Backgrounder 2013 Immigration

Levels Planning: Public and

Stakeholder Consultations
Purpose
The purpose of this consultation is to seek your feedback on immigration to Canada and the
setting of immigration levels. We are asking for your input on the right level of immigration
to Canada per year how many? and the right distribution between the three main
immigrant classes to Canada, economic, family, and refugee/humanitarian classes what
should be the mix? Should immigration levels be increased, decreased or maintained? If we
increase the numbers in one of the three main immigration classes but not increase the overall
number of immigrants per year, where should we take less? What role can immigration play
to support Canadas economy? What follows in this document serves to give you a sense of
some of the challenges and realities Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) faces when
considering these questions.

Background/Context
When we talk about immigration, we are referring to permanent residents, i.e. individuals
who have made the decision to move permanently to Canada to work and live. People from
around the world also come to Canada on a temporary basis to study and work, but setting
immigration levels focuses on permanent immigration.
Since 2006, the Government of Canada has welcomed the highest sustained levels of
immigration in Canadian history. On average, around 250,000 immigrants per year have
come to Canada.

Establishing the Annual Immigration Levels Plan

The 2002 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) is the guiding legislative
framework for Canadas immigration system. It outlines the governments major objectives
for immigration, such as:

to support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy, in which

the benefits of immigration are shared across all regions in Canada;

to see that families are reunited; and

to fulfill Canadas international legal obligations with respect to refugees and affirm
Canadas commitment to international efforts to provide assistance to those in need of
resettlement;

while also protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians.

Every year, as required by law, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism
tables the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration on or before November 1. The Report
includes a Levels Plan for how many people will be admitted to Canada as permanent
residents the following year. The Levels Plan is an important strategic tool because it sets out
the distribution of admissions spaces across three main categories (economic, family and
refugee/humanitarian). See Annex A for the 2012 Levels Plan.
In developing the Levels Plan, CIC balances the IRPA immigration objectives with several
other factors, including:

Government of Canada priorities and commitments;

Input from provinces and territories, as immigration is a shared responsibility under

the Constitution;

Input from stakeholders, including settlement service groups, unions, Aboriginal

groups, non-governmental organizations, and sector councils/industry;

Current and future economic conditions, as well as labour market needs; and

The capacity of the economy and of communities to welcome newcomers.

Government of Canada priorities and commitments

Canadas Economic Action Plan 2012 is focused on jobs, economic growth and prosperity.
The Prime Minister has also made it clear that economic immigration is a key priority for the
Government of Canada.
CIC has introduced changes to economic immigration programs to set the groundwork for a
fast and flexible immigration system. Since 2008, Ministerial Instructions, which are special
instructions issued by the Minister to better manage the processing of applications, have been
applied to several economic programs as well as the family category. Most recently,
legislative changes passed under Bill C-38, Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, will
significantly address the accumulated Federal Skilled Worker backlog by terminating
applications and returning fees paid to CIC for certain applications received before February
27, 2008. The Act also allows new Ministerial Instructions to manage and prioritize
applications more effectively; enhances the ability to prioritize and apply up-to-date
regulations to new and existing applications; and enables the ability to create targeted
economic programs quickly.
Progress has been made in other areas as well, to modernize CICs existing processes and
programs. At the end of 2011, CIC launched the Action Plan for Faster Family
Reunification to address the backlog of Parent and Grandparent sponsorship applications. The
Action Plan included an increase in admissions for parents and grandparents to 25,000 in

2012; a temporary pause on the intake of new sponsorship applications; and introduced the
Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, which allow parents and grandparents of Canadian
citizens and permanent residents to visit Canada for extended stays. In 2012, CIC has taken
action to reform the in-Canada refugee system as contained in Bill C-31,Protecting Canadas
Immigration System Act, which will help deliver faster decisions on refugee claims.

Engaging with provincial and territorial governments and

stakeholders
CIC engages with Canadians to help inform program and policy decisions. CIC also engages
with provincial and territorial governments as immigration is a shared responsibility under
the Constitution. On levels planning, CIC works with provinces and territories to ensure that
immigration programs meet the needs of Canada and support specific regional needs, such as
labour market needs. Recent work includes developing a longer-term approach to levels
planning and making sure that federal and provincial/territorial immigration programs
complement each other.

