In 2017, IRCC made both big and small changes to improve the service experience for clients. Below are some of the highlights.
- IRCC has reduced application backlogs for the Live-in Caregiver Program, the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program, and for citizenship applications. The new multi-year immigration levels plan will also create space to further reduce backlogs and processing times.
- The online experience has also improved with IRCC’s easy-to-use refund tool and the addition of payment by pre-paid credit cards. Language on more than 500 of the department’s most visited web pages has also been edited to make them easier to understand.
- Other notable highlights include the introduction of the new Global Skills Strategy, giving additional Express Entry points for French language skills and the presence of siblings already in Canada, and the new changes to the Citizenship Act.
- Two new improvements to client experience are also on the horizon for 2018. IRCC will add UnionPay as a payment method and will introduce a new online application for permanent resident cards sometime this year
