spending due to a change in the profile of planned funding for the Temporary Resident Biometrics Project.

Actual spending was lower than total authorities by $10.9 million, primarily due to lower than expected costs for new visa requirements, the Temporary Resident Biometrics Project and the impact of foregone revenue related to visa lifting.

Planned FTEs by program activity did not reflect the most recent spending trends of the Department as this information was not available at the time of the preparation of the 2010–2011 RPP. Actual FTEs have increased by 2 percent over the prior year’s actual FTEs.


Expected
Results
Performance
Indicators
Targets Performance
Status
The arrival of temporary residents who contribute to Canada’s economic, social and cultural development; and the protection of the health, safety and security of Canadians Number of foreign workers by skill level (arrivals) Anticipated demand: 185,000 to 220,000 persons Mostly met: 182,276 temporary foreign workers arrived in Canada, reflecting lower than expected need by employers.
Number of foreign students by level of education (arrivals) Anticipated demand: 85,000 to 95,000 persons Exceeded: 96,157 international students arrived in Canada.
Number of visitor visas issued Anticipated demand: 820,000 visas Exceeded: CIC issued 913,628 visitor visas in 2010, which was a 16% increase over 2009.
Number of temporary resident applications processed by category Anticipated demand: 380,000 foreign worker applications;
160,000 foreign student applications;
1,025,000 visitor visa applications
Mostly met: CIC processed decisions on almost 1.7 million applications for temporary residence (353,936 temporary foreign worker applications, 203,535 student applications and 1,137,422 visitor visa applications).

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

CIC facilitates the entry of foreign workers, students and visitors that support Canada’s economic, social and cultural development. CIC processed to a decision (whether positive, negative and withdrawn) almost 1.7 million applications (persons) for temporary residence and issued just under 1.4 million visas, permits and extensions for temporary entry into the country. While employer demand remained strong over the past year, CIC received slightly fewer temporary foreign worker applications than the previous year—almost 354,000 temporary foreign worker applications in 2010 compared with almost 377,000 in 2009. On the other hand, the Department processed higher numbers of applications in other streams, receiving more than 1.1 million visitor visa applications in 2010 and over 203,000 student applications in 2010 (compared with 1.0 million and 196,000 respectively in 2009).

CIC facilitated the entry of 182,276 temporary foreign workers in response to labour market demand and helped meet short-term employment needs that could not easily be filled by the domestic labour force. This represents a marginally greater portion (2 percent) of temporary foreign workers admitted compared with the previous year. After the August 2010 announcement of regulatory improvements for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), CIC worked with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada38 (HRSDC) and CBSA to implement measures to strengthen worker protection and ensure employer compliance with program requirements. As a result, on April 1, 2011, new regulations came into force that include three main provisions: to establish factors to guide the assessment of the genuineness of the job offer to a temporary foreign worker; to create authority to deny access to the program for employers who are found to have failed to meet their commitments to workers with respect to wages, working conditions and occupation; and to establish a maximum cumulative duration of four years of work for most temporary foreign workers, to be followed by a period of four years in which the worker would be ineligible to work in Canada.

The Government of Canada also pursued improvements to the program through continued negotiations with provincial and territorial governments, resulting in the signing of bilateral agreements (TFWP Annexes) with British Columbia, Yukon and Nova Scotia.

An evaluation of the International Student Program, completed in July 2010, identified three key issues: the global competitiveness of the program; program integrity; and CIC’s processing capacity. Findings showed that the availability of work opportunities and access to permanent residency make Canada attractive to students. However, the program was also found to be vulnerable to misuse by people posing as students and hampered by a lack of information on legitimate educational institutions, which may lead to processing delays or refusals.

Work permit programs continue to be popular tools to attract top students. All three streams of work permit programs (co-op programs, on and off-campus work programs, and the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program) saw growth in the number of work permits approved. In total, 50,843 work permits were approved in 2010, an increase of 14 percent from 2009. Making these work opportunities increasingly available is important to international students, particularly if they are considering immigrating permanently, since work experience is an eligibility requirement for immigration streams like the Canadian experience class and some provincial nominee programs.

The Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for Immigration made a commitment in June 2010 to improve Canada as a destination of choice for international students seeking a quality education. In response, CIC established a federal-provincial-territorial ad hoc working group to discuss proposals for regulatory and policy amendments related to international students that aim to both enhance program integrity and improve services to genuine students attending genuine educational institutions. Deputy ministers of provincial and territorial ministries of education provided formal support for this work and have mandated their respective departments to negotiate a common framework with CIC that would serve to structure bilateral arrangements governing the joint management of the International Student Program in the future.

