MARC Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, reacting to the  Office of the Auditor General’s report on processing applications for permanent residence, said on Thursday: “Our goal is to process 80% of all applications within service standards, and we are making consistent progress towards that objective.”

He noted: “In August 2022, IRCC also began publishing monthly data to inform the public about ongoing efforts to reduce application backlogs.”

The audit was conducted in 2022 and examined how IRCC processes applications as well as methods for addressing backlogs, which highlight critical aspects of Canada’s immigration policies and procedures.

Miller said: “This year, Canada has already welcomed 339,000 permanent residents as of August 31, up from 310,000 during the same period in 2022. Since the audit was conducted, IRCC has continued reducing its backlogs by digitizing applications, hiring and training new staff, and harnessing automation technologies to increase processing capacity and efficiency.”

He added: “Many lines of business are now back or close to being back to service standards. As of September 2023, the department has processed over 80% of federal high-skilled applications within service standards that were received since July 2022. As well, more than 80% of spouses, partners and children (except for Quebec) applications received since April 2022 have been processed within service standards. We are also committed to monitoring and evaluating our use of technology to help process applications.”

Miller said: “IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) is on track to open up the online Permanent Residence Portal to private refugee sponsor groups and some of our government-assisted refugee referral partners later this fall. The portal will be a secure and convenient way for these groups to submit their applications and referrals. These actions directly respond to some of the areas of concern in the report.”