Last week, Canada’s immigration department implemented significant changes which have been influenced by a recent study it commissioned. 

The purpose of implementing these changes is to improve IRCC’s operations. 

Earlier this year, IRCC obtained a report from one of its Deputy Ministers, i.e., Neil Yeates, on how IRCC can become more efficient & effective. IRCC commissioned Yeate’s report to evaluate if Canada’s immigration department’s present structure enables it to accomplish its mandate or not. 

The Deputy Minister is the senior-most civil servant in the department. Serving in a non-political role, they often oversee the department’s management, like implementing policies & strategies and managing people as well as budgets. 

IRCC’s present Deputy Minister, Christiane Fox, corresponds with the department’s minister, Marc Miller. Marc Miller’s role is to implement the elected mandate of the government. 

Yeates: IRCC’s Organizational Model Is Broken 

Yeates asserts in a report that the present organizational model of Canada’s immigration department is broken. However, it is being held together by the hard work & dedication of the staff members. 

He further suggests that specific steps must be taken to realign the organizational structure, reform the governance system, facilitate the development of culture to support IRCC’s goals and objectives, & implement stronger management systems.

In addition, Yeates explains that there are several reasons why IRCC’s present model is broken. There are two significant reasons, i.e., a challenging operating environment in Canada and worldwide. Secondly, IRCC has grown exponentially since its present organizational structure was introduced over 20 years ago. In order to highlight this point, Yeates notes that IRCC’s total workforce has grown from 5,352 employees to 12,949 employees. 

Fox: Canada’s Immigration Department ‘Felt Like Crisis’ 

In an interview, Fox stated that the report given by Yeates will influence significant changes the department plans to pursue. Upon assuming her role at IRCC in July 2022, Fox further explained that her colleagues were under duress & exhausted. She concluded that the departmental changes were important & while she didn’t want to create them immediately, she also didn’t want to wait for two years.   

However, in June 2023, Fox had a plan of action after receiving the Yeates report & consulting with public stakeholders, including IRCC candidates. Since then, she has been steadily rolling out the changes. 

IRCC ReorganizesTo Business-Line Model     

Among the changes during last week, the department was reorganized across these sectors: 

  • Citizenship & Passport
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Asylum & Refugee Resettlement
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Client Service, Chief Digital Officer, & Innovation 
  • Corporate Services
  • Communications
  • Migration Integrity
  • Service Delivery 
  • Economic, Social, & Family Migration 
  • Settlement Integration & Francophone Affairs
  • Strategic Policy 
  • International Affairs & Crisis Response 

Fox explains that, as suggested by Yeates, Canada’s immigration department is now being organized across the lines of business. What it implies is that IRCC employees will be divided across numerous clients as well as divided in a way to be able to respond to changes across the globe. 

For instance, IRCC has a new International Affairs & Crisis Response Sector, which is meant to help IRCC plan for humanitarian crises & shape a plan of action. In addition, IRCC routinely deals with these, i.e., Ukraine last year & recent Syrian & Afghanistan refugee resettlement initiatives. 

Moreover, Fox also stresses the significance of IRCC taking more of a client focus moving forward, whereby the department incorporates the applicant’s experiences more strongly into the decisions it makes.      

IRCC’s Operating Environment 

Yeates elaborates on numerous forces impacting IRCC. Well, the significant ones are: 

  • Hybrid Work Environment & Pandemic 

The nature of work appears to be changing permanently because of the pandemic & as such, more workers, like IRCC employees, are working remotely with a direction to return to the office 2-3 days per week. In addition, Yeates explains that while working from home has been quite effective, it still remains to be seen what impact it will have on IRCC’s organizational culture. 

  • Demand For IRCC Services 

Demand for IRCC’s programs often exceeds the department’s processing capacity as measured by its standards of service. Although IRCC has tools as well as resources at its disposal to manage its inventory, like caps for specific programs, its inventories can proliferate whenever demand for its programs exceeds its processing capacity. 

  • IRCC’s Growth 

As demand for IRCC’s programs has significantly increased, so has its workforce. Yeates characterized its workforce as ‘medium-sized’ in 2013 with over 5,217 non-executive staff, which will double by 2023 to 12,721 staff. Moreover, executives in the department have grown from 135 employees in 2023 to 227 presently. But, despite the growth of the program & staff, the organizational structure at IRCC, which was designed for minor departments, has largely remained the same. 

  • Immigration Policy Review 

The dominant immigration narrative in Canada has not really been challenged & the actual impact of immigration hasn’t been well documented. Thus, an immigration policy review at IRCC might be beneficial in helping IRCC shape the department’s future direction. 

  • Digital Transformation 

IRCC has obtained significant funding for its Digital Platform Modernization. Well, such transformations are always challenging, specifically at a place like IRCC, which has major responsibilities. However, there is little doubt that IRCC must become a digital department. 

  • Global Uncertainty 

Global armed conflicts are on the rise, democracy is under threat, & numerous factors, like climate change are impacting global demand to migrate. As a result, this will continue to impact IRCC significantly.    

IRCC’s Department Culture Is ‘Committed’ 

Looking closely at the purpose of the report, Yeates observes that IRCC presently has limited department-wide planning, lacks a multi-year strategic plan, & planning across the department is inconsistent. All these factors pose numerous challenges, like the inability to achieve the department’s goals, lack of accountability among staff members, etc. 

IRCC staff described the departmental culture as ‘collaborative, committed, & supportive’, which has helped to overcome the department’s organizational structure, shortcomings of the management system, & governance. 

In addition, Yeates pointed to a tension within the department between the ‘IRPA School’ & ‘Client Service Schools’. He observes that IRPA was introduced in 2010, with a framework to exclude candidates, with numerous reasons listed as to why candidates might be denied. 

Moreover, immigration officers are trained to enforce IRPA, but little attention has been paid to the potential of these officers, which impacts decision-making. 

On the contrary, some candidates fall under the ‘client Service School’ & are willing to waive requirements & more open to compromise to improve the service which IRCC clients receive. 

Yeates’ Recommendations: Highlights 

Yeates makes certain recommendations across four areas, i.e., governance, organizational structure, culture, & management systems. 

Here are the highlights of his recommendations: 

Organizational Structure Suggestions 

  • IRCC must transition to a business-line organization 
  • IRCC should develop protocols for emergency & crisis management which recognize Assistant Deputy Minister leads in numerous scenarios. 

Governance Suggestions

  • The executive community must assume responsibility for finance & corporate services, thus absorbing the functions of the Corporate Finance Committee. 
  • A new Operations Committee must be established, chaired by the Deputy Minister’s office, which will absorb the functions of the Issues Management Committee. 
  • A review should be conducted on the split of responsibilities between CBSA & IRCC under IRPA to rationalize & streamline roles as well as accountability. 
  • The membership of these committees must be reconsidered as a part of the reorganization procedure. 

Management System Suggestions 

  • The Deputy Minister should lead a new planning & reporting regime. 
  • The department must develop a 3-5 year strategic plan. 
  • It must undertake an annual planning cycle across all department areas, like HR, IT, Financial, & Program Plans. 
  • Implementation of a quarterly reporting regime must be done. 
  • IRCC must ensure linkages with the department’s performance management work.

Culture Suggestions 

  • Undertake an IRPA review to determine that amendments are made to support the outcomes better.
  • Review the training offered to staff involved in the IRPA administration to ensure it reflects the desired philosophy & approach of the department. 
  • Integrate the voices of IRCC’s diverse communities into the governance regime.