An important success story in the improvement of program integrity and client service for the International Student Program is the Student Partners Program (SPP), a pilot between Canadian visa offices in India and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges39 (ACCC). The program started with 20 ACCC member colleges and has grown to 39 participating colleges. To enhance program integrity, the SPP requires applicants to submit mandatory, verifiable documents on language skills and financial support. An information feedback agreement with member colleges is also in place to monitor whether students actually study at their college. Since the introduction of the SPP, overall outcomes for Indian students destined for participating colleges have improved significantly.

Substantive plans and strategies for completing the Temporary Resident Biometrics Project and managing the business change were finalized and approved by all partners, and effective project approval was granted on March 24, 2011.40

Lessons Learned

In its implementation of regulatory changes to the TFWP, CIC adhered to recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General 2010 fall report: to better ensure program integrity, CIC worked closely with HRSDC on clear guidelines for each department on respective roles and responsibilities under the new regulations.

Strategic Outcome 2: International recognition and acceptance of the principles of managed migration consistent with Canada’s broader foreign policy agenda, and protection of refugees in Canada

The overarching objectives of CIC’s second strategic outcome are to promote the Canadian vision of managed migration internationally and to offer Canada’s protection to those in need. Managed migration has long-term benefits, such as minimizing risks for Canada as a country of destination; ensuring CIC has viable programs that address labour market issues and demographics; and improving economic benefits for businesses, Canadians and immigrants. Internationally, migration and humanitarian issues continue to gain the attention of governments, forums, non-governmental organizations, and academic and other research institutes. CIC is expanding its leadership role in framing and advancing important international migration policy, protection and governance dialogues. Given the complexity of these links, CIC works with domestic and international partners on issues of global migration and protection to determine how to proceed and to identify opportunities for advancing Canada’s priorities.

Canada partners with other countries and with international and civil society organizations to come to the aid of displaced individuals. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees41 (UNHCR) Global Trends 2010 report,42 there were 43.7 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, including 15.4 million refugees and 837,500 asylum-seekers and 27.5 million internally displaced people43 at the end of 2010. Canada works closely with the UNHCR to search for durable solutions for refugees, especially those in protracted refugee situations. Every year, Canada resettles 10,000 to 12,000—or one out of every 10—of the refugees resettled globally, and offers protection to many more who come to Canada seeking refugee protection.

Program Activity 3: Canada’s Role in International Migration and Protection

Assert Canada’s position in the context of international migration in order to protect Canada’s right to set its citizenship, immigration and refugee policy; to meet legal and international obligations; to steer the international agenda on migration management issues, including its linkages with other public policy sectors; to contribute to managing migration internationally; and to support development of Canada’s image abroad.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ millions)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
4.0 3.9 3.3


2010-11 Human Resources FTEs
Planned Actual Difference
18 8 10

Explanation of change: Planned FTEs by program activity did not reflect the most recent spending trends of the Department as this information was not available at the time of the preparation of the 2010–2011 RPP. Actual FTEs have increased by 1 over the prior year’s actual FTEs.


Expected
Results
Performance
Indicators
Targets Performance
Status
Canada influences the international policy debate as part of its responsibilities with respect to international migration and refugee protection Number and description of new or renewed international agreements and/or other arrangements led, undertaken or established (multilateral, regional, bilateral, including international organizations) CIC responds to ad hoc requests Met all:In 2010–2011, 64 international agreements were developed or renewed.

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

CIC continued to define priorities to enhance international engagement and foster greater coherence between CIC’s international policy and operations. The Department defined its strategic migration policy agenda for targeted international regions, and managed and directed Canada’s participation in key international forums regarding migration.

CIC continued to represent Canada’s immigration interests by participating directly or by assisting other departments in about 80 international migration events, and by advancing, leading and coordinating over 250 Government of Canada positions and activities. The Department engaged other governments and international organizations by encouraging mutually beneficial exchanges to promote increased understanding of migration trends and perspectives.

Participation in the Regional Conference on Migration44 (RCM) allowed Canada to influence and advance the Department’s strategic objectives of migration management and international protection in countries of the Americas. Several countries in the region have modernized their migration legislation and programs, established mechanisms for safe and orderly return, developed international protection programs, and joined in efforts to combat irregular migration, human smuggling, trafficking in persons and the activities of unscrupulous intermediaries.

Active participation in the RCM has also allowed the strengthening of international networks for intelligence and cooperation, in turn facilitating the work of other federal departments and the general advancement of Canadian interests with governments and international and civil society organizations across the region. Additional work has focused on advancing managed migration and international protection issues bilaterally with a number of countries in the Americas.45

CIC continued to monitor international developments that affected the arrival of refugees in the country and to expand its international asylum dialogue with other governments. Canada continued to support the search for durable solutions to refugee situations internationally, and protracted refugee situations in particular, through multilateral organizations and other diplomatic channels.

