Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s 2024–25 Departmental Plan (2024)

On this page

• From the Minister
• Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services
  • Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
  • Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration
  • Citizenship and Passports
  • Internal services
• Planned spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • Funding
  • Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
  • Human resources
• Corporate information
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Definitions

From the Minister

I am pleased to present the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Departmental Plan for 2024–25.

Canada has a long and proud history of immigration. With the exception of Indigenous communities, who have been here since time immemorial, the story of every other family in this country begins with a journey from abroad.

One of our goals at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is to make sure that immigration plays a role in helping to shape the Canada of today and tomorrow.

Overall, the Immigration Levels Plan 2024–2026 has permanent resident admissions targets of 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025. For 2026, the plan is to stabilize at the 500,000 level.

We need immigration programs to align with the needs of employers and the labour market. Our priority is making sure Canada is better positioned to attract and retain the skilled workers needed to sustain the economy and grow our communities. At the same time, we recognize the need to balance our immigration levels with pressures such as housing and infrastructure, which has lead us to stabilize our immigration levels in 2026.

In addition, we will improve the integrity of the International Student Program to ensure students have the best possible experience when they come to study here.

Canada is a world leader in responding to humanitarian crises. We will welcome citizens of the world and meet international legal obligations to provide a safe haven to individuals seeking protection.

We will also continue to offer support, including settlement services, to individuals fleeing conflicts in places such as Afghanistan and Ukraine.

As part of the modernized Official Languages Act, the government has also committed to restoring the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities outside Quebec to what it was in 1971. The Immigration Levels Plan 2024–2026 includes admissions targets for French-speaking permanent residents of 6% in 2024, 7% in 2025 and 8% in 2026.

Another initiative that is of great importance to me is the work on Indigenous border mobility. We will continue to work alongside Indigenous Partners, Federal Departments, and international partners to make meaningful changes to address the needs of Indigenous communities divided by Canada’s international borders, and to meet our commitment under Action Plan Measure 52 (Shared Priorities Chapter) of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan.

We are also continuing to work on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action 93 to revise the citizenship guide and test to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Indigenous Peoples of Canada, including information about the Treaties and the history of residential schools.

Another key initiative of the Department focuses on increasing diversity and improving equity in our workplace. It is crucial that the diversity of our workforce reflects the diversity of the people in our country.

Whether they need refuge or are seeking a job or a better way of life, everyone who arrives in Canada must find the opportunities they need to settle and develop a strong sense of belonging. I am sure that by providing these opportunities, we will be able to maintain Canada’s position as a global leader in immigration and a destination of choice.

A welcoming experience for newcomers as they transition to life in Canada helps everyone to prosper.

I consider myself fortunate to serve as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and I recognize that my work and that of my Department is just one part of an important network of supports for newcomers. To learn more, I invite you to review the Departmental Plan for 2024–25 in detail.

Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibilities and internal services:

• Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
• Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration
• Citizenship and Passports
• Internal services

Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers

• In this section

  • Description
  • Quality of life impacts
  • Results and targets
  • Plans to achieve results
  • Key risks
  • Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25
  • Related government priorities
  • Program inventory

Description

IRCC facilitates the entry of migrants who wish to come to Canada temporarily, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. The Department works with partners to verify that individuals meet admissibility requirements. IRCC processes visas, electronic travel authorizations, and work and study permits for tourists, business travellers, international students and temporary workers, whose spending and presence in Canada benefit the economy.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility contributes to the “Prosperity” and “Good governance”as well as “Fairness and inclusion” domains of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and, more specifically “Household incomes” and “Employment”, “confidence in institutions” and “discrimination and unfair treatment”.

Results and targets

The following tables show, for each departmental result related to Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024–25.

Table 1: Indicators, results and targets for departmental result 1: Entry to Canada of eligible visitors, international students and temporary workers is facilitated

Table 2: Indicators, results and targets for Departmental Result 2: Facilitation of temporary entry helps to generate economic benefits

The financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

Departmental Result 1: Entry to Canada of eligible visitors, international students and temporary workers is facilitated

Facilitation across program lines to improve client experience

In recent years, IRCC incurred significant backlogs in processing temporary resident applications primarily due to the pandemic and response to events such as the war in Ukraine and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The Department is taking action to reduce the backlogs of applications within its inventories. The goal is to process 80% of applications within service standards.

In 2024–25, IRCC will continue its business transformation to modernize its programs and services through the implementation of its Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) programme. Once completed over the next few years, DPM will bring a new service delivery model with redesigned and optimized business processes and new digital technology platforms with modern capabilities, all of which will result in improved service and an improved client experience.

The Department will continue to implement and explore other innovative modernization initiatives to improve services, processing times and program integrity by leveraging automation, advanced data analytics and optimizing processing capacity, where appropriate.

Visitors

Travelers from 67 countries are eligible for an electronic travel authorization (eTA) instead of needing a visa, with most eTA applications approved in minutes. IRCC has adapted its decision-making processes and services offered to temporary resident applicants. These initiatives may increase the number of visas issued within a specific timeframe and appeal to potential applicants. For example, Canada is renowned for hosting a variety of major events annually, which attracts participants from all over the globe.

International Students

As a top destination of choice for international students, Canada is seeing an unprecedented growth in the number of students wishing to study in Canada.

IRCC is working closely with provinces and territories, national educations institutions and other key partners to modernize the international student program to ensure that international students, including French-speakers wishing to study across the country, are well-supported while in Canada.

In 2024–25, the International Student Program will continue to strengthen program integrity and a number of reforms are underway to address student vulnerability and unethical recruitment practices.

The Department will strengthen its fraud prevention measures with the mandatory verification of letters of acceptance implemented on December 1, 2023, ensuring that study permits are issued based only on genuine letters of acceptance.

On January 22, 2024, IRCC set an intake cap on most international student permit applications as a way to stabilize new growth. For 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved study permits.

IRCC will allocate a portion of the cap to each province and territory, who will then distribute the allocation among their designated learning institutions (DLIs). Provinces and territories are expected to establish a process for issuing attestation letters to students by no later than March 31, 2024.

