Question Period Note: CLIENT EXPERIENCE in Action at IRCC

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is committed to providing a best-in-class client experience.

• IRCC is committed to delivering quality client service across its global network by making our programs and services more efficient, clear and easy to use.
• Our Government understands that continuous improvement of client service is important for a world-class immigration system as we continue to welcome historic numbers of newcomers.
• IRCC continues to modernize by adapting, modifying, and reinventing how services are delivered to clients, including confirming permanent residence status online, and introducing online citizenship testing and virtual citizenship ceremonies.
• Over the next five years, IRCC is undergoing business transformation to modernize the Department’s suite of programs and services to better meet the changing needs and expectations of clients.
• In the meantime, IRCC has increased staffing efforts in 2022 and 2023, while continuing to focus on leveraging technology, streamlining processes, and enhancing policies to achieve greater efficiencies and service.
If pressed:
• Under the Digital Platform Modernization, IRCC is working to introduce a new Client Experience Platform. Once implemented, it will provide the tools and capabilities via a single digital ‘front-door’ to offer a more seamless client experience, enabling personalized services to clients and replacing outdated and/or standalone client-facing portals and tools.
• IRCC’s Client Support Centre (CSC) continues to support clients by email and telephone. Budget funding has been used to improve capacity at the CSC to respond to a growing volume of client enquiries, as well as stabilize the technology and tools used by its front-line agents.
• To help clients and their representatives easily track the status of their application information online, IRCC has implemented application status trackers for multiple permanent and temporary residence programs. Clients in citizenship, family class, and Express Entry, as well as Temporary Resident Visa, study permit and work permit lines of business now have access. By October 2023, MPs will have access to the Application Status Tracker for immigration applications.

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) operates a vast service delivery network, engaging with millions of clients across Canada and around the globe every year.
• Providing excellent client service ensures that Canada continues to remain globally competitive in attracting visitors, students, skilled workers and new Canadians, who directly contribute to our overall economic, cultural and social prosperity.
• IRCC’s Client Support Centre (CSC) is open Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 7 pm ET, ensuring coverage from 8 am to 4 pm from coast to coast to provide direct and personalized response to client enquiries through email and telephone, including in response to humanitarian crises.
• As more people come to Canada, client enquiries continue to rise. IRCC is looking to the future to transform the way we work and find better ways to serve our clients more quickly, to communicate with them clearly and often, and to make sure our processes are efficient and easy to use for both applicants and our employees.
• If pressed on what the Department has done to improve client experience, IRCC has continued to accelerate its modernization efforts and deliver timely client service improvements. For example, IRCC implemented the following:

o As of October 28, 2022, the majority of PR lines of business transitioned to 100% digital intake, streamlining the intake process for the majority of PR LoBs;
o In October 2022, IRCC implemented a temporary public policy exempting certain in-Canada applicants from the immigration medical exam requirement. The temporary public policy is in effect for 24 months. As of August 23, 2023 the temporary public policy has been applied to over 167,500 clients.
o In August 2022, IRCC launched a new public-facing webpage with information on service standard adherence which provides an overview of the number of applications processed within IRCC service standards, as well as a backlog of applications that have been in inventories longer than service standards;
o In October 2022, services at the Ministerial Centre for Members of Parliament and Senators (MCMPS) were modernized to ensure reliable and consistent access to contact IRCC. MP and Senator offices now have access to an online appointment-based system to speak to an MCMPS agent or officer. This ensures that Members of Parliament and Senator offices can better support constituents with their immigration-related questions;
o Since implementation in April 2021, IRCC has continued use of push notifications to proactively communicate with batches of clients with updates on services they have applied for.
o In June 2023, IRCC expanded the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA-X) program to 13 new countries, making it faster, easier, and more affordable for thousands of travellers to visit Canada. eTA X applications are processed in minutes or even seconds, reducing pressures on TRV processing.
If pressed on the Department’s plans to address processing issues and better communicate processing times:
o In September 2022, IRCC launched an in-house digitization centre to reduce in-Canada paper intake and inventory (inclusive of Permanent Residence and Citizenship lines of business).

o IRCC has been taking action to reduce the backlogs of applications within its inventories including; hiring more employees to increase processing capacity across business lines; reviewing and improving its processes to eliminate steps, and using technologies to support its employees and speed up processing. IRCCs goal is to process 80% of applications within service standards which allows for expected delays in some very complex cases or when more information is required from clients before finalizing their files. As of July 31, 2023, almost 65% of applications in all IRCC inventories have been processed within service standards. Many lines of business are now back in services standards and even offering faster processing times such us Students and Canadian Experience Class.

o IRCC continues to produce a high volume of final decisions across all business lines. Between January and July 2023, IRCC made nearly 4.3 million final decisions for permanent residents, temporary residents (excluding Electronic Travel Authorizations) and citizenship. Comparably, the Department made 5.2 final decisions across all of 2022.
o The pace of output across PR lines of business remains strong at more than 338K from January – July 2023. The Department is well positioned to achieve the levels plan of 465,000 admissions.

o Processing production is also high year to date across TR lines of business with more than 3.7M total visas/permits issued from January – July 2023 compared to a total of over 2M for the same period in 2022.

o The Department is focused on increasing processing efficiencies and developing IT innovations in the medium term, rather than relying on more staff.
o For example, IRCC is using advanced analytics to identify applications for streamlined processing by an officer and automate certain clerical functions; this has resulted in processing efficiencies.
o By implementing technology-based solutions and streamlining processes, improving policy, re-examining our risk tolerance and collaborating with provincial/territorial and other partners, we have reduced application backlogs and increased the number of applications processed within service standards.
If pressed on the Department’s future plans to improve client experience, IRCC plans to:
o Modernize client support tools to address the key drivers for clients seeking personalized support, specifically:
 continued implementation of online applications for additional services;
 renewal of online interactive tools that empower clients and help them self-serve to easily find the information they need when they need it, such as the Come to Canada tool;
 modernize the online account for IRCC clients that allows them to self-serve 24/7, with a focus on making sure they can obtain meaningful application status information; and,
 continue to consult clients via surveys and usability testing to ensure that their feedback drives service improvements and transformation.
 modernize the Department’s suite of programs and services, including the way they are managed and delivered, to better meet the changing needs and expectations of clients through Digital Platform Modernization.
 Through the Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) program, IRCC is redesigning its business to provide a modern client experience and more efficient immigration system, underpinned by new technologies and data capabilities. As part of this work, IRCC is introducing a new Client Experience Platform starting in late 2023. Once fully implemented, it will provide IRCC’s clients with a single digital ‘front-door,’ which will offer a more seamless client experience to enable personalized services and improve how the Department communicates with its clients by replacing outdated and/or standalone client-facing portals and tools.

None