5 Things We Think IRCC Got Wrong in 2024

In this post, we unpack 5 policies that we think Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) got wrong in 2024.

The Rise and Fall of Category-Based Express Entry Draws

When category-based Express Entry draws were introduced, they offered hope to workers in key sectors like STEM, agriculture, and transport. However, it seems these draws were more of a short-term experiment than a sustainable solution. Many workers feel misled and uncertain, as the program’s benefits dwindled after only a year for those in three of the original six categories listed as a priority for IRCC.

The Grandparent and Parent Sponsorship Program

This family reunification program has long been a source of frustration, and 2024 was no exception. Applicants can wait years to hear back from IRCC, only to receive a 30-day window to submit updated documents like police certificates. Families are left scrambling to meet these tight deadlines, highlighting the need for a more streamlined and predictable approach.

The Permanent Resident Card

If you’re a permanent resident (PR) of Canada, you’re probably familiar with the PR card. It’s a small piece of plastic that proves you’re a PR and allows you to re-enter Canada after traveling abroad. So, this isn’t a policy that changed in 2024, but it has become more confusing as to why IRCC continues to require the PR card for travelling permanent residents. We already have the electronic travel authorization for visitors (ETAs), so why can IRCC not add something to their system to show when someone is a permanent resident (a la Australia!)? We don’t understand.

Student Work Hours in 2024

Earlier in 2024, IRCC announced that it would be implementing a 24-hour work week for international students. But it came with a catch, the 24-hour allowance wouldn’t come into effect until ‘the Fall’. Unfortunately, this caused confusion and is likely to lead to lots of issues down the road due to the rapidly changing legal work allowances and poor communication about it. Here’s what the work allowances looked like this year:

• November 15, 2022, to April 30, 2024, certain students are permitted to work off campus without a work permit for more than 20 hours per week.
• May 1, 2024 – Summer break: students can work 20 hours per week off campus.
• Summer break to start of school: students can work full time off campus.
• Summer break to November 8: students can work 20 hours per week off campus.
• November 8 onwards: new policy implemented, and students can work 24 hours off-campus per week.

Residency Calculator for Citizenship Applications

To become a Canadian citizen, individuals have to submit a complete travel history, including a residency calculator to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. However, IRCC has this information freely available to them via each individual’s travel records.

This means that there’s a large administrative burden on each person to make sure that they accurately record dates of travel while they are permanent residents of Canada, and it also increases the administrative burden on the immigration officers – because they have to check the travel dates submitted in the application align with the travel dates in the government’s system. It also leads to arbitrary application issues for minor errors in recording dates. All of this could be avoided if IRCC just automated the residency calculation and then gave individuals an opportunity to appeal it if it’s inaccurate.