IRCC Deputy Minister Transition Binder 2026 - Risk Management and Program Integrity

Context

Program integrity is foundational to sustaining public trust and international confidence in Canada’s managed migration system, and for achieving the Government of Canada’s objectives for a sustainable, well‑balanced immigration program. This requires a rigorous and proactive approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks and threats across Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) programs and operations.

A coordinated, evidence‑driven risk management regime is essential to advancing Canada’s social, economic, and humanitarian priorities in a responsible manner, while ensuring the safety and security of Canadians. A deliberate focus on program integrity enables Canada to meet its long‑term immigration targets in a way that preserves system credibility, safeguards national security, and supports the enduring success of Canada’s immigration framework.

Background

• The Minister is mandated to protect the health, safety and security of Canadians, while facilitating legitimate travel and integration of newcomers to maximize their contributions to the economy.
• Furthermore, the Minister must ensure that the department manages migration to meet the goals and objectives of the Government of Canada, which requires a focus on program integrity.
• While a shared responsibility across the Department, a dedicated sector serving as the central authority for integrity issues supports the Department by managing operational risk at the program and case level, leading on national security files, acting as the functional authority of the immigration screening program, and providing intelligence, trends, and risk mitigation strategies.
• IRCC's primary integrity partners include the Canada Border Services Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service; however, the Department collaborates through various domestic and international partnerships including with Public Safety Canada, Global Affairs Canada, and Transport Canada. Senior leaders are part of domestic Security and Intelligence tables, and employees participate in various multilateral working groups related to cases, programs, and strategic threats.
• Effective program integrity measures must be structured yet flexible, evidence-based, adaptive, and technologically enhanced. They should also be defensible, proactive, and data-driven, utilizing targeted risk analysis tools to identify and manage risks from unpredictable migration patterns before they materialize.

Priorities

• Continue to secure the integrity of the Canadian border building on IRCC’s collaborative relationships with Migration Five allies and enhancing relationships with other partners such as the European Union to fulfill the Government of Canada’s commitment to strengthened visa integrity, through legislative, policy, and operational measures. Also continue to lead the immigration communities of practice to ensure a comprehensive integrity and risk approach across the department.
• Perform data-driven risk management by continuing to implement the Global Risk Framework which monitors risks to IRCC’s programs and objectives. Effective Risk Management enables efficient service delivery and high‑quality client service, while ensuring that integrity risks are addressed through consistent, transparent, and defensible processes across both policy and program design, as well as application processing. Decision‑making is strengthened through the timely dissemination of evidence‑based risk analyses and indicators, supporting a secure and sustainable immigration system that protects the safety of Canadians.
• Deliver a risk-based decision-making model by leveraging capabilities of Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) integrating risk management principles within the Department’s digitization of programs and services, through the increasing use of advanced analytics, automated functionality, and looking forward, through DPM. This includes advancements in security screening.

Current Program

• Within the Department, high-level operational program integrity risks include criminality, human smuggling, security, health and safety, fraud and abuse, volumes, and processing pressures.
• As such, IRCC, in collaboration with partners, is addressing the following top issues:
  • Identity fraud: IRCC is responsible for establishing identity of newcomers to Canada. The use of biometrics and source documents is key to identity management.
  • Inadmissible clients: IRCC must ensure that clients, including users of the immigration system, are not inadmissible to Canada, in accordance with legislation, to ensure the health, safety and security of Canadians.
  • System abuse: IRCC must, in collaboration with public safety partners, ensure that we can effectively detect and disrupt those who work to abuse or misuse immigration programs. This includes fraudulent applications and supporting documents, relationships of convenience and unauthorized representatives, both in Canada and overseas, utilizing unscrupulous methods to exploit our systems (i.e., human smuggling) to gain status in Canada for those ineligible or inadmissible.

Recent Developments

• In response to global crises and the evolving immigration landscape, IRCC has:
  • Introduced policy and program changes to respond to program integrity gaps;
  • Implemented continuous monitoring and reporting mechanisms to facilitate decision making at all levels;
  • Implemented new program policies to address global crises and labour market/economic needs; and
  • Enhanced risk tools and governance to support officers in decision making.
• Ongoing measures to increase public confidence in program integrity include:
  • Continue implementing the Global Risk Framework to proactively monitor and strengthen officer and senior decision making through evidence-based risk analysis to reduce adverse outcomes, such as non-genuine asylum claims and southbound apprehensions;
  • Implementing regulatory changes to strengthen the International Student Program, including that Designated Learning Institutions (DLI) comply with reporting and verification requirements or be subject to consequences (such as suspension of study permit processing to their DLI), and requiring study permit holders to apply for a new study permit when they transfer schools.
  • Cracking down on bad actors who facilitate the misuse of our programs and place vulnerable individuals at risk, via activities such as implementation of digital credentials, an Administrative Penalties and Consequences Regime and the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Regulations; and
  • Implementing an early risk warning system and feedback mechanism to support and enhance the timely communication of risk intelligence information to decision makers.
  • Introducing legislative amendments (Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act) to enhance information sharing, and to strengthen control over immigration documents and applications.
• To further strengthen program integrity, the Department will:
  • Leverage cooperation with domestic partners and international allies (within the Migration Five alliance and beyond) to enhance the integrity of our border and prevent program abuse;
  • Improve data quality and reduce avenues for fraud in the application process for many of IRCC’s programs and lines of business, [Redacted]
  • When in production, leverage the new digital platform to enable real-time risk calibration and risk-based triaging with continuous monitoring and governance oversight.