CIC played a key role in the development of a Canada–U.S. Beyond the Border Declaration46 and continued to support the government’s commitment to address threats early and to promote solutions to facilitate low-risk trade and travel.

CIC led Canadian participation in the Global Forum on Migration and Development,47 influencing the agenda to focus on policy discussion and practical approaches to human rights issues.

The Migration Policy Development Program (MPDP) continued to provide funding to organizations active in the areas of migration policy development and research, promote research activity and public discussion on migration issues, encourage information exchange between states, and strengthen intergovernmental relationships and international networks. MPDP funding supported membership in international forums that strengthened intelligence and information exchanges, and allowed Canadian influence in policy directions internationally. The MPDP fund also contributed directly to capacity-building activities in support of departmental priorities in Canada’s priority region of the Americas, particularly in the development of legislation and programs to manage migration and promote governance, prosperity and security internationally. These efforts included information exchanges focused on labour migration, refugee protection, human smuggling and trafficking in persons.

Finally, in March 2011, CIC signed a memorandum of understanding with New Zealand48 to implement the Five Country Conference (FCC) High Value Data Sharing Protocol.49 This protocol enables Canada to securely and confidentially check the fingerprint information of asylum seekers and foreign nationals facing deportation in Canada with those stored in New Zealand immigration databases. The initiative was developed as part of the FCC, a forum for immigration and border security comprising CIC and CBSA in partnership with counterpart organizations in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Lessons Learned

Major factors like demographic change, emerging economies and new technologies are beginning to have a sizable impact on patterns of migration and on assumptions related to labour supply and demand. This in turn is fuelling an increase in international discussion on migration and migration management. This increased complexity demands a more strategic approach to CIC’s international engagement to ensure that its objectives are carefully formulated and advanced in international forums, and to facilitate coordination within the Department and across the Government of Canada.

Canada’s ability to influence the international community to expand protection space through resettlement also highlights the importance of developing, in cooperation with the UNHCR, a longer-term agenda and strategy focused on particular countries.

Program Activity 4: Refugee Program50

Fulfilling Canada’s international obligations by coming to the aid of persons in need of protection in Canada and maintaining its humanitarian tradition by protecting refugees abroad and resettling them to Canada.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ millions)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
102.4 120.8 112.7


2010-11 Human Resources FTEs
Planned Actual Difference
113 318 (205)

Explanation of change: Total authoritiesincreased by $18.4 million over planned spending, mainly due to temporary funding for the Interim Federal Health Program.

Actual spending was less than total authorities by $8.1 million, due to lower than planned requirements for the Interim Federal Health Program, including costs related to the Haiti relief effort.

Planned FTEs by program activity did not reflect the most recent spending trends of the Department as this information was not available at the time of the preparation of the 2010–2011 RPP. Actual FTEs have increased by less than 4 percent over the prior year’s actual FTEs.

Expected
Results
Performance
Indicators
Targets Performance
Status
Persons in need of protection and Convention refugees are protected by Canada by upholding our international obligations and humanitarian traditions, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians Number of protected persons and Convention refugees granted permanent residence by category CIC to admit refugees and protected persons in numbers that align with 2010 Immigration Levels Plan ranges: 19,600–26,000 Mostly met: In 2010, the 7,264 resettled government-assisted refugees fell just short of the lower range set for this group. However, 9,041 protected persons were landed in Canada that, together with the 3,558 dependants from abroad, exceeds the upper range of 12,000 contained in the 2010 Levels Plan for this immigration category. For refugees resettled from abroad, 4,833 privately sponsored refugees were welcomed in Canada, falling within the target range of 3,300–6,000.

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

Canada has a long history as a tolerant, compassionate and humanitarian nation, and lives up to these values through the Refugee Program. As a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees,51 the 1967 Protocol52 and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,53 Canada has a legal obligation to provide safe haven to individuals in need of protection.