Current and future economic conditions in Canada

The current Canadian economic landscape is one of mixed outcomes across the country:
strong economic growth in certain regions, persistent unemployment in others; a relatively
strong fiscal and monetary base, compared to other countries, but there is the risk of
international crises undermining growth in Canada. Economic forecasts of future economic
performance and labour needs are also varied across the country. In light of this uncertainty,
Canadas immigration system must be flexible enough to both help meet todays skill
shortages in a timely manner while also ensuring that it anticipates tomorrows labour market
needs, by attracting the appropriate skills and talents for the changing economy.

Capacity of the economy and welcoming newcomers

Many in the business sector and provinces and territories are calling for higher immigration
levels to meet existing and anticipated job shortages. At the same time, the analysis of data
for immigrants who are already here suggests that they are experiencing higher
unemployment rates and lower earnings relative to Canadian-born individuals. CIC needs to
consider the capacity of the economy and of communities to welcome newcomers: whether in
the short and long term; whether the number of immigrants increases, decreases or remains
the same; and whether the mix of the immigration categories changes or remains comparable
to previous years.

Three Questions
As identified at the beginning of this document, the purpose of this consultation is to seek
your views on immigration to Canada, specifically on immigration levels and their

distribution across categories. The consultation will explore a number of issues related to
three main questions:
1. What is the appropriate level of immigration for Canada? Should the number of
immigrants admitted per year change?
2. What is the appropriate distribution or mix between the number of economic
immigrants, family class immigrants, and refugees/persons admitted under the
humanitarian class?
3. Economic immigration is recognized as a key immigration objective for Canadas
long-term economic growth. What role can immigration play to support Canadas
economy?
Much of the success of Canadas immigration programs depends on who is selected (the
mix), how many come (the level of immigration), and where they go (communities that are
able to welcome them with job opportunities, schools and housing).

1. What is the appropriate level of immigration for

Canada?
In the last five years, Canada has admitted around 250,000 new permanent residents on
average each year. This is roughly 0.8% of Canadas population. See Annex B for the
breakdown of admissions of permanent residents from recent years, and Annex C for the
proportion of annual immigration to Canadas population.
Some observers suggest that increasing overall immigration levels would bring in more skills
and talent to support and grow Canadas economy. Higher levels could also support family
reunification and uphold Canadas humanitarian tradition by resettling refugees and people in
need of protection. Others suggest that levels should decrease due to uncertainty in todays
economy and labour market, that we have limited capacity to integrate more immigrants, or
that public services are stretched with the increase in population. The timeframe also matters.
Todays considerations must be balanced alongside the future context Canada in ten years
and beyond. The outcome of immigrants is another consideration.
Other factors also include the financial capacity of CIC and its security partners
(the RCMP, CBSA and CSIS) to process and deliver the programs, and the level of settlement
funding available to support immigrants. There is also pressure from the volumes of
applications received across immigration categories to bring in more people.
These issues point to difficult questions regarding levels planning. Should the levels plan
primarily reflect the number of people who want to immigrate to Canada, where more people
are admitted simply because there are more applications? Or should the levels plan reflect the
objectives of immigration for Canada and strategic priorities?

2. What is the appropriate mix between economic, family,

and refugee/humanitarian classes?

Closely linked with the question of the appropriate level of immigration is the question of the
appropriate mix, or distribution, of immigrants across the three main categories of
immigration programs economic, family reunification, and refugee/humanitarian which
broadly reflect IRPAs objectives.
In 2012, the Levels Plan provided a mix of around 62% economic, 26% family, and 13%
refugee and humanitarian class. It is worth noting that the economic category includes the
principal applicants (the individual on the application whose skills and qualifications will be
assessed) and their spouse/partner and dependants. Principal applicants make up around 40%
of the economic category, while spouses/partners and dependents account for around 60%.
However, many of these spouses/partners and dependants as well as immigrants in the
family and refugee/humanitarian classes also join the labour market.
See Annex D for the breakdown and description of the current immigration programs.
The appropriate mix will depend on a careful balance of competing pressures of
commitments to family reunification, refugee resettlement, and selecting immigrants to
support economic growth. The mix must be considered with levels, because there are
different settlement needs among the three main categories of immigrants, and the places that
welcome them should have the job opportunities, the infrastructure and appropriate
community supports in place. How should the social and economic objectives of immigration
be balanced?