This temporary measure will be in place for two years, and the number of new study permit applications that will be accepted in 2025 will be re-assessed at the end of this year. During this period, the Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces and territories, DLIs and national education stakeholders on developing a sustainable path forward for international students, including finalizing a recognized institution framework, determining long-term sustainable levels of international students and ensuring post-secondary institutions are able to provide adequate levels of student housing.

IRCC will adopt a Recognized Institutions Framework with qualifying post-secondary DLIs. Institutions that achieve higher standards will benefit from faster processing of study permits, thereby incentivising higher standards for DLIs to ultimately improve program integrity and uphold Canada’s reputation internationally as a destination for international students.

Along with the growing number of international students, there has been a growing number of post-graduation work permit holders in Canada. IRCC will continue work to recalibrate the Post-Graduation Work Permit to be more strategic in its efforts to attract and retain students in support of labour market needs, and to support regional and immigration objectives, including francophone immigration. Starting September 1, 2024, international students who begin a study program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be eligible for a post-graduation work permit upon graduation. In addition, graduates of master’s degree programs that are less than two years in duration will soon be eligible to apply for an up to three-year work permit.

Temporary workers

In 2024–25, IRCC will continue to prioritize applications in essential sectors such as agriculture, food processing, and health care, as well as work to keep our economy competitive by facilitating top talent, as announced in our Tech Talent Strategy.

This coming year, IRCC will continue working with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to develop a new foreign labour stream for agriculture and fish processing, create a sector-specific work permit and expand partner country agreements. Broad consultations will inform the development of this initiative.

IRCC also continues to negotiate reciprocal trade-related labour mobility pathways with the United Kingdom, Indonesia, the Association of South East Asian Nations, and a range of partners in South America.

Departmental Result 2: Facilitation of temporary entry helps to generate economic benefits

Facilitation of temporary entry to Canada for visitors, international students and temporary workers helps to generate economic benefits to Canada. International students contribute financially to Canada’s economy, and temporary workers contribute to address labour market gaps through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW), and bring additional expertise to the Canadian economy through the International Mobility Program (IMP).

Temporary Workers

Budget 2022 committed $385.7 million over five years and $86.5 million ongoing, for IRCC and federal partners, to ensure the timely and efficient entry of TFWs to meet the needs of Canadian employers, increase worker protections and fill critical vacancies in the labour market. In addition, the volume of TFWs has grown significantly in the past several years.

The projected volume of work permits issued in 2024–25 under the TFW Program alone, is expected to be between 130,000 and 160,000. Both the TFW Program and the IMP are demand driven with specific eligibility criteria. To meet the demand, the Department will continue to work on measures to reduce backlogs and rely on facilitative measures by ESDC and IRCC such as the recently introduced Recognized Employer Pilot for repeat employers who meet compliance standards in occupations with a demonstrated labour shortage.

Opportunities for temporary residents to contribute to labour market priorities

In 2024–25, the Department will continue work to improve the ability of foreign nationals already in Canada to stay and work, contributing to the advancement of labour market priorities by:

• Streamlining processing starting with Work Permit Extensions to further reduce inventory backlogs.
• Updating the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, to better transition international students into the labour force and further support critical sectors

Key risks

If inventories of temporary residents applications continue to grow, there are potential risks with wide-ranging impacts on management of processing resources, client experience and satisfaction, and IRCC’s relationships with partners.

Mitigations to reduce the potential impact of delayed processing times are in place as the Department prioritizes reducing wait times and improving service standards while maintaining program integrity. For example, IRCC continually explores the use of innovative tools to streamline service and optimize the client experience, while still ensuring intended program objectives are met. In addition, to maintain Canada as a country of choice and continue to attract top talent, IRCC has put in place organizational structures and tools to keep informed of labour market needs. For example, a new role of a Chief International Talent Officer will be created to align Canada’s immigration policies with a long-term skills and labour strategy. The Department will also continue to engage with provinces and territories on federal immigration policy and program developments with the goal of greater federal-provincial and territorial collaboration on immigration and ultimately a stronger immigration system. Likewise, IRCC will also strengthen partnerships with employers and institutions that rely on immigration, while addressing fraud and strengthening student and worker protections, including advancing measures to protect vulnerable populations from abuse and exploitation.

Related government priorities

Program inventory

Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers is supported by the following programs:

• Visitors
• International Students
• Temporary Workers

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration

• In this section

  • Description
  • Quality of life impacts
  • Results and targets
  • Plans to achieve results
  • Key risks
  • Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25
  • Related government priorities
  • Program inventory

Description

IRCC facilitates the admission and economic and social integration of immigrants and refugees who intend to stay in Canada permanently, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. The Department selects economic immigrant applicants to contribute to the Canadian economy, processes family member applicants to reunite families, and processes refugee and protected person applicants to provide a safe haven for those facing persecution. IRCC works with partners to verify that individuals meet admissibility requirements before they enter Canada. In order to support immigrants and refugees in integrating into Canadian society, IRCC offers a variety of settlement support services through a network of service providers.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility contributes to the “Prosperity” and “Good governance” as well as “Fairness and inclusion” domains of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and, more specifically “Household incomes” and “Employment”, “personal safety”, “confidence in institutions” and “discrimination and unfair treatment” through all of the activities mentioned in the core responsibility description.

Results and targets

The following tables show, for each departmental result related to Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024–25.

Table 3: Indicators, results and targets for Departmental Result 3: Potential permanent residents are selected for immigration to Canada

Table 4: Indicators, results and targets for Departmental Result 4: Permanent residents are welcomed and benefit from settlement supports

Table 5: Indicators, results and targets for Departmental Result 5: Immigrants and refugees achieve economic independence and contribute to labour force growth

Table 6: Indicators, results and targets for Departmental Result 6: Immigrants and refugees feel part of and participate in Canadian society

The financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

Departmental Result 3: Potential permanent residents are selected for immigration to Canada

In accordance with Canada’s Immigration Levels Plans, IRCC facilitates the admission of a targeted number of permanent residents under various categories. To achieve increased admissions, IRCC has added resources, embraced new technology, streamlined processing, and brought more services online. These efforts will continue to aid in addressing the processing challenges so that targets can continue to be met in the future.