In fulfilling this obligation, major advancements were made this year in reviewing policies and programs for refugees and protected persons. Significantly, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act received royal assent on June 29, 2010. The changes brought about by this legislation support the underlying principles of Canada’s asylum system: ensuring fairness; protecting genuine refugees; and upholding Canada’s humanitarian tradition. The new asylum system exceeds Canada’s international and domestic legal obligations and ensures eligible refugee claimants receive a fair hearing based on their personal situation, with avenues for appeal. As part of this Act, the government also announced a 20‑percent increase in the number of resettled refugees that Canada will receive each year, which means that, by 2013, Canada will welcome 14,500 persons or 11 percent of all refugees resettled from around the world. Significant work on implementation of the new in-Canada asylum system has already begun, including backlog reduction and increased resettlement of refugees.54

With regard to resettlement, CIC completed an evaluation of the Government-assisted Refugee (GAR) Program and the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP). The GAR evaluation concluded that the program remains relevant, well regarded and well aligned with government priorities. RAP was found to be in line with UNHCR guidelines regarding the provision of immediate and essential needs to refugees, and RAP clients reported a great deal of satisfaction with the services they received. However, the evaluation also found that RAP service providers are having difficulty meeting the increasingly complex needs of their clients. The evaluation made a number of recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of both programs, which the Department addressed in the management response. The evaluation and CIC ’s management response were finalized in summer 2011.

CIC also completed a review of the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program and developed a strategy to address the key issues of growing inventories, long wait times and stakeholder relations. CIC is now implementing this strategy in collaboration with stakeholders from the private sponsorship community, with full implementation expected by early 2012.

After extensive review and internal and external stakeholder consultations, CIC initiated the repeal of the source country class. Repealing the source country class will allow CIC to focus its resettlement resources on priority refugee situations in collaboration with resettlement partners and to manage application intake more effectively. The repeal is expected to come into effect in fall 2011.

CIC’s Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides temporary health coverage for refugee claimants, asylum seekers, Convention refugees, victims of human trafficking and persons under CBSA detention. Through a network of 18,000 registered health-care providers across Canada, the IFHP continued to provide coverage to approximately 110,000 beneficiaries. A review of the program’s policies has begun, including evaluating options for aligning the policies with the legal authority. In addition, the new claims administrator contract has been in place since January 2011.

Through the Intergovernmental Immigration and Refugee Health Working Group, CIC and its international partners developed a strategy to align and to implement quality assurance tools that improve the reliability of diagnosis for tuberculosis worldwide. In 2010–2011, CIC performed 518,794 immigration medical assessments, which found 417 active tuberculosis cases (398 of them were rendered inactive) and 1,161 cases inadmissible on health grounds. In addition, 11,796 cases were assessed requiring referral to provincial and territorial public health for medical surveillance upon arrival to Canada.

CIC completed and implemented the guidelines for the definition of designation of countries with high tuberculosis risk. CIC also worked with PHAC to develop a joint position on Hepatitis B screenings.

For cases referred to provincial and territorial health authorities for medical surveillance, provinces and territories reported individual compliance in 52% of cases. CIC surveyed local public health authorities to analyse requirements for enhancing individual compliance rates being received from provinces and territories.

Lessons Learned

Negotiating exit permits for individuals who do not meet criteria imposed by the country of asylum continues to be an issue, and illustrates how the legislative and policy framework governing the resettlement program is at times at odds with the international context within which the program operates. CIC will conduct a review and develop recommendations to address the exit permit issue over the next year.

More broadly, the lack of strategic focus means that the resettlement program is pulled in many different directions at once, and risks not meeting its primary objective of protection. A close examination of where and when resettlement presents the most effective protection tool is necessary. The Department is developing options to refocus the resettlement program on strategic outcomes to enhance Canada’s ability to provide effective protection and durable solutions to refugee populations around the world.

Strategic Outcome 3: Successful integration of newcomers into society and promotion of Canadian citizenship

CIC develops policies and programs to support the settlement, including refugee resettlement, and longer-term integration of newcomers into Canadian society leading
to the acquisition of citizenship, while setting the stage for their participation and contribution to Canada. As immigrants and refugees seek to overcome challenges specific to settling in a new country, settlement programming provides support to maximize newcomers’ potential and realize their aspirations, eventually leading to their full participation and citizenship in Canadian society. Welcoming newcomers and assisting with settlement and longer-term integration is a shared effort; the achievement of this strategic outcome, therefore, depends on partnerships and contributions from the federal government, provinces, territories, employers, service providers, community organizations and others.

To better support the integration of newcomers into Canadian society, the Multiculturalism Program has three objectives: to build an integrated, socially cohesive society; to improve the responsiveness of institutions to the needs of a diverse population; and to actively engage in discussions on multiculturalism and diversity at the international level.

The acquisition of citizenship is a significant step in the integration process of newcomers. Granting citizenship to eligible applicants provides established newcomers with the full range of rights of Canadian citizenship, and encourages them to fulfil the responsibilities of citizenship. The acquisition of citizenship also helps newcomers develop a stronger sense of belonging to Canada and share a common bond as part of the Canadian family. CIC focuses efforts on enhancing the meaning of Canadian citizenship, protecting its value, promoting civic participation and encouraging the expression of Canadian citizenship in order to foster a sense of belonging for both newcomers and established Canadians alike. The Department also focuses on implementing other initiatives to enhance the integrity of the Citizenship Program by ensuring that citizenship applicants meet legislative and regulatory requirements before being granted citizenship.