3. What role can immigration play to support Canadas

economy?
Strengthening immigrations role in support of Canadas economy is a priority for the
Government of Canada. Over the next decade and beyond, the overall labour force
participation rate in Canada is forecast to decline, as retirements are expected to accelerate
with the ageing population. At the same time, due to low natural fertility, there would be
more upcoming job vacancies than sufficient numbers of Canadian-born new workers (e.g.
school leavers) entering the labour force.
Also, the workforce of the future across Canada and in specific industries is expected to
require high skills, such as managerial/supervisory positions and jobs requiring postsecondary education such as university/college education or apprenticeship training.
However, there will continue to be labour needs at lower skill levels, including low skill work
(jobs requiring secondary school education and/or job-specific training) and unskilled work
(on-the-job training).
Under Canadas immigration programs, individuals come to Canada to fill job vacancies and
to contribute their skills. It complements other ways to increase the labour force participation
rate among the Canadian-born, such as through post-secondary training and education,
encouraging traditionally under-represented groups to enter the labour force (e.g. youth,
people with disabilities, visible minorities, Aboriginal individuals), and inter-provincial
labour mobility.
The economic focus of immigration is an opportunity to explore how best to position current
economic programs to support Canadas economic growth. Research suggests that
immigrants who are well placed to support Canadas economy and be economically
successful themselves are those with job offers in hand before arriving in Canada. Such

candidates also have key attributes such as strong language skills, recognized foreign
credentials, Canadian work experience, and who arrived in Canada at a younger age.
Economic Action Plan 2012 committed to strengthening the assessment of foreign
credentials, in order to facilitate the integration of skilled workers arriving in Canada. It will
reform the Federal Skilled Worker program by eliminating a large backlog of applications
received before 2008 and updating the selection system to reflect the importance of age,
Canadian work experience and proficiency in Canadas official languages. A new federal
skilled trades program will be created, and the Canadian Experience Class will be modified to
enable more temporary foreign workers and international students with skilled work
experience and/or education in Canada to apply for permanent residence. It will also
strengthen the Provincial Nominee Program by focusing on economic immigration streams in
order to respond quickly to regional labour market demand. It also provides flexibility to
quickly create new time-limited classes within the economic category to help attract the best
from the world to Canada. The business immigration program will be improved by targeting
more active investment in Canadian companies geared towards growth, and more innovative
entrepreneurs.
CIC is also working towards creating a pool of employment ready prospective immigrants
as announced in the Economic Action Plan 2012, to make Canadas immigration system
nimbler, more flexible and more responsive to modern labour market realities. This would
allow Canada to select the best and most in-demand applicants, rather than
the first individuals to submit their applications. CIC will be exploring approaches to
developing this pool with employers and provinces and territories.
These issues point to key questions regarding economic immigration. What role can
immigration play to support Canadas economy? How can we balance existing economic and
labour needs with future needs, as well as between different regions and industries in
Canada? How should employers and provinces and territories be engaged to facilitate
economic immigration?

Further considerations
This document has introduced some of the key considerations and challenges related to
setting immigration levels and mix. As the Levels Plan is the key strategic tool for balancing
these challenges for immigration, your views are sought on how CIC should set immigration
levels and mix.

