Question Period Note: Digital Modernization

Modernizing Canada’s migration, citizenship and passport systems.

• A fast, agile and reliable immigration system is critical to Canada’s success and ability to meet the changing needs and expectations of clients.
• IRCC has been undergoing a business transformation to modernize its programs and services.
• Through the Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) programme, IRCC is redesigning its business to enhance the client experience, program integrity and efficiency, all enabled by new technologies and data capabilities.
• Moving forward, we know public confidence in a digitally-enabled immigration system depends on safeguards to maintain the health, safety, and security of Canadians.

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is undertaking a multi-year, multi-phase business modernization and IT renewal initiative known as Digital Platform Modernization (DPM).

• DPM will deliver a new operating model with redesigned and optimized business processes and a new supporting digital platform, with modern capabilities, that will gradually replace IRCC’s aging IT platform (i.e. the Global Case Management System, or GCMS) and other legacy systems.

• Budget 2021 committed $827.3 over multiple years to support the modernization of Canada’s immigration system and the development of an enterprise-wide digital platform.

• DPM is designed to achieve a business vision for a modern, digital and data-driven managed migration system. This system will be nimble, flexible and responsive enough to support growing volumes, actively helping us reduce application processing times; improve tools for our officers; meet the Government’s immigration and diversity priorities; and critically respond to the changing needs and expectations of clients as Canada seeks to out-compete other countries for the best and brightest.

• A key activity during the “Definition” stage of DPM (Feb 2022 – October 2023) was engagement with prospective vendors. Following extensive engagement with industry and the Government of Canada, the decision was made to procure two key pieces of technology: a new online front-end account for clients and a back-end Case Management Platform (CMP).

• A formal Request for Proposal (RFP) for the front-end new online account for clients was posted in January 2023, resulting in two contracts being awarded in July 2023 to Accenture Inc. and Salesforce for the delivery, configuration and implementation.

• The new online account, which will continue to be usability tested with clients to seek their input and feedback, is being gradually deployed to all clients over the next few years. Releasing features in this way provides IRCC with the opportunity to collect feedback and identify any issues before onboarding more clients and other programs.

• In March 2024, a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) for the back-end Case Management Platform was posted and closed in May of 2024. In September 2024, after a rigorous and competitive procurement process that spanned nearly three years, two contracts were awarded to Accenture Inc and Microsoft Corporation for its delivery and implementation.

• In June 2024, IRCC launched a new online account as part of the first project being delivered through the DPM programme. The new online account will eventually provide all IRCC clients seamless access to apply for all IRCC’s programs and services and will enable clients to manage their profile, receive notifications, and see the status of their applications from a single account.

• The new online account was first made available to a subset of Temporary Resident Visitors in June 2024.
In December 2024, online passport renewal was launched through this new online account, initially to a small number of eligible Canadians. The number of passport renewal clients who can access this new digital channel is increasing over time, as we monitor things are working as they should. Additional passport client groups will be onboarded over the course of Winter/Spring 2026.

• Over the next several years, the new Case Management Platform will gradually replace IRCC’s current Global Case Management System (GCMS), and once fully implemented, will serve as the primary employee-based system to process applications and issue IRCC documents. The Case Management Platform is where the foundational elements of this business transformation will reside.

• Overall, modernization will enable IRCC to further the Government’s vision to be “an open and service-oriented organization that operates and delivers programs and services to people and business in simple, modern and effective ways that are optimized for digital and available anytime, anywhere and from any device.”

DPM is part of IRCC’s broader transformation effort
• IRCC also recognizes that clients and Canadians increasingly expect programs and services that are fast, personalized, intuitive and able to respond to changing conditions as quickly as information now moves around the world.

Application volumes and processing times
• An enhanced digital platform will enable us to better manage shifting application volumes, to support faster processing times.

Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ARDEI) and Anti-discrimination principles

• IRCC knows that public confidence in a technology-enabled immigration system will depend on safeguards to protect against unintended bias and discrimination, and in ensuring accessibility. We are committed to embedding the principles of intersectionality, diversity, equity and anti-racism into our modernization journey.

• As DPM redesigns business processes and increases the use of automation, it will ensure that a credible approach to Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ARDEI) is being applied at every stage and that the necessary attention is being given to both assessing and addressing the inequities and disparities that exist within our systems, ultimately helping the programme to achieve optimal outcomes for employees and Canadians.

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