Program Activity 5: Integration Program55

Develop policies and programs to support the settlement, resettlement, adaptation and integration of newcomers into Canadian society by delivering the orientation, adaptation and language programs for newcomers.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ millions)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
1,013.4 996.1 975.7


2010-11 Human Resources FTEs
Planned Actual Difference
415 373 42

Explanation of change: Total authorities decreased by $17.3 million from planned spending, due to the impact of strategic review reductions, internal transfers and transfers to other government departments.

Actual spending was less than total authorities by $20.4 million, primarily due to lower than planned spending in Settlement Program contribution programs and related operating costs.


Expected
Results
Performance
Indicators
Targets Performance
Status
Newcomers contribute to the economic, social and cultural development needs of Canada Labour market participation—Employment rate compared to Canadian average after five years and after 10 years Improvement in participation rate relative to Canadian average by 2012 Mostly met:Labour Force Survey data show that the employment rate of all immigration categories after five years increased by 4.7% from 62.0% to 66.7% over January 2010 to January 2011. The employment rate for established immigrants (in Canada 10 years or more) on the other hand declined slightly over the same period from 54.2% to 54.0%.56 For Canadian-born individuals, the employment rate increased from 62.6% to 62.9%.

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

Through agreements with CIC, the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec are responsible for the design, delivery and administration of settlement services in their respective jurisdictions, supported by federal funding. In all other jurisdictions, CIC manages settlement services, with different forms of co-management in Alberta and Ontario. CIC regularly reviews its settlement arrangements with all provinces and territories with the goal of improving outcomes for newcomers. Accordingly the Canada–British Columbia Immigration Agreement57 was renewed in 2010–2011 with stronger provisions for outcomes-based accountability.

CIC focused on measuring the impacts of settlement and resettlement programs, to further strengthen public confidence in Canada’s support to newcomers, including refugees. CIC engaged stakeholders to identify key outcomes and indicators of successful settlement and advance the implementation of a performance measurement strategy to inform the review of settlement and integration programming. As part of this focus, CIC has implemented a modernized approach that is outcomes-based and responsive to newcomer needs. Enhanced delivery of orientation, adaptation and language programs now provides support and services to assist in the settlement and long-term integration of newcomers; helps newcomers contribute to the economic, social, cultural and civic development needs of Canada; and encourages participation by a range of players, such as employers and volunteers, in the provision of settlement services and the fostering of welcoming communities for newcomers.

CIC began to implement action items from the 2010 evaluation of the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC). In particular, progress was made to enhance language assessment in the Settlement Program. CIC implemented a pilot to test a portfolio-based assessment method in collaboration with the LINC service provider organizations in Ottawa. The pilot, which will run until January 2012, supports ongoing teacher–student dialogue with the objective of improving the student’s progress in acquiring official language proficiency.

CIC developed two versions of a standardized language test (the Milestones Test) based on a Canadian language benchmark. On implementation, the test will contribute to the Department’s ability to assess overall program outcomes and impact, while also providing newcomers with a means to demonstrate their language proficiency.

CIC concluded the Language Training Vouchers pilot project, which tested new ways to increase the uptake rate of free LINC language training by newcomers. The results of this one-year pilot showed that clients who received a voucher were 25 percent more likely to access a LINC service than clients who did not receive a voucher.

CIC launched the development phase of the on-line national repository of language teaching tools and resources to help language instructors share resources and develop on‑line communities of practice among language instructors. The LearnIT2teach project was also implemented to help language instructors in Ontario effectively integrate computers and the web into their teaching methods and classrooms.

Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for Immigration agreed to develop a pan-Canadian framework for settlement outcomes to help guide future settlement and integration policies across the country. A national survey to assess the settlement outcomes of newcomers is under development and will inform the framework.

CIC also signed a bridge-to-work agreement with the Province of Ontario to help skilled immigrants enter the Canadian labour market and find employment that matches their education and skills. CIC began negotiations with Ontario for a successor arrangement to the Canada–Ontario Immigration Agreement58 (COIA), which expired March 31, 2011. These negotiations have not yet been concluded. In support of these negotiations, the Department also undertook an evaluation of COIA and the final results will be available in 2011–2012.