Annex A: 2012 Immigration Levels Plan (from

the 2011 Annual Report to Parliament on
Immigration)

Projected Admissions
Federal Selected Economic Programs, Provincial/Territorial Nominees, Family, Refugees and Others
Quebec Selected Skilled Worker
Quebec Business
TOTAL

Annex B: Permanent Residents Admissions to

Canada, between 2001 to 2010
Number
Category

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Spouses and partners

39,403

34,197

39,680

44,227

45,458

45,305

44,912

Sons and daughters

3,932

3,645

3,618

3,037

3,232

3,191

3,338

Parents and grandparents

21,341

22,245

19,385

12,733

12,475

20,005

15,813

Others

2,119

2,205

2,438

2,278

2,209

2,016

2,179

Family class

66,795

62,292

65,121

62,275

63,374

70,517

66,242

Skilled workers -p.a.*

58,910

52,974

45,377

47,894

52,269

44,161

41,251

Skilled workers -s.d.**

78,321

69,756

59,847

65,557

77,969

61,782

56,601

Number
Category

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Entrepreneurs -p.a.*

1,608

1,176

781

668

750

820

580

Entrepreneurs -s.d.**

4,479

3,302

2,197

1,799

2,098

2,273

1,577

Self-employed -p.a.*

705

636

446

366

302

320

204

Self-employed -s.d.**

1,451

1,271

981

824

714

632

375

Investors - p.a.*

1,768

1,234

972

1,671

2,591

2,201

2,025

Investors - s.d.**

4,574

3,402

2,723

4,428

7,020

5,830

5,420

Provincial/territorial nominees
- p.a.*

410

680

1,417

2,086

2,643

4,672

6,329

Provincial/territorial nominees
- s.d.**

864

1,447

3,001

4,162

5,404

8,664

10,765

Live-in caregivers -p.a.*

1,874

1,521

2,230

2,496

3,063

3,547

3,433

Live-in caregivers -s.d.**

753

464

1,075

1,796

1,489

3,348

2,685

Economic immigrants

155,71
7

137,86
3

121,04
7

133,74
7

156,31
2

138,25
0

131,24
5

Canadian experience class -p.a.*

Canadian experience class
-s.d.**

Number
Category

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Government-assisted refugees

8,697

7,505

7,508

7,411

7,424

7,326

7,572

Privately sponsored refugees

3,576

3,041

3,252

3,116

2,976

3,338

3,588

Refugees landed in Canada

11,897

10,546

11,264

15,901

19,935

15,884

11,696

Refugee dependants

3,749

4,021

3,959

6,259

5,441

5,952

5,098

Refugees

27,919

25,113

25,983

32,687

35,776

32,500

27,954

Retirees, DROCand PDRCC***

206

--

79

53

20

23

15

Temporary resident permit

holders

--

97

148

123

136

107

H and C**** cases

618

2,376

2,984

3,110

4,312

4,346

Other H and Ccases outside the

family class / Public Policy

3,027

6,645

3,930

3,524

5,902

6,844

Other immigrants

206

3,780

9,197

7,115

6,777

10,373

11,312

Category not stated

Total

250,63
8

229,04
8

221,34
9

235,82
4

262,24
1

251,64
2

236,75
4

*principal applicants
**spouses and dependants
*** Deferred removal orders class and post-determination refugee claimants in Canada
****Humanitarian and Compassionate

