Canada’s immigration system is struggling under the weight of unchecked arrivals, with roughly 100,000 illegal immigrants and refugee claimants still awaiting security screening before their cases can even move forward, Parliament was told this week.Immigration and Refugee Board chair Manon Brassard testified that about one-third of the board’s massive backlog — roughly 300,000 pending cases — is frozen because mandatory front-end security checks have not been completed. Without those screenings, she said, the board cannot proceed.The backlog, Brassard explained, is the direct result of years of record-breaking intake. Canada admitted 156,000 claimants in 2023, 176,000 last year, and is on track to take between 95,000 and 105,000 more by the end of the current fiscal year.Her remarks came during Senate hearings on Bill C-12, legislation that would grant cabinet sweeping powers to suspend or cancel immigration processing if deemed to be in the public interest. The bill would amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow Ottawa to halt or revoke study permits, work permits, visas and other immigration documents for any length of time.Under the proposed law, cabinet could cancel or vary permanent resident visas, temporary resident visas, electronic travel authorizations, work permits and study permits through an order-in-council..MPs have repeatedly raised concerns about the security implications of the delays. Brassard previously told the Commons immigration committee that background checks for border crossers and refugee claimants typically take six to eight months to complete.Conservative MP Costas Menegakis pressed her on that timeline, noting that claimants remain in Canada during the screening period. Brassard responded that the Canada Border Services Agency is working diligently, but acknowledged the process is lengthy.Menegakis warned that during those months, claimants receive public benefits despite not having cleared security checks. He argued the system rewards asylum seekers by allowing them to jump ahead of other immigration applicants who follow established streams.The consequences are being felt across the system. The current wait time for a full Immigration and Refugee Board hearing now stands at 44 months.Despite the delays, Brassard said the board issued a record 102,000 decisions last year, including more than 78,000 refugee protection rulings. She described the output as a 42% increase in productivity year over year — a figure that has done little to ease concerns about security gaps and mounting backlogs.
