The IRCC will reduce its workforce by 3,300 jobs over the next three years, with 80% of the cuts impacting temporary workers, the department announced on January 20.
The sweeping cuts “will impact to various degrees every sector and every branch across IRCC, both domestically and internationally, in HQ and in the regions, and at all levels, including up to the executive levels,” said IRCC, though the exact distribution is yet to be announced.
Stakeholders have expressed deep concern for the staff affected by the cuts, and for the impact they will have on visa processing and the IRCC’s capacity to provide the guidance that is badly needed after a year of policy changes from the department.
“These cuts will only add pressure to an already strained system, leading to longer wait times for all types of immigration applications as we have already seen over the past few months,” Philipp Reichert, director of global engagement at the University of British Columbia told The PIE.
“We are already witnessing increased wait times that could deter potential applicants and place further strain on institutional resources,” he said.
December 2024 saw critically high processing delays, with those applying for a study permit outside of Canada waiting up to 11 weeks, and those applying from within Canada waiting for approximately 8 weeks.
With the number of study permit applications set to increase due to the new transfer requirements introduced in November, the department will be under increased pressure as the cuts take hold.
“CBIE is greatly concerned about the pending job cuts at IRCC and what implications this might have on what are already comparatively slow visa processing timelines relative to our key competitor countries,” CBIE president Larisa Bezo told The PIE.
“At a time when the international education sector is still in the midst of grappling with enormous policy changes, we are concerned that these cuts will reduce IRCC’s capacity to provide the policy guidance that is so badly needed by the sector,” added Bezo.
According to the announcement, the IRCC’s workforce expanded in recent years to address challenges cause by the pandemic, to modernise the system and support record immigration that boosted economic recovery and addressed labour shortages.
“This growth relied on temporary funding, which was never meant to be permanent,” said the department.
We are already witnessing increased wait times that could deter potential applicants and place further strain on institutional resources
Philipp Reichert, University of British Columbia
The IRCC said that the cuts represented a readjustment to align staffing with reduced immigration targets, as set out in the new Immigration Levels Plan, and lower permanent funding, but commentators say they are the “opposite” of what is needed in a backlogged system.
“Unfortunately, these measures fall short of what is needed to balance policy goals with practical realities,” said Reichert.
“Ongoing policy shifts risk undermining confidence in the system, creating unintended barriers for those looking to contribute to Canada’s economy, research landscape, and cultural diversity,” he added.
The end of last year saw approximately 600 temporary workers lose their jobs at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as part of the federal government’s spending review, which is expected to lead to further job losses across government departments.
“The newly announced cuts at IRCC are the most significant so far, but more are expected as federal departments are being asked to find savings across the board,” said PSAC and the Canada Employment and Immigration Union.
Elsewhere, union leaders have criticised the timing of the cuts coinciding with the new Trump administration, urging the government to put workforce reductions on hold until a clearer national direction is set over the uncertain future of US–Canada relations.
According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, there were 13,092 employees at IRCC in 2024, up from 10,248 in 2022 and 7,800 in 2019.