Annex C: Permanent residents as a percentage

of Canadas population
Year

1860

1861

1862

1863

1864

1865

1866

1867

Number

6,276

13,589

18,294

21,000

24,779

18,958

11,427

10,666

% of Population

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.6

0.7

0.6

0.3

0.3

Year

1870

1871

1872

1873

1874

1875

1876

1877

Number

24,706

27,773

36,578

50,050

39,373

27,382

25,633

27,082

% of Population

0.7

0.8

1.0

1.3

1.0

0.7

0.6

0.7

Year

1880

1881

1882

1883

1884

1885

1886

1887

Number

38,505

47,991

112,458

133,624

103,824

76,169

69,152

84,526

% of Population

0.9

1.1

2.6

3.0

2.3

1.7

1.5

1.8

Year

1890

1891

1892

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

Number

75,067

82,165

30,996

29,633

20,829

18,790

16,835

21,716

% of Population

1.6

1.7

0.6

0.6

0.4

0.4

0.3

0.4

Year

1900

1901

1902

1903

1904

1905

1906

1907

Number

41,681

55,747

89,102

138,660

131,252

141,465

211,653

272,409

% of Population

0.8

1.0

1.6

2.5

2.3

2.4

3.5

4.2

Year

1910

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915

1916

1917

Number

286,839

331,288

375,756

400,870

150,484

33,665

55,914

72,910

% of Population

4.1

4.6

5.1

5.3

1.9

0.4

0.7

0.9

Year

1920

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

Number

138,824

91,728

64,224

133,729

124,164

84,907

135,982

158,886

% of Population

1.6

1.0

0.7

1.5

1.4

0.9

1.4

1.6

Year

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

Number

104,806

27,530

20,591

14,382

12,476

11,277

11,643

15,101

% of Population

1.0

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

Year

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

Number

11,324

9,329

7,576

8,504

12,801

22,722

71,719

64,127

% of Population

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.2

0.6

0.5

Year

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

Number

73,912

194,391

164,498

168,868

154,227

109,946

164,857

282,164

% of Population

0.5

1.4

1.1

1.1

1.0

0.7

1.0

1.7

Year

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

Number

104,111

71,698

74,856

93,151

112,606

146,758

194,743

222,876

Year

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

% of Population

0.6

0.4

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

1.0

1.1

Year

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

Number

147,713

121,900

122,006

184,200

218,465

187,881

149,429

114,914

% of Population

0.7

0.6

0.6

0.8

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.5

Year

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

Number

143,140

128,642

121,179

89,192

88,276

84,345

99,354

152,078

% of Population

0.6

0.5

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.3

0.4

0.6

Year

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Number

216,452

232,808

254,792

256,641

224,387

212,865

226,071

216,035

% of Population

0.8

0.8

0.9

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.8

0.7

Year

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Number

227,455

250,638

229,048

221,349

235,824

262,241

251,642

236,754

% of Population

0.7

0.8

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.8

0.8

0.7

Year

2010

Number

280,681

Year

2010

% of Population

0.8

Annex D: Break down and description of current

immigration programs
The immigration programs mix breakdown in the 2012 Levels Plan is the following:

About 62% of the immigrants who come to Canada are in the economic class.

About 26% come in the family class.

The remaining approximately 13% are primarily refugees but includes others admitted
for humanitarian and compassionate reasons.

It is worth noting that the economic category includes the principal applicants (the individual
on the application whose skills and qualifications will be assessed) and their spouse/partner
and dependants. Principal applicants make up around 40% of the economic category, while
spouses/partners and dependants are around 60%.

Economic
Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program
The Federal Skilled Worker Program is designed to supply skilled individuals to Canadas
labour market over the medium to long term, as well as those with job offers to begin work
once they arrive in Canada. Selection is based on a points system, where education, age,
experience, job offer in Canada, and adaptability are assessed. These traits help ensure that
newcomers under this program have high level skills (e.g. managerial skills and/or university
or college education), flexibility and adaptability to find success in Canadas labour market.
The FSW Program is undergoing many changes. A new eligibility stream was launched in
November 2011 to attract and retain those who are pursuing their doctoral degree in Canada
or have recently graduated from a Canadian doctoral program. A new federal skilled trades
program is expected to be introduced through legislative changes in early 2013.

Since November 2008, CIC has worked to better align the processing of FSW applications
with Canadas labour market needs and to address the backlog of applications in the program.
The intake of new FSW applications have been managed by Ministerial Instructions since
2008, and at the end of June 2012, a pause on new intake was announced to allow CIC to
continue to make important changes to the program before accepting more applications.
Significant action on the FSW backlog was announced in Canadas Economic Action Plan
2012, where most applications in the FSWbacklog received before February 27, 2008 will be
terminated and fees returned. This will significantly support a faster and more flexible
program in the coming years.

Quebec Skilled Workers and Business Immigrants selected by

Quebec
Under the authority of the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec sets its own levels and selects its
own skilled workers and business immigrants. Selection criteria for the former generally
align with the attributes assessed under the Federal Skilled Worker Program; criteria for the
latter, particularly investors, are harmonized with the federal program. The Government of
Canada retains authority for overall levels-setting as well as for admissibility to Canada.

