Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced significant job cuts, aiming to reduce its workforce by 25% over the next three years. The move, attributed to a need to return spending to pre-pandemic levels, has raised concerns about longer processing times for immigration applications and potential disruptions to various sectors.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ( IRCC ) has announced plans to cut about 3,300 jobs, or approximately a quarter of its workforce, over the next three years. The federal department informed employees via email on Monday about its 'budget situation' and the consequent impact on staffing, a development later confirmed by IRCC with CBC.
The email stated that the specific individuals affected by these cuts remain unclear, but they will extend to every sector and branch within the department. Those affected will be notified starting in mid-February. 'We estimate that about 80 percent of these reductions can be achieved by eliminating planned staffing, terms, and other temporary staffing commitments. The remaining 20 percent of reductions will need to be achieved through the WFA (workforce adjustment) process and will affect indeterminate employees,' the email read. Some term contracts could be terminated early, it added, and those affected would be given at least 30 days' notice.In a statement to CBC, IRCC explained that the department has experienced rapid expansion in recent years to address global crises like the pandemic, and this growth relied on temporary funding. The planned cuts represent a 25 percent reduction from those March 2024 levels, returning the department to approximately its size in 2021. According to the Treasury Board, 13,092 public servants worked for IRCC in 2024, up from 7,864 in 2019. It will result in a short-term pause in Canada's population growth, IRCC stated, with the goal to focus on long-term growth. 'Staffing within IRCC is being adjusted to align with reduced levels and permanent funding,' the statement read. IRCC added that it and other departments have been directed to return spending to pre-pandemic levels. Cuts to public service spending At the department level, IRCC stated in the email that its spending reductions for 2025-2026 start at $237 million and increase to a total reduction of $336 million by 2027-2028, including salary and non-salary spending. 'We've been working under an ever-increasing budget and need to learn to live within a defined – and reduced – budget moving forward,' the email read.'The news is absolutely shocking,' said Rubina Boucher, national president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), in an interview with CBC. IRCC employees process documents such as citizenships, permanent resident applications, and passports. 'Families longing to reunite, businesses grappling with critical labour shortages and a healthcare system desperate for skilled workers will all suffer the consequences of this reckless decision,' Boucher said in a joint statement with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). The Public Service Alliance of Canada released a joint statement with the Canada Employment and Immigration Union about the significant cuts. Tamara Mosher-Kuczer, founder and senior lawyer at Lighthouse Immigration Law, expressed horror upon learning about the impending cuts. 'We're going to see increasing processing times. They're already really bad … they're already ridiculous and they're going to get worse,' she stated.
IMMIGRATION CANADA JOBS IRCC CUTS PUBLIC SERVICE PROCESSING TIMES BACKLOGS
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