Enforce PR screening standards

AI summary

Petitioners ask IRCC to finalize PR applications delayed beyond double the service standard unless a written justification and firm completion date are provided, and to establish independent oversight, 90‑day status updates, quarterly ministerial reporting with audits, and public real‑time screening data. The government responds that IRCC commits to improving processes and transparency.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled Thousands of Permanent Residence (PR) applicants endure extreme security screening delays estimated at 65 months, vastly exceeding the official 110-day service standard; The security referral backlog continues to worsen, trapping over 23,000 PR applications as of November 2025; These delays cause severe harm, including prolonged family separation, mental health crises, loss of legal status, and significant financial burdens; Extreme processing times create a discriminatory two-tier system where applicants from specific regions face indefinite, non-transparent delays; and Applicants lack meaningful recourse, transparent case information, or compensation when service standards are breached by 300–500%. We, the undersigned, Citizens and Residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to 1. Enforce Strict Standards: Mandate that applications exceeding 100% of standard processing times be finalized immediately unless a written justification and firm completion date are provided. 2. Ensure Accountability: Require the Minister to appear quarterly before the Standing Committee to report on backlog reduction progress and mandate independent audits of administrative bottlenecks. 3. Increase Transparency: Require IRCC, CSIS, and CBSA to provide proactive 90-day status updates specifying the current agency, processing stage, and updated timelines for delayed files. 4. Establish Oversight: Create an independent Immigration Ombudsperson to investigate chronic delays and provide applicants with a formal escalation channel. 5. Codify Escalation: Implement automatic internal ministerial reviews for any case exceeding published service standards by more than 100%. 6. Publicize Data: Regularly publish comprehensive, real-time data regarding average processing times and backlog volumes for all security screenings.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Signed by PETER FRAGISKATOS, M.P. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is committed to a thorough, fair and transparent application of immigration procedures. All foreign nationals must meet the eligibility and admissibility requirements set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations before entry to Canada, including security screening. Processing times can vary for several reasons, including whether an application is complete, the number of applications currently in process, the need to verify information, and the complexity of individual cases. IRCC aims to process 80% of complete applications within established service standards. At the same time, some applications require additional review to ensure that decisions are made carefully and fairly. In recent years, the number of applications received has been higher than the number of spaces available under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan. This has led to larger application inventories and longer wait times for many applicants. IRCC conducts preliminary assessments, and applications are assessed individually by immigration officers against risk indicators. When comprehensive security screening is needed, applications will be referred to security partners for in-depth investigations. IRCC relies heavily on its security partners for more in-depth review, investigation, and assessment when risk indicators are detected and comprehensive security screening is initiated. Both the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) conduct screening with intelligence resources and databases. CSIS is mandated to provide advice and information related to security matters or criminal activities to departments of the Government of Canada. This advice is provided through CBSA to IRCC, which takes CSIS’ advice into consideration when making the final decision on the inadmissibility of an applicant. The CBSA plays a key role in preventing inadmissible persons from entering and remaining in Canada, with priority given to cases involving organized crime, security, and human rights violations. Once the CBSA receives a file for security screening, we aim to complete screening within the service standards. Every application is unique and some are impacted by competing priorities. Numerous steps have been recently taken to address this issue, such as risk based asylum screening which is a triage of asylum claims using indicators to identify potential risks and assess whether more comprehensive screening is warranted. The CBSA is continuously reviewing and improving internal processes and take the necessary action to address any identified program gaps. Under the Privacy Act, individuals have the right to access personal information about themselves held by government institutions. It should be noted that that the role of the CSIS Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) section is limited to the processing of records. It has no authority to intercede in the processing of security screening applications. An increase in requests for the status of immigration/citizenship applications has impacted CSIS ATIP’s ability to respond to these types of requests in a timely manner. CSIS continues to make ongoing efforts, both internally and in collaboration with its partners, to improve the security screening process, including processing timelines. These efforts are expected to increase capacity and efficiency, lessen the impact of mandamus applications and National Security and Intelligence Review Agency complaints, and allow program service standards to be reviewed more frequently. CSIS works diligently to apply the necessary rigour to effectively execute its security screening mandate for all applications and ensure the safety of Canada and all Canadians. A shared goal of all partners is to bring the screening inventory back to manageable levels and ensure that files subject to in-depth review are processed in an expeditious manner. Since July 13, 2022, foreign nationals outside of Canada have had the right to access their own personal information under the Privacy Act due to the Privacy Act Extension Order, No. 3. This allows foreign nationals, including immigration, visa, and permanent residency applicants, to request their own personal files and officers’ notes directly from IRCC without paying a fee or using a Canadian representative. IRCC also provides applicants with a secure online account that offers direct access to application status updates, messages, and requests for additional information in real time. This ensures applicants have a clear and reliable way to track the progress of their file and stay informed throughout the process. Applicants can sign in or create an account at: Sign in to your IRCC secure account - Canada.ca. Applicants can also use IRCC’s online tools to check general processing times or submit case-specific enquiries through the IRCC web form if they need to communicate with IRCC and/or have additional requests. They can also call the client support line at 1-888-242-2100 (within Canada).