IRCC’s AI Strategy: What it Means for You

The department has been using advanced analytics to sort and triage emails and speed up processing time for routine cases since 2013, but this is the first time there has been an official strategy.  

Key Takeaways  

• IRCC uses AI to support administrative tasks, not to make immigration decisions.  
• In future, applicants will likely interact more with automated systems.  
• AI is used partly to improve efficiency and manage fewer staff.  

How Does IRCC Use AI ?

One thing we should get out of the way first: IRCC repeatedly stresses that AI is not used to make decisions on applications. Rather, the department hopes to continue streamlining many of the administrative tasks that can take up so much time for IRCC employees. This mostly includes administrative processes such as:  

• Triaging applications  

• Creating summaries  

• Producing documents  

• Responding to client enquiries  

While handling these tasks, IRCC says AI helps officers identify anomalies to cut fraud and flag low-risk files for faster processing. This helps clear the application backlog and lets agents focus on complex applications, detecting fraud, and decisions on applications

What Does it Mean for you?  

Getting the best results will depend on a few things such as consistency in forms and documents and ensuring that your story is unique. It’s important not to over-rely on templates that you might find online. Chances are, other people are using them too. 

You should also avoid using AI for your application because the program might be telling the same thing to hundreds of other applicants. This could be seen as a red flag and slow down your application.

After you submit your applications, you should expect automated responses. To get the best response, make sure any webform and chatbot interaction is clear in what you are hoping to achieve from reaching out and contains all the necessary identify information such as your full name, date of birth, UCI, file # number, as well as a well crafted inquiry.  

As time goes on, it will probably be more difficult to get in touch with a human (although that was not always easy to begin with). You will probably be spending more time interacting with chatbots and web forms than you already do.  This can be useful for general questions, but it will be frustrating for anyone looking for more specific information if you don’t frame your inquiry in a way chatbots recognize. 

IRCC says the bots will use “natural language technology to triage client enquiries into specific categories, enabling our officers around the world to spend more time supporting clients instead of sorting their questions.”  

In the long term, the strategy says IRCC may be able to use AI to help newcomers decide where to settle, based on information in their applications compared with regional economic forecasts.   

IRCC is also testing tools to spot false documents, like academic records and bank statements, to detect fraud instantly. For example, AI can detect repeated answers or information in multiple applications, hinting at widespread fraud.  

What are the risks for applicants?  

As with all AI tools, there are things to watch out for.  To start, there is always the risk of bias. For example, if the program “learns” from past decisions that citizens of certain nationalities face a higher rate of rejection, it can replicate those biases and make it more difficult for those citizens to get approval or slow down an application that would otherwise be fast-tracked.  

IRCC warns AI might make decisions less clear for applicants. Everyone applying is entitled to a transparent and detailed explanation of decisions made by an IRCC officer. Too much automation could reduce transparency, leaving decisions unclear if not carefully managed.  

Why the increased reliance on AI?  

The push to increase AI use comes alongside the department’s stated intent to cut 3,330 IRCC jobs by the end of 2027. Even with reduced immigration levels, there might not be enough people to answer inquiries and process applications in a reasonable timeframe.  

IRCC has said the cuts are necessary to bring its spending back in line with pre-pandemic levels. During the pandemic and in the immediate aftermath, IRCC invited an unprecedented number of newcomers. However, over the past two years, the department has sharply reversed course and reduced immigration levels to a point where no real population growth is expected this year.   

Treasury Board data from October 2025 shows that there were 11,148 employees at IRCC, down from 13,910 at the end of September 2023.   

Despite reduced immigration levels and job cuts at IRCC, there is still a backlog of over 1 million applications for permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship.  

Don’t expect the changes to happen overnight. IRCC says that changes will be rolled out gradually. The strategy says the department will continually weigh the “ethical, social and legal implications of using AI in order to ensure the integrity and fairness of our programs.”  

This means that tools and outcomes will be constantly tested, evaluated, and fixed to the department’s satisfaction before they move on to the next step.  

Looking Ahead: A More Automated Immigration System  

IRCC’s AI strategy signals a broader shift toward a more automated immigration system. While the department insists that human officers are, and will remain, responsible for all final decisions, AI will increasingly shape how applications are processed and how applicants interact with the system. These tools could help reduce backlogs, detect fraud, and improve efficiency.   

However, the success of the strategy will depend on whether IRCC can balance these benefits with transparency, fairness, and meaningful human oversight as the technology continues to evolve.