QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Temporary Resident Permits
April 23, 2026
Government leader, in 2026, we are seeing persistently high refusal rates for temporary resident or visitor visas, often on the basis that officers are not satisfied that applicants will leave Canada at the end of their stay, even in cases where applicants demonstrate strong family, financial and social ties to their home countries.
Given that the government has also publicly committed to reducing the number of temporary residents, can you clarify whether current refusal patterns are being driven by individual, merit-based assessments or by broader policy targets to limit entries? How does the department ensure consistency, transparency and fairness in decisions that remain discretionary and largely unappealable?
Transparency and due process are the main objectives of the review for temporary residents.
Now, we acknowledge that temporary residents contribute to Canada’s social and economic fabric; the government will continue to accept them at a sustainable pace. As such, the government’s target is to reduce the percentage of temporary residents to 5% over the next three years, representing a 19% reduction in the number of temporary residents. No matter who is considered, the review is always a review that proceeds through due process.
Senator Moreau, I have repeatedly raised this due to the high number of people who contact our office asking for help.
High refusal rates across multiple streams are particularly concerning for countries like Pakistan, where stakeholders report disproportionately high rejection rates that exceed 60%. Applicants also face significant backlogs and delays, exceeding service standards.
Can you explain how Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, is addressing these backlogs and longer processing times, especially after the agency cut 20% of its staff?
The IRCC is processing all the demands they receive without any political intervention. That’s the way it should be because it’s an independent review body. That’s the way a democratic country should act.
Now, I have no indication that there are specific ways of looking through files depending on the country of origin of applicants.
