The ninth meeting of the Intergovernmental Task Force on Irregular Migration has recently taken place to discuss Canada Immigration and new ways to collaborate and tackle Canada immigration developments. Marc Garneau, the Chair of the Task Force, told the meeting's members that continued collaboration at national and provincial level was vitally important to deal with the recent migrant influx. Moreover, that this must be tackled using professionalism and sensitivity and according to the country's legal processes. Task Force members have agreed to continue with steps to co-ordinate their response to irregular migration to ensure their actions remain effective.
Focusing on meeting the migration needs of Quebec
Between January and March 2018, Canada received 12,145 asylum claims, of which 42% were made by irregular migrants. Task force members will continue to collaborate to work together on matters like assessing Quebec’s request for extra financial support. Quebec receives 96% of all the country's irregular migrants, the majority in Lacolle. The task force is committed to carry on working with Quebec, Ontario and other provinces. In this way, new workable and effective solutions can be found to manage irregular migration in the best possible ways. The IRCC has a mobile processing unit in Lacolle which processed high numbers of migrants from November 2017 to February 2018. This unit will stay in place now due to higher numbers of claimants. Quebec has issued 12,500 work permits to migrants over the last 12 months. Most noteworthy, however, are the 1,474 additional work permit applications that have been endorsed for asylum seekers entering Canada in areas outside of Quebec.
Important investment in Canada immigration
Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, praised the joint success of both national and local governments in managing irregular migration, responding to challenges as and when these arose. The Minister stressed the importance of the $173 million national investment over the last few years to respond to new asylum claims, security screening and detaining and removing certain unwanted individuals. The Immigration and Refugee Board benefitted from $74 million of this funding to help speed up claims processing. This meant they were 40% more productive over the last 12 months, thanks to new strategies aimed at improving efficiency. The funds will also promote the Board's effective decision-making, taking some of the strain off provincial partners.
Canadian ministers on international visits
Minister Hussen and Nigeria's High Commissioner have met to discuss the movement of Nigerians across the U.S. when seeking asylum in Canada. Minister Garneau has also made a trip to Washington to talk to officials from the Department of Homeland Security, discussing irregular migration. Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, is also entering talks with DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen prior to the forthcoming G7 Security Ministerial meeting. They will talk about security at borders, irregular migration and public safety.
Minister Hussen announced that the IRCC continues to work with Global Affairs Canada on U.S. outreach programs, meeting with community leaders and other organizations. Global Affairs Canada continues to work on proactive communication to promote an immigration system based on having the right rules in place and correcting any false information circulating in the public domain.
Continued collaboration with the U.S.
Officials have also been exploring a potential triage system on the Canada and U.S. border or close by. This will involve information gathering on asylum seekers and will include details on where migrants are heading within Canada to help relieve pressure on other major immigration centers. A further benefit is the potential relief of shortages in the labor market that some areas are suffering from.
Members are also united in ramping up their efforts to work in partnership with the U.S. on immigration issues. Minister Garneau stressed the importance of all members keeping communication channels open and working together to tackle challenges. Members also affirmed that migrants with successful applications who were genuinely fleeing persecution or violence will help the country to develop, themselves becoming permanent citizens.
Effective task force meetings help Canada to manage migration
Summing up the outcomes of the latest meeting, ministers said that their exchanges have demonstrated the importance of an open and continued dialogue with partners. Moving forward, it’s essential to work together and build on the successes of the last 12 months. These successes relate not only to more effective ways of managing irregular migration but also to processing Canada visa and Canada eTA applications. Both the Canada visa and Canada eTA systems have benefitted from swifter processing times and increased streamlining.
The purpose of the task force meetings is to ensure that Canada stays committed to protecting its citizens and keeping its borders secure. A major focus is applying the country's law while also meeting international duties and expectations.
