Immigration practitioners and individuals seeking entry into Canada are expressing growing dissatisfaction with receiving rejection letters that appear illogical, raising concerns about the thoroughness of the application review process.
Toronto immigration attorney Mario Bellissimo became alarmed after encountering instances where applications were turned down despite allegedly providing the required documents, such as a birth certificate that was allegedly included with the submission.
Questioning the adequacy of the assessment process, Bellissimo and other immigration professionals attribute the issue to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s utilization of automated decision-making technology, which they believe may compromise the scrutiny of applications.
While IRCC admits to using computer programs to expedite application processing, it refutes claims that these programs compromise the diligence of officers’ evaluations, emphasizing that human officers ultimately make the final decisions on immigration cases’ eligibility and admissibility.
Despite IRCC’s assurance of a comprehensive review process, concerns persist among immigration professionals who suspect that some officers may be rejecting applications without thoroughly examining all submitted documentation, potentially undermining procedural fairness.
The adoption of technology in decision-making by IRCC stemmed from mounting public pressure to address processing delays and backlogs, with over 2.2 million applications in the system as of July, of which more than 901,000 exceeded processing time standards, leading to a backlog situation.
Former immigration officer Annie Beaudoin highlights the increasing workload pressure faced by officers, leading to expedited decision-making and potential oversights in application reviews. The introduction of computer models and analytics tools like Chinook aims to enhance efficiency, with claims of up to 87% faster processing, but concerns persist about the impact on decision quality.
While IRCC maintains that advanced analytics do not influence officers’ decisions and only provide data insights, critics like Bellissimo and Vancouver immigration lawyer Will Tao fear that the technology may inadvertently lead to rushed or bulk decisions, affecting the overall fairness and transparency of the immigration system.
Notably, individuals like Chandni Ajwani and Jay Dave experienced firsthand the challenges of the system, with their application refusal eventually overturned upon reconsideration, prompting further scrutiny of the application review process and the need for transparency and fairness in immigration decision-making.
IRCC defends its technology integration, citing the benefits of modernization, but ongoing concerns from immigration professionals and applicants underscore the importance of maintaining a balance between efficiency and thoroughness in immigration application processing.