The 2024-2026 Levels Plan sets permanent resident admissions targets of 485,000 in 2024; 500,000 in 2025; and 500,000 in 2026. This Plan is tailored to support economic growth while balancing our immigration levels with pressures such as housing and infrastructure, which has lead us to stabilize our immigration levels in 2026. It charts a responsible course for sustainable and stable population growth.

Measures that contribute to timely admissions across permanent resident pathways – while ensuring protection for Canadians

Immigration Medical Examinations (IMEs) are a statutory requirement for permanent resident applicants and certain temporary residents applying to come to Canada. IMEs are used to determine if an applicant is inadmissible to Canada on three health grounds (danger to public health, danger to public safety, excessive demand on health and social services). In 2024–25, the Department will continue ensuring timely health assessments through improved automated IME processing, and applying a risk-based approach to medical exams (e.g. reduce IME requirements for applicants at low risk for tuberculosis).

Pathways that transition to Permanent Residence

Our immigration pathways support the transition of many temporary residents already in Canada to become permanent residents. In 2024–25, in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, the Department will continue to leverage existing and explore new pathways to encourage and allow temporary residents to become permanent residents and remain in Canada as a first step towards becoming Canadian citizens. A growing number of immigrants who are granted permanent residence are already in Canada as temporary residents and have found accommodations and entered the labour market, or are contributing to the economy and society in other ways.

Francophone Immigration

The recent modernized Official Languages Act includes a provision for the Minister of IRCC to adopt a policy on francophone immigration. Forthcoming annual French-speaking permanent resident admissions targets for 2024–26 (6%, 7% 8%) are included in the 2024 levels Plan and aligned with the Mandate Letter Commitment of continuing to implement a national strategy on francophone immigration across the country. For 2024–25, the Department will continue to leverage different tools to work towards its new French-speaking permanent resident admissions targets outside Quebec. Key measures include category-based selection rounds in Express Entry and expanded promotion internationally and in Canada. IRCC also has a mandate to capitalize on the expertise of Francophone minority communities to remove barriers to Francophone immigration. This will be achieved though the Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration grants and contributions program.

Federal and Regional Economic Immigration Pathway Innovations

Immigration is essential to Canada’s long-term growth. Through economic immigration pathways, Canada attracts newcomers with the skills our economy needs, to help Canada stay competitive and tackle labour shortages. Economic pathways also help spread the benefits of immigration across the country, including to Francophone minority communities. Regional economic immigration programs can be leveraged to help fill labour shortages in specific areas, while also encouraging newcomers to settle outside of bigger cities that may not have the capacity to optimally absorb new residents.

In 2024–25, the Department will continue to further develop these pathways to support greater responsiveness to Canada’s economic needs.

• In 2023, the Department launched category-based selection to invite Express Entry candidates who meet specified economic goals. In 2024–25, IRCC will continue to leverage Express Entry to support the Government of Canada’s economic objectives.
• In 2024–25, IRCC will assess proposals for settlement supports in support of the Corridor for the selection and retention of French teachers in Canada funded under the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028.
• The Agri-Food Pilot, a pathway for full-time, non-seasonal workers in specific agri-food industries and occupations, has been extended to May 2025.
• The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots provide a clear and direct pathway to permanent residence for in-home foreign national caregivers and their families. With the pilots set to expire in June 2024, work will be ongoing in 2024–25 to determine the future of caregiving programming in Canada.
• Economic Mobility Pathway Pilot (EMPP) priorities for 2024–25, are to work with employers and communities across Canada to welcome 2,000 skilled refugees and other displaced persons to fill labour shortages and to further engagement to drive pilot awareness. To achieve this ambitious growth, the Department will also be diversifying our partners to reach broader groups of displaced people abroad as well as Canadian employers. At the Global Refugee Forum in 2023, Canada pledged to make the EMPP a permanent economic immigration program.
• Out-of-Status Construction Workers pilot to recognize the economic contribution of up to 1,000 long-term resident construction workers, and their family members, and to address the vulnerability of this population to allow them to work in Canada with immigration status.
• Continue to improve the Start-Up Visa Program as part of Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy, including by prioritizing applications supported by capital investments and making it easier and more appealing for start-up founders to come to Canada and develop their business while they wait for their permanent residence application to be processed.

The Department remains committed to supporting immigration strategies that spread the benefits of immigration to communities across the country to grow local economies, and enhance social and demographic vitality. In 2024–25, the Department will continue to support the unique needs of provinces and territories through regional immigration programs.

• The Provincial Nominee Program, a jointly administered immigration program with IRCC, will continue to offer provinces and territories the flexibility to use their respective programs to develop innovative streams and pilots that support specific priority sectors and occupations. For example, Nova Scotia and IRCC recently worked together to develop a Critical Construction Worker Pilot that addresses the critical labour market need in Nova Scotia’s construction sector, which has been exacerbated by wildfires this past summer.
• The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) allows provinces to prioritize certain key sectors and occupations via immigration and have flexibilities for critical sectors such as healthcare. An AIP exception has been included in program design to allow highly skilled healthcare workers (i.e. nurses) to accept jobs at a lower skill level (i.e. nurse’s aide/orderly), ensuring these individuals can immediately start working in this in-demand sector while they explore upgrading their credentials.
• Given positive feedback, IRCC is seeking to make the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot a permanent program and exploring options to expand it to more communities, with particular attention to the needs of Francophone communities.

Family Reunification

Family reunification is a key pillar of immigration and plays an essential role in attracting, retaining and integrating newcomers so that they are able to build successful lives in Canada. The Family Reunification Program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor certain relatives to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents. The Program can help to attract highly skilled immigrants who wish to later sponsor their relatives. Family reunification can provide emotional and social support and enrich the social and cultural fabric of communities across the country.

IRCC is committed to reuniting families and will continue to implement a series of measures to improve the processing times for overseas applications of Spouses, Partners and Children. Such measures include file digitization, remote processing, the use of streamlined processing measures, online portals and an increase in the number of decision-makers. Tools to improve processing efficiencies will be implemented in 2024. All admissibility and final decisions will continue to be made by an officer.