Provincial and Territorial Nominee Program (PNP)

The Provincial Nominee Program was created to respond to regional/provincial requirements
for workers. It is designed to be responsive to the immediate and specific needs of the
provinces and territories, reflecting the diverse industrial structure across jurisdictions.
Currently, there are PN agreements in place for all jurisdictions (except Nunavut, and
Quebec, which manages its own immigration as per the Canada-Quebec Accord), offering
more than 50 separate streams for admission. There are various PN streams, including
streams that require job offers from Canadian employers, facilitate permanent residency by
temporary foreign workers at all skill levels or international students, and to attract investors.

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

The Canadian Experience Class was created in 2008 to allow those with Canadian experience
to transition to permanent resident status. Research has demonstrated that those with
Canadian education and/or work experience have far better outcomes in the labour market.
The CEC is open to certain skilled temporary foreign workers and international foreign
students who have Canadian work experience and who meet a minimum language
requirement. The Economic Action Plan 2012 commits to improving this program with
further incentives to retain those with Canadian work or education experience.

Business Immigrants
The business program for investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals is
intended to contribute to innovation, bring investment to Canada, and bring individuals with a
proven track record in business that will take risks and create new businesses. The intake of
new applications by this program has been managed by Ministerial Instructions since 2008,
including the pause announced at the end of June 2012 on any new intake for the Immigrant

Investor Program. The business program is being redesigned to target more active investment
and more innovative entrepreneurs.

Live-in Caregivers
The Live-In Caregiver Program is open to temporary residents, who first come to Canada to
contribute their skills and experience in caregiving. Those who meet certain work criteria as a
live-in caregiver within four years of arriving in Canada may apply for permanent residence,
for themselves, their spouse/partner and eligible dependants. The permanent program was
created in 1993 and application volumes are linked with the number of live-in caregivers who
come initially as temporary workers. As volumes in the temporary stream continue to rise,
there will be increasing volumes of applications for permanent residency. At the end of
2011, CIC issued open work permits to those who have applied for permanent residency but
are waiting for processing.

Family
Spouses, Partners and Children
Canadian citizens or permanent residents over the age of 18 may sponsor their immediate
family members to be permanent residents in Canada, subject to sponsorship agreements of
three (for spouses/partners and dependent children) to ten years (for parents and
grandparents).

Parents and Grandparents

Canada is one of a few countries that have a family reunification program for parents and
grandparents. In November 2011, CIC launched the Action Plan for Faster Family
Reunification to address the growing backlog of application in the Parents and Grandparents
Program. The Action Plan includes increasing the levels of annual admissions for this
program to help draw down the backlog; launching the Super Visa to facilitate extended visits
by non-Canadian parents and grandparents to Canada; consulting Canadians on how to
redesign the stream; and a temporary pause on the acceptance of new applications
while CIC processes sponsorship applications already in the backlog.

Refugee and Humanitarian Class (refugees, asylum

claimants, and those admitted on humanitarian and
compassionate grounds)
The remaining approximately 13% of immigrants to Canada arrive under the refugee and
humanitarian class.
Canada has two major refugee categories: resettled refugees, (including those sponsored from
abroad by the Government as recommended by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees, and those sponsored by private organizations); and those who make a refugee

claim from within Canada. There are also categories to address exceptional humanitarian
situations.
Canada has a long-standing humanitarian tradition of resettling refugees in Canada for whom
no other durable or lasting solution is available (i.e., they cant return home and they cant
stay where they are). In addition, Canada is legally obligated to consider refugee claims made
from within Canada.
The Government is making changes to both major refugee categories. First, the Government
is increasing the number of refugees resettled each year. By 2013, Canada will resettle up to
14,500 refugees annually.
Secondly, changes to the in-Canada refugee system are coming since both the Balanced
Refugee Reform Act and theProtecting Canadas Immigration System Act received Royal
Assent. Once these changes come into effect, refugee claims made in Canada will be decided
more quickly which means that those who are truly in need will get our protection faster.
Likewise, those who do not need our protection will be removed from Canada faster.