CIC enhanced settlement funding fairness across Canada by transitioning to calculating funding for settlement in all jurisdictions (except Quebec) based on the proportion of immigrant intake in each jurisdiction, with extra weight for refugees and an amount for capacity building. Federal funding for settlement and immigration services is provided to Quebec through an annual grant under the Canada–Québec Accord.59

After consulting federal and provincial settlement partners and focus groups of newcomers, CIC renewed and expanded its suite of settlement information and orientation content for newcomers this year. This information will also be incorporated into the Welcome to Canada60 publication and the CIC website.

CIC continued to work closely with the Welcoming Communities Initiative Community–University Research Alliance on various research projects. This included the development of a repository of experts for local immigration partnerships (LIPs), which enhances CIC’s ongoing policy development of LIPs. The Department also partnered with the Quebec-based Institut national de recherche scientifique to develop a repository of community-based projects to collect and disseminate best practices, including those funded through Community Connections.

CIC continued to build on its collaboration with key stakeholders to promote the recruitment of French-speaking newcomers and foster their integration into Francophone Minority Communities (FMCs). The CIC Francophone Minority Communities Steering Committee, in collaboration with its community partners, continued the implementation of the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities61 to support the economic integration of French-speaking immigrants into FMCs through the development of strong immigration networks. CIC continued its efforts to raise awareness among employers through the organization of job fairs for newcomers.

Lessons Learned

The audit of the administration of settlement programs and the evaluations of LINC and the Immigration Settlement and Adaptation Program noted a lack of consistency in needs assessment activities and the ability to establish a baseline of newcomer needs. In response, CIC consulted the settlement sector and undertook public opinion research to develop guidelines on needs assessment to clarify the Department’s expectations of organizations providing settlement services. CIC also developed an interim on-line tool to assist newcomers in understanding their own settlement needs and planning their settlement pathway. The Department examined options for changes to current reporting requirements to facilitate the collection of baseline data on newcomer needs.

A key finding of the 2010 LINC evaluation was that “over 90 percent of LINC classes feature continuous intake, which presents challenges for teachers, but makes classes more accessible for students.” In response to the need to strike a balance between program accessibility and the quality of the classroom experience, CIC undertook analysis to assess the impact of different types of student intake on learner retention and level of completion. The results of the analysis are now being assessed with a view to developing options to improve the quality of the classroom experience.

The LINC evaluation indicated that child-minding costs had risen without a commensurate increase in program uptake. To address this problem, CIC undertook stakeholder consultations and reviewed its child-minding services to establish optimal cost and wait-list baselines. CIC also researched a new child-care model aimed at establishing a more flexible, cost-efficient service that will be piloted in 2011–2012.

The Host Program evaluation (2010) highlighted the development of newcomers’ language skills and their increased knowledge of Canadian culture as the most positive impacts of the program. Accordingly, CIC has committed to supporting related eligible activities through the Community Connections stream of the Settlement Program, for example, conversation circles to connect newcomers, establish support networks and acquire language skills.

Moving forward on the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications,62 CIC will build on the experience gained with the initial eight target occupations and work with a greater variety of stakeholders in implementing the framework for the next six target occupations (see the discussion of Canada’s Economic Action Plan at the end of Section II for further details).

Program Activity 6: Citizenship Program63

Design, develop and implement policies and programs to administer the acquisition of Canadian citizenship and to enhance the values and promote the rights and responsibilities of Canadian Citizenship.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ millions)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
62.0 76.4 68.8


2010-11 Human Resources FTEs
Planned Actual Difference
421 714 (293)

Explanation of change: Total authorities were $14.4 million higher than planned spending, primarily due to additional operating authorities carried forward from the previous fiscal year.

Actual spending was less than total authorities by $7.6 million, primarily due to lower than planned expenditures in the Multiculturalism and Community Historical Recognition grants and contributions programs.

Planned FTEs by program activity did not reflect the most recent spending trends of the Department as this information was not available at the time of the preparation of the 2010–2011 RPP. Actual FTEs have increased by less than 3 percent over the prior year’s actual FTEs.

Expected
Results
Performance
Indicators
Targets Performance
Status
Citizens’ full participation in Canadian society Number and percentage of people who take up citizenship from permanent residence

Maintain or improve on current rate of 85% of permanent residents who become naturalized citizens

Met all: According to the most recent Census data (2006), 85% of eligible newcomers became Canadian citizens.
Number of citizenship grant and proof applications processed—positive and negative decisions Minimum of 170,000 grants and 38,000 proofs Mostly met: CIC processed 153,644 applications for grant of citizenship, including 143,329 individuals who became Canadian citizens, and issued 69,766 citizenship certificates (“proofs” of citizenship) to existing Canadians in 2010.64

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

CIC continued its work to promote intercultural and interfaith understanding, through active membership in the International Task Force on Holocaust Remembrance, Research and Education,65 collaboration with the Global Centre for Pluralism66 and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation,67 various commemorative activities for Black History Month and Asian Heritage Month, and through its work with federal institutions. CIC also launched “A Fun Path to Learning,” a web corner for teachers and youth that provides educational tools regarding citizenship, Canadian identity, multiculturalism and immigration.