Refugee Protection and Other Humanitarian Efforts

Canada has two distinct but complementary programs to provide protection to refugees: the Refugee Resettlement Program for those seeking protection from outside of Canada and the in-Canada Asylum Program for people making refugee protection claims from within Canada, or at the border. Canada’s Refugee Resettlement Program is comprised of multiple streams, including government-assisted refugees, privately sponsored refugees, blended visa office-referred refugees. In addition, Canada also offers complementary pathways for refugees and other displaced persons.

With the tabling of the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan, the Department is working with key partners, including theUnited Nations Refugee Agency and theInternational Organization for Migration.

In addition, as part of its humanitarian efforts, IRCC will welcome 15,000 persons from the Western hemisphere to fulfill the commitment made by thePrime Minister in March 2023. A dedicated humanitarian pathway will facilitate permanent residence for up to11,000 Colombian, Haitian and Venezuelan foreign nationals who are located in the Central or South America, Mexico or the Caribbean, outside of Canada and the United States who have family connections in Canada.

The Government of Canada remains steadfast in its commitment to help vulnerable Afghans. IRCC will show flexibility and continue to process applications submitted under the Afghan special measures on a priority basis. IRCC will continue to engage with stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and international governments to ensure the safe and timely resettlement of these vulnerable individuals in Canada.

Demand for the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program has long outpaced annual admission spaces, resulting in large inventories and long processing times.

In order to support the better management of intake in these streams, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) was amended through the Budget Implementation Act, 2023 to clarify that the Minister may give instructions with respect to the intake of refugee sponsorship applications. In 2024–25, the Department will develop mechanisms to implement intake management measures, with the goal of shortening and establishing more predictable processing times for PSR clients.

Canada continues to meet its international legal obligations to provide a safe haven to people fleeing persecution, while actively pursuing a variety of measures to improve efficiency and capacity throughout the Canadian Asylum System. In 2024–25, the Department will continue to make targeted and critical investments in response to the higher volumes, and to improve the asylum system’s stability and integrity.

Interim Federal Health Program

The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides limited, temporary health-care coverage to resettled refugees, refugee claimants, victims of human trafficking, and certain persons detained under IRPA during their period of ineligibility for provincial or territorial health insurance. IRCC will continue investing in the IFHP to ensure that these vulnerable newcomers receive health-care coverage to address their essential medical needs, help to improve their overall health outcomes, facilitate their integration, and safeguard the health of Canadians. In 2024–25, the Department will continue to review benefits available under the IFHP to ensure the distinct needs of refugees and asylum claimants are met.

Interim Housing Assistance Program

The Interim Housing and Assistance Program (IHAP) is a cost-sharing, grant program to provide financial support to provinces, and if necessary to municipal governments, to address extraordinary interim housing pressures resulting from increased volumes of asylum claimants entering Canada. In July 2023, IRCC renewed IHAP until March 31, 2024, with a funding envelope of $212 million to cover 2023 eligible expenses. In recognition of historically high asylum volumes on January 31, 2024, the Government of Canada announced an additional $362.4 million for the program as part of 2023–24 fiscal year funding. IRCC’s investment in IHAP will ensure that provinces and municipalities, experiencing a surge in demand for shelter space, are able to provide interim housing and prevent asylum claimants from experiencing homelessness.

Crisis Response

In line with the Department’s Strategic Immigration Review and informed by stakeholders, including Parliamentarians, IRCC has established a new International Affairs and Crisis Response Sector that is responsible for leading the Department’s efforts to prepare for and respond to events in Canada and around the world that may require the need for the delivery of extraordinary services to clients. The sector will improve operational readiness and ensure better coordination, including with external partners both internationally and in Canada to promote the timely deliver of services and supports that are needed. The sector will also lead the development of a new Crisis Response Framework that will help guide IRCC’s analysis of, and decision-making related to, emerging crisis situations.

Departmental Result 4: Permanent residents are welcomed and benefit from settlement supports

Settlement services are an essential component of meeting Canada’simmigration levels’ objectives as they support the successful integration of newcomers into Canada leading to economic, social, and cultural benefits.

All levels of government and the Canadian public involved in welcoming newcomers and the Department recognize there is a need to ensure sufficient societal capacity for successful integration. We will continue to balance our immigration levels with pressures such as housing and infrastructure, which has lead us to stabilize our immigration levels in 2026. Other government departments are key partners in the success of immigration programs and in 2024–25 and beyond will take on larger roles as we move into whole-of-government effort to welcome and support new arrivals.

IRCC Funded Settlement Programming

The Settlement Program provides newcomers with supports before and after their arrival in Canada. Supports include: needs and asset assessment and referral services; information required to make informed settlement decisions, develop and leverage employment-related and language knowledge and skills; and support to build networks within their new communities. IRCC’s Settlement and Resettlement Assistance Programs(RAP) opened a call for proposals (CFP) in November 2023 to solicit proposals for five-year funding agreements with hundreds of settlement and resettlement service organizations across Canada, outside of Quebec. Agreements are expected to be in place by April 1, 2025. A new equity programming stream is being introduced to support capacity building of grassroots organizations representative of marginalized communities. Additionally, the CFP is also expected to bolster the number and capacity of RAP service provider organization with a continued focus on supporting the resettlement of refugees in small and medium-sized towns and rural communities.

The Settlement Program also supports the integration of French-speaking newcomers through the Francophone Integration Pathway (FIP), suite of settlement and resettlement services in French, offered in a coordinated and integrated manner by Francophone communities and aimed at facilitating the integration, as well as the creation of lasting ties between newcomers and Francophone communities outside Quebec. In 2024–25, the Francophone settlement programming will be further strengthened and expanded through the selection of projects in support of the FIP during CFP 2024, and the additional investment of $50million (over five years) committed in the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028. As part of this investment, in 2024–25, in collaboration with francophone minority community partners, IRCC will develop and implement a new strategy to support the needs of French- speaking women in 2024–25 informed by the Gender-Based Analysis Plus lens(GBA Plus).

