Canada to Introduce a New Task Force To Speed Up Immigration Delays

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has recently announced that a new force will be formed to take care of the delays in services such as passports and immigration application processing. The new task force will comprise several groups of federal ministers who will specifically work to identify major gaps in the services and will thoroughly review delivery and make required suggestions on how to improve.

The new committee will be reviewing and paying attention to the entire processing of the immigration applications by recognizing top-priority areas where the action is required on an immediate basis. The aim is to come up with long-term and short-term solutions that will ease off the backlogs in immigration delays and improve the quality and pace of services.

Trudeau said in a recent interview, ‘We know that there has been a delay in service in the recent months. And, the federal government will do everything in its power to improve the delivery of these services in an efficient and timely manner. The new task force will assist the work of the government to meet the changing requirements of Canadians and continue to offer them high-quality services.’

Immigration Backlog is Over 2 Million Applicants

Canada’s immigration backlog stands at 2.4 million people. From April 29 and June 1, the number of applicants rose by 257,499. The numbers continue to rise due to more people looking for temporary residence. In June 2022, there were 1,471,000 applicants in the backlog for temporary residence, an increase of 216,380 associated with data released on April 29. Although, it should be considered that this visa application is not unusual owing to the nature of programs such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which usually hires massive workers in the agricultural and tourism sectors.

The Express Entry backlog positions 31,600 candidates through programs like Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

IRCC to Resume All-program Express Entry Draws

IRCC had announced to resume Express Entry draws for FSWP and FSTP that have been put on hold since December 2020. Lately, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada have highlighted the applicants in the pool to clear the way for the new candidates.