Inter-Action, a new component of the Multiculturalism grants and contributions program, was launched. The projects stream focuses on long-term, multi-year projects that support community engagement, while the events stream provides grants to small community-based events that promote intercultural understanding.

Progress on results achieved on multiculturalism by CIC and across the federal government will continue to be reported in the Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.68

CIC encourages intercultural dialogue at national and international levels to combat all forms of discrimination and racism, including anti-Semitism. The Department worked with the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism,69 to prepare for the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism conference in Ottawa (November 7–9, 2010). Parliamentarians and experts from over 50 countries attended. The Ottawa Protocol70 was a major outcome of this conference and represents global cooperation in the fight against anti-Semitism.

CIC continued to implement its Citizenship Action Plan, which consists of a set of coordinated initiatives that aim to improve the integrity of the Citizenship Program and strengthen the value and meaning of Canadian citizenship by promoting civic memory, civic participation and a sense of belonging to Canada. CIC revised the citizenship test study guide Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship,71which was originally introduced in November 2009. Released in March 2011, the updated version strengthens content on common Canadian values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and the equality of men and women.

A new citizenship test that aligns with the study guide was introduced in March 2010. The new test retains its 20-question, multiple-choice format; however, the pass mark was raised to 75 percent (from 60 percent) to ensure that applicants demonstrate a solid understanding of the information from Discover Canada. The Department also amended its regulations pertaining to knowledge requirements. In particular, the Citizenship Regulations were amended respecting citizenship knowledge requirements to achieve greater flexibility in the ability to test applicants consistently on a range of knowledge of the characteristics of Canada, and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.

In 2010, the Citizenship Program underwent several operational changes, which increased the time needed to review grant applications or for applicants to move forward in the application process. Because of these changes, the 2010 target for grants processing was not met. Some key initiatives that had an impact on processing include the implementation of program integrity measures and the introduction of a standardized language assessment tool for CIC officials and citizenship judges, which required training all citizenship officers and judges. In addition, the temporary policy to allow applicants who failed the citizenship test on their first attempt to rewrite the test had an impact on processing. Influenced by a combination of high application intake and these operational changes, 80 percent of grant applications were processed within 19 months of receipt of application during the 12‑month period ending December 31, 2010.

CIC was able to exceed its targets for proof processing (issuance of citizenship certificates to existing citizens). In fact, the Department succeeded in reducing proof inventories by nearly 45 percent (from 43,362 applications in 2009 to 24,475 applications in 2010). As result, 69,766 certificates were issued in 2010, which is approximately 32,000 applications above the normal processing capacity of 38,000 applications per year. Furthermore, processing times were reduced in 2010. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, 80 percent of proof applications were processed in 8.5 months for applications from within Canada (down from 11.4 months in 2009), and 12.5 months for those processed outside Canada (down from 15.4 months in 2009).

In 2010, CIC undertook an operational review of the Citizenship Program to better understand program challenges and determine where to concentrate its modernization efforts in support of operational efficiency and effectiveness. As an outcome of that process, an implementation roadmap is being developed and includes staging for process changes in line with the Department’s broader service modernization agenda.

Finally, in June 2010, Bill C-37 (proposing to amend the Citizenship Act) was introduced to improve the integrity of the Citizenship Program and to protect the value of Canadian citizenship. Specifically, the bill proposed to add authority to regulate citizenship consultants, increase penalties for citizenship fraud, strengthen citizenship residency requirements, improve the ability to bar persons who committed crimes abroad from becoming Canadian citizens, streamline the revocation and removals process, and ensure the Act supports the implementation of the first generation limit to passing on citizenship. Bill C-37 died on the order paper when the parliamentary session ended in March 2011.

Lessons Learned

Throughout 2010–2011, CIC made progress on the Citizenship Fraud Action Plan by reinforcing the roles and responsibilities of citizenship officers’ in maintaining program integrity and implementing mandatory system checks at strategic points in the citizenship grant application process to ensure that applicants continue to meet their residency obligation.

The National Citizenship Fraud Conference capped the year’s activities, bringing together approximately 50 citizenship officials from across Canada. Also present at the conference were participants from CBSA, the RCMP and Passport Canada.72 A number of anti-fraud tools developed to assist citizenship officials in the detection of fraud and newly implemented procedures were presented and discussed.