In 2024–25, IRCC will continue collaboration with settlement sector partners via platforms such as the Settlement and Integration Policy and Program Committee and the Settlement and Integration Service Delivery Committee to identify gaps and emerging trends to better understand client needs and inform national policy. In addition, the National Settlement and Integration Council will continue to provide a national governance table for information exchange and the sharing of innovative practices among the settlement sector, key settlement, resettlement and integration stakeholders, provincial/territorial governments, and other federal government departments. These tables will continue to strengthen the collective capacity to respond to the needs of newcomer clients and communities.

Departmental Result 5: Immigrants and refugees achieve economic independence and contribute to labour force growth

Current labour conditions indicate that employment rates will remain favourable for workers, including newcomers. Federal and regional economic programs select permanent residents with the skills needed to integrate into labour markets across Canada. In addition, family class immigrants and individuals admitted through refugee and humanitarian streams also contribute to the labour force.

Settlement sector supports newcomers to acquire the skills they need to live and work in Canada

Employment-related services continue to be a key part of IRCC’s Settlement Program. They equip newcomers, including refugees, with knowledge and skills to better understand the Canadian workplace and help them to overcome barriers in accessing the labour market. Settlement service provider organizations across the country offer services such as employment counselling, temporary work placements, mentoring and networking opportunities, preparation for licensure/certification, job search skills, and foundational training to build skills and knowledge needed to participate in the workplace and adapt to different employment contexts. Employer-specific supports complement these services by promoting the hiring and retention of newcomer employees.

In 2024–25, IRCC will continue to advance employment-related services that address barriers to labour market integration for specific newcomer groups. More specifically, by:

• integrating Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot learning into the Settlement Program
• supporting programming for newcomer youth, as a partner Department under the ESDC-led Youth Employment and Skills Strategy; and
• improving newcomers’ access to foreign credential recognition information and processes, particularly in the health care sector, as part of ESDC-led Foreign Credential Recognition Program and mandate commitment.

Language training plays an important role in helping newcomers improve their official language skills for successful economic and social integration. In 2024–25, IRCC will continue to support:

• prioritizing flexible language training services at basic and intermediate levels to help newcomers acquire the skills they need to live and work in Canada.
• the delivery of targeted programming such as language training adapted to the needs of French-speaking newcomers and build on occupation-specific language training in key areas.
• organizations that enhance teaching tools and resources, provide supports for digital skills, and professional development for instructors.

Departmental Result 6: Immigrants and refugees feel part of and participate in Canadian society

IRCC-funded settlement services are in place to support newcomers, including refugees, to be engaged in their new communities. Going forward, settlement services such as information and orientation services and communication connections will continue to include providing newcomers with information on a variety of topics, assistance navigating their new home and help connecting with the broader community, public institutions, and community organizations. Community connection services also provide opportunities for partners, volunteers, and local community members to be actively engaged in settlement programming. In 2024–25, Community Connections services will continue to support locally-based approaches that build bridges between eligible clients, Indigenous Peoples, established immigrants, and long-time Canadians to promote intercultural exchange and facilitate meaningful relationships.

In2024–25, IRCC funded settlement services will continue to improve opportunities for newcomers facing barriers to access these services by for example, continuing to support the allocation of resources for women’s only language programming, peer mentoring, and support services such as child-care.

Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) will continue to promote integration at the local level. In 2024–25, the 88 LIPs will continue to promote integration at the local level and foster more welcoming communities for newcomers in Canada. Zonal Immigration Partnerships will continue to provide the same supports as LIPs, in small and rural centers. The 13Réseaux en immigration francophone (Francophone Immigration Networks) will, in 2024–25, continue to mobilize front-line actors in Francophone and Acadian communities, and strive to attract, recruit, welcome and integrate French-speaking newcomers.

In 2024–25, IRCC will work on the renewal and expansion of the Welcoming Francophone Communities (WFCs) Initiative. The contribution agreements for the existing 14 Communities are planned to be signed by March 2024 in order to ensure service continuity. In addition, IRCC expects to work with key stakeholders for the selection of the new cohort of WFCs and have new contribution agreements in place in 2024–25.

Key risks

With growing volumes of applicants, IRCC will manage potential risks to the success of our Permanent Residency program. In 2024–25, the Department will continue to respond to both domestic and global crises. The Department will ensure that the risks created by high volumes are managed in balance with maintaining its program integrity. Mitigations for these risks will include strengthening partnerships and information sharing with provinces and territories, as well as implementing a Renewed Risk Management Framework to support risk-informed processing for eligible applicants applying for permanent resident programs.

Given the Department’s response to various crises and existing pressures on ongoing program delivery, settlement and resettlement service providers have identified the growing pressure they face to ensure sufficient capacity to serve newcomer clients,and on the management of human resources within their organizations. IRCC will leverage its collaborative governance tables to find ways of managing the pressures on the settlement and resettlement programs.

With ambitious French-speaking permanent resident admissions targets, the Department will have to ensure that its growing priorities are balanced to achieve Francophone Immigration objectives.

IRCC will continue to face pressure to develop and implement migration responses to international crises and other humanitarian situations, which risks compromising the Department’s ability to deliver on its existing immigration and refugee commitments. To prepare for future crises, IRCC is developing a Crisis Response Framework to enhance its ability to respond quickly and equitably to emerging crises. The Framework will include a transparent and evidence-based assessment mechanism to inform when a migration response is triggered, while taking into consideration existing programming priorities.

Related government priorities

Program inventory

Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration is supported by the following programs:

• Federal Economic Immigration
• Regional Economic Immigration
• Family Reunification
• Humanitarian/Compassionate and Discretionary Immigration
• Refugee Resettlement
• Asylum
• Settlement

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Citizenship and Passports

• In this section

  • Description
  • Quality of life impacts
  • Results and targets
  • Plans to achieve results
  • Key risks
  • Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25
  • Related government priorities
  • Program inventory

Description

IRCC promotes the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and issues secure and internationally recognized Canadian citizenship and travel documents so that Canadians can participate fully in civic society and so that travel is facilitated across borders while contributing to international and domestic security.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility contributes to the “Society” and “Good governance” as well as “Fairness and inclusion” domains of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and, more specifically “sense of belonging”, “confidence in institutions” and “performance of socio-economic groups” through all of the activities mentioned in the core responsibility description.

