The IRCC will scale back its workforce by 3,300 jobs over the following three years, with 80% of the cuts impacting short-term staff, the division introduced on January 20.
The sweeping cuts “will impression to varied levels each sector and each department throughout IRCC, each domestically and internationally, in HQ and within the areas, and in any respect ranges, together with as much as the chief ranges,” mentioned IRCC, although the precise distribution is but to be introduced.
Stakeholders have expressed deep concern for the employees affected by the cuts, and for the impression they’ll have on visa processing and the IRCC’s capability to offer the steerage that’s badly wanted after a yr of coverage adjustments from the division.
“These cuts will solely add strain to an already strained system, resulting in longer wait occasions for all sorts of immigration purposes as we have now already seen over the previous few months,” Philipp Reichert, director of worldwide engagement on the College of British Columbia advised The PIE.
“We’re already witnessing elevated wait occasions that would deter potential candidates and place additional pressure on institutional sources,” he mentioned.
December 2024 noticed critically excessive processing delays, with these making use of for a research allow exterior of Canada ready as much as 11 weeks, and people making use of from inside Canada ready for roughly 8 weeks.
With the variety of research allow purposes set to extend as a result of new switch necessities launched in November, the division can be underneath elevated strain because the cuts take maintain.
“CBIE is tremendously involved in regards to the pending job cuts at IRCC and what implications this might need on what are already comparatively gradual visa processing timelines relative to our key competitor international locations,” CBIE president Larisa Bezo advised The PIE.
“At a time when the worldwide schooling sector remains to be within the midst of grappling with monumental coverage adjustments, we’re involved that these cuts will scale back IRCC’s capability to offer the coverage steerage that’s so badly wanted by the sector,” added Bezo.
In response to the announcement, the IRCC’s workforce expanded in recent times to handle challenges trigger by the pandemic, to modernise the system and assist report immigration that boosted financial restoration and addressed labour shortages.
“This development relied on short-term funding, which was by no means meant to be everlasting,” mentioned the division.
We’re already witnessing elevated wait occasions that would deter potential candidates and place additional pressure on institutional sources
Philipp Reichert, College of British Columbia
The IRCC mentioned that the cuts represented a readjustment to align staffing with lowered immigration targets, as set out within the new Immigration Ranges Plan, and decrease everlasting funding, however commentators say they’re the “reverse” of what’s wanted in a backlogged system.
“Sadly, these measures fall quick of what’s wanted to stability coverage targets with sensible realities,” mentioned Reichert.
“Ongoing coverage shifts threat undermining confidence within the system, creating unintended boundaries for these seeking to contribute to Canada’s economic system, analysis panorama, and cultural variety,” he added.
The top of final yr noticed roughly 600 short-term staff lose their jobs on the Canada Income Company (CRA) as a part of the federal authorities’s spending overview, which is anticipated to result in additional job losses throughout authorities departments.
“The newly introduced cuts at IRCC are probably the most vital thus far, however extra are anticipated as federal departments are being requested to search out financial savings throughout the board,” mentioned PSAC and the Canada Employment and Immigration Union.
Elsewhere, union leaders have criticised the timing of the cuts coinciding with the brand new Trump administration, urging the federal government to place workforce reductions on maintain till a clearer nationwide route is about over the unsure way forward for US–Canada relations.
In response to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, there have been 13,092 staff at IRCC in 2024, up from 10,248 in 2022 and seven,800 in 2019.
