Canada’s immigration department laying off thousands of workers

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that it will lay off thousands of employees.

In an email statement, an IRCC representative said that on Monday, January 20, employees received an email announcing that the department would cut around 3,300 jobs. These layoffs will happen over three years and affect every sector and branch, “both domestically and internationally, in HQ and in the regions, and at all levels, including up to the executive levels.”

According to IRCC, the layoffs are due to budget cuts and the government’s plan to reduce immigration targets for the next three years.

“The new immigration levels plan introduces lower targets to focus on sustainable growth aligned with housing, infrastructure, and social services,” the IRCC rep stated. “Staffing within IRCC is being adjusted to align with reduced levels and permanent funding.”

IRCC did not state when the layoffs will begin or how reduced staffing will affect processing times for passport applications, renewals, or immigration applications.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), a union that represents 240,000 workers nationwide, called the decision “a devastating blow.”

“These massive cuts will hurt families and businesses who rely on these critical public services and make a growing immigration crisis even worse,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC national president. “Sweeping public service cuts always hurt Canada’s most vulnerable populations and leave thousands of workers in limbo, unsure if they’ll be out of a job next month.”

PSAC said that IRCC did not provide more details about the job cuts and would only provide more information in mid-February.

Along with the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), representing Service Canada and immigration workers, PSAC urges the government to “collaborate on real solutions,” such as outsourcing contracts with in-house expertise.

“Last month, immigration processing wait times continued to reach record-breaking backlog levels, and these cuts will only worsen an already dire situation,” said CEIU National President Rubina Boucher.