Results and targets

The following tables show, for each departmental result related to Citizenship and Passports, the indicators, the results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, the targets and target dates approved in 2024–25.

Table 7: Indicators, results and targets for Departmental Result 7: Eligible permanent residents become Canadian citizens

Table 8: Indicators, results and targets for Departmental Result 8: Canadians’ international travel is facilitated

The financial, human resources and performance information for IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

Result 7: Eligible permanent residents become Canadian citizens

Canada’s immigration model encourages newcomers to naturalize to benefit from the rights of citizenship, as well as continue to contribute to the Canadian social fabric. The combination of high citizenship test pass rates, application approval rates, and overall naturalization rate will help Canada meet its goal of 85% of permanent residents naturalizing.

IRCC is committed to better understanding the drivers behind existing and emerging naturalization rate trends, and reducing citizenship barriers through research and analysis, as well as the implementation of modernization initiatives and expanded accessibility measures.

Modernization and Accessibility

While IRCC has made significant progress in reducing citizenship application inventories and associated processing times, efforts continue on process streamlining and modernization of the Citizenship Program. This includes expanding technological solutions to further improve processing efficiencies. As these initiatives continue to be implemented, IRCC anticipates a return to processing service standards and in turn, an increase in client satisfaction for services rendered in relation to the Citizenship Program.

In fiscal year 2023–24 several process changes and modernization initiatives were implemented which are expected to achieve client satisfaction benefits in 2024–25, namely: expansion of the citizenship grant e-application to minors and family groups, facilitative measures for the online knowledge test and up front language and knowledge waiver requests. These measures are less complex for clients while also achieving operational efficiencies that will improve processing times.

In 2024–25 the Citizenship Program will continue modernization efforts of the citizenship process and advance transformation through the Digital Platform Modernization programme.

In addition, IRCC continues to work towards a new Citizenship guide that reflects the history of systemic racism and discrimination faced by Indigenous Peoples. The guide will respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 93 by reflecting a more accurate and inclusive history of Indigenous Peoples to newcomers, including information about Treaties and the history and legacy of residential schools. The Citizenship guide will be accompanied by a suite study tools to support a broader range of learning styles and abilities.

Result 8: Canadians’ international travel is facilitated

In 2023–24, passport application volumes continued to rise as Canadians felt more comfortable travelling globally. Current volumes are within the forecasted range and the Passport Program will continue to closely monitor travel trends and behavior for 2024–25.

Canada is a Council Member State of the United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO). Adherence of passports is measured against ICAO’s international standards every year to ensure the Canadian passport aligns with the standards outlined in Annex 9 of the Convention on International Aviation. Canada will monitor any changes to these standards in order to ensure compliance.

Canada is a member of the Passport6 forum with representatives from the passport agencies of Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, where ideas and best practices are exchanged, as well as strategies, improvements in document security and approaches to common operational challenges. The upcoming annual “Passport6 Conference” will be hosted by IRCC in the spring of2024.

In 2024–25, the passport modernization agenda will continue to advance towards digital solutions, leveraging a new issuance platform that uses automation and new modern laser engraving printers with increased capacity, both of which began deployment in 2023–24. These remain the most concrete solutions to stabilizing the program and responding to future volume fluctuations.

It is expected that at least 4.5M travel documents will be issued annually in the next five years, then volumes will decline to around 4.0M annually in the following five year period.

Key risks

There are many driving factors that contribute to potential risks to meeting target percentages of eligible permanent residents that become Canadian citizens, including internal and external factors outside of IRCC’s control such as restrictive policies in key source country (e.g. ban on dual citizenship) and shifting global environments. To mitigate these risks, IRCC must first better understand the drivers behind existing and emerging naturalization rate trends to reduce citizenship barriers by advancing research and analysis, as well as implementing modernization initiatives and accessibility measures to improve wait times and the client experience.

Likewise, IRCC will identify and mitigate service delivery risks to meeting targets for facilitating Canadian’s international travel. IRCC will continue to survey clients on their experience and regularly track service standard performance, intervening to respond as quickly as possible to client service delivery needs. In doing so, IRCC will also mitigate potential risk to not meeting targets and falling outside of service standards. Close monitoring will enable the Department to respond quickly to any change in demand or client behavior and ensure that service delivery partners are positioned to meet targets.

Related government priorities

Program inventory

Citizenship and Passports is supported by the following programs:

• Citizenship
• Passport

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related to IRCC’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Internal services

• In this section

  • Description
  • Plans to achieve results
  • Snapshot of planned resources in 2024–25
  • Related government priorities

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

• management and oversight services
• communications services
• legal services
• human resources management services
• financial management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• real property management services
• materiel management services
• acquisition management services

Plans to achieve results

Communications Services

IRCC will continue to communicate relevant and timely information on priorities, programs, services, initiatives and results to its various audiences to support departmental commitments. Recognizing that the Department has diverse audiences, including Canadian citizens, immigrants, refugees, and other stakeholders, IRCC will tailor its communication strategies to effectively reach and engage these different groups, and adapt to respond to evolving circ*mstances, policy changes, and emerging issues, in keeping with broader departmental commitments like Canada’s Immigration Levels Plans.

Human Resources: Workforce Engagement

IRCC recognizes that to meet its results set out in its Departmental Results Framework, it requires a diverse, engaged, healthy, and highly skilled workforce. The Department continues to be committed to excellence in people management, based on successful and targeted recruitment and retention efforts; meaningful employee learning, development and feedback; the promotion of healthy and respectful workplaces; and sound stewardship its largest resource: its people!

IRCC began an organizational realignment in October 2023, to better respond to increased immigration levels and global crises, by allowing more effective workload management. IRCC will continue to monitor the organizational changes and support leaders to strengthen employees’ skills to adapt to change.

IRCC continues to promote a culture of learning through the implementation of an enterprise learning management system and a departmental learning strategy to ensure employees can effectively and efficiently contribute to an engaged workforce.

Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

In October 2023, as part of its organizational realignment, IRCC established a new Equity Branch that will serve as an equity-focused centre of expertise for the Department. In 2024–25, the Department will focus on consolidating various functions related to Anti-Racism, GBA Plus, Equity Policy and Frameworks, and employee support, within the newly formed Branch. These structural changes are intended to help IRCC take a more intersectional approach to equity and ensure greater consistency and fairness in all aspects of IRCC’s work including people management, policy and program design, and service delivery.

In 2024–25, the Department will advance the work to address systemic racism and inequities by identifying strategies to integrate anti-racism and equity-related work and key performance measures into departmental planning, evaluations, and results reporting. Building on the initiatives of IRCC’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0 (2021-2024), the Department will update its Anti-Racism Strategy and work towards a holistic approach to equity-related work to advance equity for its employees, clients and Canadians.

The IRCC initiatives outlined in the leadership accountability and equitable workplace pillars of Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0 will support the Clerk of the Privy Council’s Call to Action issued on May 9, 2023 to increase employment equity by setting multi-year hiring and promotion goals for Indigenous, Black and other racialized employees and the implementation of the Executive Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy Index piloted in the Department in 2023–24.

IRCC has implemented the changes to the Public Service Employment Act into its departmental staffing practices in 2023–24. These changes aim to address biases and barriers during the selection and assessment process, faced by equity seeking groups, in public service staffing processes. The Department has established clear equity goals for all equity-seeking groups at all levels and continues to strive towards addressing gaps and ensuring the workforce is representative and inclusive.

A comprehensive culture change and change management strategy will continue to be important components, to address biases, barriers and stereotypes. Work is being done for all equity-seeking groups such as a departmental Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy. In keeping with the Accessible Canada Act, the Department published its first substantive accessibility report and its first progress report against the goals that it set to reach by 2025–26.

Access to Information and Privacy

In line with IRCC’s commitment to improve client service and to digitize its programs and services to bring effectiveness and efficiency, the Access to Information and Privacy Program will focus on people management, processes, tools and training. This will allow us to reduce the backlog and continue being compliant with the policy. This will be achieved by realigning resources and service delivery, introducing technology, providing training to build a robust workforce.

Information Technology

IRCC’s digital transformation, referred to as Digital Platform Modernization (DPM), is modernizing current migration, citizenship and passport services. In 2024–25, DPM will continue to establish foundational cloud technology elements and services, and will begin to roll out its new single online account for clients being delivered through a new Client Experience Platform. Over time, this new client account will replace existing outdated and standalone client-facing portals and tools to offer a seamless client experience across multiple devices.

As a next step for DPM, IRCC is procuring the technology for a new case management platform that will eventually replace the current Global Case Management System. This new platform will be procured in2024–25, and will support transformation of how IRCC processes applications.

Cyber-security

IRCC remains committed to advancing its cyber security program. Workforce security awareness efforts remain a critical component of employee training. New attention is now focused on the deployment of security information and cyber event management technologies and critical integration necessary to support IRCC’s ongoing adoption of cloud-based technologies.

Information Management

IRCC’s 2023–26 Data Strategy will set a course for the Department to harness trustworthy, timely, and relevant data as a strategic asset that empowers a service- oriented and effective organization.

Real Property/Material Management Services

IRCC will create flexible work location hubs across the country to support reintegration to the office. IRCC will support an inclusive and accessible workplace by completing several GCworkplace projects and furniture modernization, including: prayer and meditation rooms, gender neutral and all-access washrooms and automatic door openers. IRCC will continue to provide accessible accommodations, and respond to the needs of clients with disabilities, as well as the needs of its diverse employees.

Related government priorities

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

IRCC is committed to meeting the Government of Canada’s commitment of awarding 5% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses. In the 2022–23 fiscal year, IRCC exceeded the 5% target and awarded 5.23% (approximately $25.7M) of its contracts to Indigenous businesses.

Contracting officers and budget managers are encouraged to consider Indigenous businesses in any procurement process. IRCC currently maximizes opportunities by encouraging the increased use of Indigenous suppliers in commodities such as management consulting, computer equipment and software and others; increasing Indigenous streams in the information technology Omnibus Professional Services contract renewals; incorporating Indigenous considerations in major procurement such as those within the Digital Platform Modernization programme; computer equipment ever-greening programs; and, incentivizing contractors to use Indigenous Participation Plans which requires them to report on direct (such as subcontracting to an Indigenous firm) and indirect benefits (such as providing training, career development, scholarships) to Indigenous Peoples.

The following table shows in percentages the actual, forecasted and planned value for the target. There were no Deputy Head exceptions taken into account in the calculations below.

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of IRCC’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2024–25 with actual spending from previous years.

• In this section

  • Spending
  • Funding
  • Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
  • Human resources

Spending

The chart below outlines IRCC’s planned spending by core responsibility (CR).

Figure 1 - Text version

Spending by Core Responsibility (CR)	Amount (dollars)
CR 1. Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers	$320,314,525
CR 2. Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration	$3,219,046,164
CR 3. Citizenship and Passports	$130,262,871
Internal Services	$524,825,065

In 2024–25, the department plans on spending $320.3 million under Core Responsibility 1: Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers. Resources under this core responsibility will be used to facilitate the entry of persons who wish to come to Canada temporarily. IRCC processes visas, electronic travel authorizations, and work and study permits for tourists, business travelers, international students and temporary workers, whose spending and presence in Canada benefit the economy.

The Department also plans on spending $3.2 billion under Core Responsibility 2: Immigrant and Refugee Selection and Integration. Resources under this core responsibility will be used to facilitate the admission and economic and social integration of immigrants and refugees who intend to stay in Canada permanently. The Department selects economic immigrant applicants, processes family member applicants to reunite families, and processes refugee and protected person applicants to provide a safe haven for those facing persecution. In order to support immigrants and refugees in integrating into Canadian society, IRCC offers a variety of settlement support services through a network of service providers.

Furthermore, the Department plans on spending $130.3 million under Core Responsibility 3: Citizenship and Passports. Resources under this core responsibility will be used to promote the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and issue secure and internationally recognized Canadian citizenship and travel documents so that Canadians can participate fully in civic society and so that travel is facilitated across borders while contributing to international and domestic security.

