Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is planning to cut 3,300 positions over the next three years, citing budgetary pressures and a need to reduce spending. The cuts, which will affect both full-time and part-time employees, are expected to worsen an already dire situation in relation to immigration processing wait times and backlog levels. The union representing IRCC workers has criticized the decision, warning that it will negatively impact families, businesses, and the healthcare system.
Rubina Boucher, national president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, which represents IRCC workers, said that the cuts would only worsen a dire situation in relation to immigration processing wait times and backlog levels. A young new Canadian holds a flag as she takes part in a citizenship ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 17, 2019.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government significantly ramped up hiring at Service Canada, IRCC and the Canada Revenue Agency, as it doled out numerous programs to mitigate the impact of nationwide job losses. IRCC had 13,685 employees as of September, 2023 – a 48-per-cent increase from March, 2020.
IRCC will have to find savings to the tune of $237-million for the fiscal year of 2025-2026, and $336-million in 2027-2028 in order to meet spending reductions targets set out by the Treasury Board, according to the memo. Over the past five years, Ottawa has flip-flopped on immigration policy. Starting in 2020, in response to the pandemic, the government introduced a slew of measures and programs designed to fast-track temporary residents to permanent residency, and to bring in more international students and temporary foreign workers to fill a labour shortage during the pandemic years. The number of applicants for PR rose substantially, prompting IRCC to boost hiring.
IMMIGRATION BUDGET CUTS CANADA WORKFORCE REDUCTION BACKLOG
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