News post : IRCC speeding up processing for spousal applications

[JenniferinFL]

Just thought I would share in the event someone hasn't seen it yet.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2020/09/ircc-speeding-up-processing-for-spousal-applications.html

News release
September 24, 2020—Ottawa—Today, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, is announcing action to speed up spousal application processing and help families build their lives together in Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the number of decision makers on spousal applications in Canada by 66%, to process spousal applications more quickly and reduce couples’ wait times.
IRCC is leveraging new technology in a pilot to digitize paper applications so they can be processed more efficiently by IRCC employees working remotely and at various worksites. In addition to implementing facilitative biometrics measures, IRCC will be piloting, in the upcoming weeks, technology to conduct interviews with applicants remotely, in adherence with public health protocols.
With these initiatives, IRCC aims to accelerate, prioritize and finalize approximately 6,000 spousal applications each month from October until December 2020. Combined with processing to date, this rate will lead to about 49,000 decisions by the end of this year.
COVID-19 has created uncertainty for Canadians who are sponsoring spouses for permanent residence. We will continue to search for innovative and compassionate ways to reunite families, while following the advice of our public health experts to protect the health and safety of Canadians.

 

[JohnnyToronto]

That's fantastic news..........for those with applications inside Canada being processed. Nothing notable with applications scattered at embassies around the world working at a snail's pace. No new scanners there or additional staff to increase speeds.

 

[BRIL23]

That's fantastic news..........for those with applications inside Canada being processed. Nothing notable with applications scattered at embassies around the world working at a snail's pace. No new scanners there or additional staff to increase speeds.

Yes that was what I was wondering “how about outland applicants?’ The article doesn’t mention applicants outside Canada

 

[armoured]

Yes that was what I was wondering “how about outland applicants?’ The article doesn’t mention applicants outside Canada

I don't believe there is a strict inland/outland split for staff - decision makers in Canada can and do work on files for outland applicants (notably those sent to Mississauga and lately Ottawa as well).

Yes, it does leave a gap right now in terms of understanding whether they have any plans that apply specifically to files already in visa offices abroad.

My guess/understanding - without having looked in detail at the trackers - is that there is a big backlog of files in Canada - Mississauga been fairly slow, I think. As they whittle down the backlog they can redirect new files and even old files to places with extra capacity.

The digital initiatives - even if vague - also mean more capacity to have files "decided" from different locations without moving the physical files.

One big potential difference - somewhat speculative - is that it is MUCH more difficult if not impossible to have staff in country field offices work on files from home (security reasons). So as this goes forward and if lockdown/work from home provisions remain in force across the world, likely they'll have more and more of the processing and decision-making done in Canada. (And hopefully only the parts of file evaluation that truly need to be done in a visa office abroad handled that way rather than physically sending the whole file there)

Anyway, my comments reading between the lines, but it's not automatic that 'more staff in Canada' means outland files are ignored. That said, serious questions about what happens with files already in visa offices abroad - and we're unlikely to find out details, just have to wait and see how files move.

 

[canuck78]

Would always be cautiously ootimistic when it comes to goverment promises without precise details. Still are quite a few obtacles especially in countries where VACs are closed and Canadian staff have likey returned to Canada due to covid.

 

[armoured]

Would always be cautiously ootimistic when it comes to goverment promises without precise details. Still are quite a few obtacles especially in countries where VACs are closed and Canadian staff have likey returned to Canada due to covid.

Yes, entirely agree. Good that they have announced this and some other changes, but this is far from a root-and-branch overhaul.

I welcome the decision from a couple of days ago to use previously-given biometrics - but that was a relatively easy modification to make and it took basically six months. Okay, they were probably hoping all along that the VACs would open soon and they wouldn't have to make this change, but still. And it's a stopgap to deal with existing backlog mostly, in that over time the number of applicants who have existing biometrics on file will decline.

Files in field offices an obvious gap.

I also don't see any indication (as someone mentioned here or in another thread) that they've actually hired staff; more likely is they've shifted staff internally (presumably with some training) from other programs that are more or less stopped - after all, TRV applications must be dramatically down, and I would guess student visa apps likely too.

 

[canuck78]

Yes, entirely agree. Good that they have announced this and some other changes, but this is far from a root-and-branch overhaul.

I welcome the decision from a couple of days ago to use previously-given biometrics - but that was a relatively easy modification to make and it took basically six months. Okay, they were probably hoping all along that the VACs would open soon and they wouldn't have to make this change, but still. And it's a stopgap to deal with existing backlog mostly, in that over time the number of applicants who have existing biometrics on file will decline.

Files in field offices an obvious gap.

I also don't see any indication (as someone mentioned here or in another thread) that they've actually hired staff; more likely is they've shifted staff internally (presumably with some training) from other programs that are more or less stopped - after all, TRV applications must be dramatically down, and I would guess student visa apps likely too.

Student visa applications have a huge backlog as well and there are still quite a few TRVs. Any changes would likely be related to where applications are processed. Still some big hurdles and not sure 1 year will be realistic for most applications. Background checks usually result in wait times because they only have so many people processing requests. We’ll all need to wait and see what happens.

 

[JenniferinFL]

What I'm really curious about is how that 49,000 compares to the current backlog. Obviously, from about the last half of February, there are a ton of files that have had almost nothing done with them. I believe they were anticipating around 70,000 spouse/dependent child applications for the year. So, if they actually processed 49,000, that should be enough to clear Feb-August by December.

Of course, I suppose there's no way of knowing how Covid impacted the number of applications, there may have been a lot more than the anticipated 70,000 applications too.

 

[armoured]

What I'm really curious about is how that 49,000 compares to the current backlog. Obviously, from about the last half of February, there are a ton of files that have had almost nothing done with them. I believe they were anticipating around 70,000 spouse/dependent child applications for the year. So, if they actually processed 49,000, that should be enough to clear Feb-August by December.

Of course, I suppose there's no way of knowing how Covid impacted the number of applications, there may have been a lot more than the anticipated 70,000 applications too.

I have no idea about the numbers but of course keep in mind that many, many applications from before February were also delayed - varying by region and type of application etc of course - but the backlog is absolutely not limited to those submitted since February. It's probably not technically correct but as a first approximation assuming there is a six month backlog for everything may be reasonable.

Hence personally my guess is that the commitment to 'finalize' applications will start with those that were further along and through the process - and they'll get to those submitted since the start of covid later.