Finally, the Department plans on spending $524.8 million for Internal Services. These resources are provided to the Department to meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs.

Table 1: Actual spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of IRCC’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending to date.

The 2022–23 actual expenditures increased by $1.8 billion (or 51%) in comparison with 2021–22, which is mainly due to expenditures associated with the increased levels in permanent resident admissions, Canada’s response to the Afghanistan and Ukrainian crises, the increase in temporary accommodation costs in response to a higher number of asylum claimant, as well as an increase in spending for the Canada-Quebec Accord. IRCC also made investments to modernize its client support services, to improve processing times and inventory backlogs as a result of COVID-19 impacts, and to stabilize its existing information technology infrastructure while advancing the transformation and modernizing agenda and set foundations for new digital services.

The increase in 2023–24 forecast spending is mainly attributable to funding received through the supplementary estimates process for:

• The extension of the Interim Housing Assistance Program for asylum claimants;
• The continued delivery of the Interim Federal Health Program to cover incremental expenditures related to the provision of healthcare products and services to eligible beneficiaries; and
• The support of the 2023 to 2025 Immigration Levels Plan and an ongoing baseline of annual permanent residents admissions.

Table 2: Budgetary planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The following table shows information on spending for each of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the upcoming three fiscal years.

The total planned expenditures are decreasing by $466.1 million (or 11%) over three years. The decreasing trend is seen across all core responsibilities and is mainly attributable to:

• The phase down of funding for processing and settlement activities related to Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023;
• The phase down of resettlement funding through the 2023-25 Immigration Levels Plan as a result of a decrease in Government-Assisted Refugee admissions;
• The sunset of funding related to processing of existing application inventory, providing temporary accommodations, settlement services and transitional financial assistance under the measures related to the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel;
• A decrease to the net operating costs of the Passport Program;
• The decrease in temporary funding related to procurement, design and implementation of modernization activities for a client facing platform and pre-implementation activities for future tranches of the Digital Platform Modernization programme; and
• The Department’s commitment to reduce spending as announced in Budget 2023 Refocusing Government Spending.

Even though the planned expenditures are decreasing over three years, the Department will continue to enhance efficiency and boost productivity. The Department is modernizing its operations, implementing new policies and infrastructure to improve services and transform the way it does business. This transformation will support IRCC’s ability to successfully achieve Departmental results, now and in the future.

Table 3: 2024–25 budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net planned spending for 2024–25.

The International Experience Canada Program operates on a vote-netted revenue basis. Revenues are generated through a participation fee.

The Passport Program operates on a full cost-recovery basis and generates revenue through fees paid for passports and other travel documents.

Funding

The following graph presents planned spending (voted and statutory expenditures) over time.

Figure 2 - Text version

Fiscal year	2021–22	2022–23	2023–24	2024–25	2025–26	2026–27
Statutory	$368,163,689	$459,860,289	$161,830,056	$177,053,150	$147,586,384	$132,968,202
Voted	$3,083,109,591	$4,749,256,681	$6,353,058,987	$4,017,395,475	$3,609,976,674	$3,595,394,803
Total	$3,451,273,280	$5,209,116,970	$6,514,889,043	$4,194,448,625	$3,757,563,058	$3,728,363,005

The graph above represents actual spending incurred by the Department from 2021–22 to 2022–23, the forecast spending for 2023–24 based on approved authorities and planned spending from 2024–25 to 2026–27.

Estimates by vote

Information on IRCC’s organizational appropriations is available in the 2024–25 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of IRCC’s operations for 2023–24 to 2024–25.

The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, are available at IRCC's website.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2025 (dollars)

The decrease in spending from 2023–24 to 2024–25 is mainly attributable to decreases in funding for:

• The Interim Housing Assistance Program for asylum claimants;
• The temporary accommodation and support services to asylum claimants;
• The Interim Federal Health Program to cover expenditures related to the provision of healthcare products and services to eligible beneficiaries;
• The Government of Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals;
• The temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada; and
• The proposed saving measures to achieve the government’s commitment to reduce spending as announced in Budget 2023.

Total revenues are expected to increase by $15.6 million or 2.3% in 2024–25 when compared to the 2023–24 forecasted results, mainly due to a slight expected increase in demand for 10-year passport renewals versus the five-year passport renewals.

Human resources

Table 4: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services

The following table shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for IRCC’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on year to date.

The increase in FTEs from 2021–22 to 2022–23 is the reflection of the growth of IRCC. The temporary and permanent immigration levels have increased and so the need of resources to meet those levels.

The increase in 2023–24 forecasted FTEs is mainly attributable to personnel funding received through the supplementary estimates process for:

• The stabilization of Canada’s temporary resident processing capacity, facilitation of entry for temporary residents through application screening and assessment, and issuance of relevant documentation;
• The support of the 2023 to 25 Immigration Levels Plan and ongoing baseline of annual permanent residents admissions;
• The provision of temporary and permanent resident pathways to bring Ukrainian nationals and their families to safety in Canada;
• The procurement, design and implementation of modernization activities for a client facing platform and pre-implementation activities for future tranches of the Digital Platform Modernization programme; and
• The support and enhancement of the vitality of francophone minority communities and the promotion of the recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society.

Table 5: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

The following table shows information on human resources, in FTEs, for each of IRCC’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for 2024–25 and future years.

The decreasing trend in the planned full-time equivalents is mainly attributable to:

• The phase down of efforts related to processing and settlement activities related to Canada’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals by the end of 2023;
• The Department’s commitment to reduce spending as announced in Budget 2023 Refocusing Government Spending; and
• The decrease in temporary personnel funding related to procurement, design and implementation of modernization activities for a client facing platform and pre-implementation activities for future tranches of the Digital Platform Modernization programme.

Corporate information

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on IRCC’s website:

• Details on transfer payment programs
• Gender-Based Analysis Plus

Information on IRCC’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on IRCC’s website.

Federal tax expenditures

IRCC’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.

This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and Gender-Based Analysis Plus.

Definitions