Program Activity 7: Internal Services

Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are: Management and Oversight Services; Communications Services; Legal Services; Human Resources Management Services; Financial Management Services; Information Management Services; Information Technology Services; Real Property Services; Materiel Services; Acquisition Services; and Travel and Other Administrative Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ millions)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
136.3 230.5 225.3


2010-11 Human Resources FTEs
Planned Actual Difference
1,091 1,492 (401)

Explanation of change: Total authorities were $94.2 million higher than planned spending, due to funding provided through Supplementary Estimates for government advertising programs, the reform of the refugee determination system, salary-related costs and transfers from other program activities. Included in Internal Services is spending for projects that relate to other program activities, such as the Global Case Management System, but are reported under Internal Services.

Actual spending was less than total authorities by $5.2 million, due to lower than planned costs in refugee reform, advertising programs and other general operating lapses.

Planned FTEs by program activity did not reflect the most recent spending trends of the Department as this information was not available at the time of the preparation of the 2010–2011 RPP. Actual FTEs have increased by 12 percent when compared with the prior year’s actual FTEs.

Performance Summary and Analysis of Program Activity

In 2010–2011, CIC continued work to improve management practices and capacity in several areas.

CIC instituted systematic processes for management oversight of program activities and performance, and strengthened planning and the Performance Measurement Framework to ensure a stronger focus on results. With the approval of its revamped Program Activity Architecture and Performance Measurement Framework by Treasury Board and the development of a strategy to implement these tools throughout 2011–2012, CIC is positioned to support sound outcomes-based departmental planning and management oversight. The 2010–2015 strategic plan was also updated, and departmental planning was further enhanced to integrate long-term investment planning.73 Quarterly reviews of departmental plans continued to ensure accountability and adequate senior management oversight.

CIC continued the implementation of an internal service agenda. CIC’s internal service providers measured and reported performance against a set of high-volume services on a quarterly basis. They also continued to develop standards for additional internal services to provide staff with a framework of accountability and transparency so they know what they can expect from such services. CIC implemented periodic measurement of employee satisfaction with internal services to determine where improvements are needed to better support CIC staff in delivering quality services to Canadians.

Lessons Learned

Recognizing that an effective and efficient back office is necessary to deliver quality services to Canadians, CIC undertook a number of changes in 2010–2011:

  • The Finance Sector was reorganized to fully implement the Chief Financial Officer Model, to provide increased emphasis on internal controls and to better monitor the financial aspects of CIC’s grants and contributions programs. This reorganization included creation of two branches—Financial Operations and Financial Management—to carry out this important work.
  • Enterprise-wide investment planning processes were set up to ensure integration with departmental planning and management processes and long-term sustainability.
  • An integrated change management approach continued to be the foundation for improving CIC’s capacity to adapt to change. This ensures that leaders and managers are properly equipped and supported to adapt and respond to a complex environment and that employees remain motivated in times of change.

Canada’s Economic Action Plan


2010-11 Financial Resources ($ millions)
Planned Spending Total Authorities Actual Spending
6.1 6.1 5.5

Budget 2009’s Economic Action Plan74 (EAP) allocated $50 million over two years to CIC and HRSDC, with CIC receiving $13.7 million for 2009–2010 to 2010–2011. This spending is included under Program Activity 5: Integration Program. The funding provided under the EAP supported the government’s comprehensive efforts over this period in addressing foreign credential recognition (FCR) barriers faced by newcomers.

EAP funding supported the creation and implementation of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, which facilitates the efforts of governments in the development of a common approach to FCR, including timely assessment and recognition. Over 2010–2011, CIC, in conjunction with HRSDC, Health Canada, and provincial and territorial partners, confirmed that the framework’s initial eight target occupations75 are meeting the one-year commitment to timely service and established action plans for each occupation that identify current and future improvements to support FCR.

Funding provided under the EAP also supported the expansion and enhancement of pre‑arrival services. In October 2010, CIC assumed responsibility for the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP), administered by the ACCC, from HRSDC. In addition to the change in stewardship, the services provided under CIIP were extended to a broader group of immigrants, including both the federal skilled worker and provincial nominee categories and their working-age dependants. In January 2011, the service locations expanded with the opening of a new office in the United Kingdom (London) bringing the total number of established CIIP offices to four, including offices in China, India and the Philippines.

The EAP committed to support the strengthening of FCR information by developing a website to share best practices. This website, called the International Qualifications Network76 (IQN), enables registered members across Canada to share information about their own FCR initiatives and forge new partnerships to facilitate best practices regarding FCR. Over 2010–2011, CIC continued its development of the IQN content and engagement of stakeholders, contributing to its ongoing efforts to collaborate with partners and stakeholders on FCR, although significant demands on CIC resources delayed its implementation.