2017–18 Departmental Plan - Part III

Table of Contents

Institutional Head's Message

Plans at a Glance

Raison d'être, Mandate and Role: Who we are and what we do

• Raison d'être
• Mandate and Role

Operating Context: Conditions Affecting our Work

Key Risks: Things that Could Affect our Ability to Achieve our Plans and Results

Planned Results: What we Want to Achieve this Year and Beyond

• Programs
• Internal Services

Spending and Human Resources

• Planned Spending
• Planned Human Resources
• Estimates by Vote
• Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations

Supplementary Information

• Corporate Information
• Supplementary Information Table
• Federal Tax Expenditures
• Organizational Contact Information

Appendix A: Definitions

Institutional Head's Message

Our 2017–18 Departmental Plan provides parliamentarians and Canadians with information on what we do and the results we are trying to achieve during the upcoming year. To improve reporting to Canadians, we are introducing a new, simplified report to replace the Report on Plans and Priorities.

The title of the report has been changed to reflect its purpose: to communicate our annual performance goals and the financial and human resources forecast to deliver those results. The report has also been restructured to tell a clearer, more straightforward and balanced story of the actual results we are expected to achieve, while continuing to provide transparency on how tax payers' dollars will be spent. We describe our programs and services for Canadians, our priorities for 2017–18, and how our work will fulfill our organizational mandate commitments and the government's priorities.

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is an independent administrative tribunal entrusted by Parliament with resolving immigration and refugee cases efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law. The IRB carries out its duties at arm's length from the Government of Canada, but is fully accountable to Parliament and to all Canadians.

The IRB carries out its work in an ever-changing environment in which shifting migration patterns, domestic legislative changes and other factors have an impact on the number of cases received and their complexity. Through the decisions and resolutions made by its four divisions, namely the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD), the Immigration Division (ID) and the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), the Board contributes directly to Canada's humanitarian traditions, the security of Canada and the quality of life of Canadians, as well as to the fulfillment of our international obligations.

Key Priorities for 2017–18

The IRB has established the following two strategic priorities that will run over a four-year time horizon ending in March 2021:

1. Limit the growth of the refugee determination backlogs
2. Eliminate the backlog of immigration appeals

Given appropriate additional resources, the IRB would be in a position to eliminate the backlog of unresolved refugee protection claims. In the interim, the Board will focus on limiting further backlog growth. It will do so by re-examining current case management approaches to maximize efficiency while ensuring that both? the RPD and the RAD are adequately resourced, staffed and supported. We will seek to maximize the complement of decision makers at the IAD and continue to implement innovative practices to increase finalizations. The RAD will also make case management adjustments, while it further develops its adjudication strategy and fully integrates new decision-makers. The ID will have revised detention guidelines in place over the coming year and all divisions will have the benefit of a new guideline on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

In further support of these priorities, the IRB will continue to pursue the five-year roadmap to enhance its electronic case processing system, lead the Board's engagement in support of the refugee reform, improve the alignment of corporate resources through a client-focused service delivery model, meet new accommodation requirements and ensure that a pool of qualified candidates is in place for consideration for appointments by the Governor in Council (GIC) to either the IAD or the RAD decision-maker positions.

I take great pride in, and am inspired by, the dedication of IRB personnel to the mission of the IRB. Our workplace is remarkably diverse and engaged and is committed to ensuring that the Board fully meets its mandate to render fast, fair and quality decisions. As Chairperson, one of my most important responsibilities is to ensure that our employees have a high-quality workplace, a workplace that respects differences, promotes diversity and safeguards the well-being and mental health of all employees. To this end, in October 2016 I launched our multi-year Quality Workplace Commitment (QWC) and established a QWC office to promote and coordinate activities. In 2017–18, a key IRB priority is to make progress in our five QWC action themes: civility, communication, diversity, mental health and mentorship.

Plans at a Glance

In its strategic goal-setting process, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) has identified two key strategic priorities that will run over a four year time horizon ending in March 2021, namely, limiting the growth of the refugee determination backlogs and eliminating the backlog of immigration appeals. The following describes the key plans to be implemented during the 2017–18 reporting period:

1. Limit the Growth of the Refugee Determination Backlogs
   The IRB will strive for quality and timely decision-making and will continue to ensure a high level of fairness in its proceedings. In seeking to limit further growth in the backlog of unresolved refugee protection claims, we will re-examine current case management approaches to maximize effectiveness and efficiency while ensuring adequate staffing and support to effectively respond to the growth in refugee protection claim intake. Besides appointing additional public servant decision makers to the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), the IRB's Governor in Council (GIC) Secretariat is implementing the Government's new approach to the qualification and selection of GIC decision makers so as to enable timely appointments to be made to the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD).
2. Reduce the Backlog of Immigration Appeals
   Adaptability and flexibility will be critical to the IRB's success in eliminating the backlog of unresolved immigration appeals over the next four years. In 2017–18, the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) will continue to pursue innovative strategies to reduce the average processing time for immigration appeals, and to enhance efficiency while further building capacity to finalize cases above intake levels. The IAD will also review its rules of practice to help the Division deliver administrative justice that is fair, fast and accessible. In addition, the IRB will seek to strengthen collaboration with portfolio agencies to enhance productivity and efficiency while safeguarding the Board's institutional independence. It will also evaluate the results of two pilot projects aimed at improving the efficiency of processing appeals.

Supporting Initiatives

In order to support the above plans, the IRB will continue to build an organization that values its people and promotes management excellence. The IRB will also continue to implement innovative measures to advance the Quality Workplace Commitment (QWC) initiative put in place with the intent to build and maintain a healthier, more inclusive and more supportive work environment. This will also be promoted by implementing policies and procedures that support the effective management of human resources and forward-thinking business planning such as business process improvement and lean, continual improvement strategies.

For more information on the IRB's plans, priorities and planned results, see the "Planned Results" section of this report.

Raison d'être, Mandate and Role: Who we are and what we do

Operating Context: Conditions affecting our work

Key Risks: Things that could affect our ability to achieve our plans and results

Key Risks

Capacity to Resolve RPD Cases in a Timely Manner

Claim volumes for 2017–18 are projected to exceed existing processing capacity by 50 percent or more. This would result in significant growth in the backlog and a reduced ability to meet regulated timelines. Since the refugee protection system came into force in late 2012, the RPD has demonstrated a capacity to process a large volume of claims within the targeted timelines. However, the new refugee protection system has demonstrated that finalizing claims faster to respect regulated timelines requires more decision-makers and associated resources than original costing estimates showed. This issue is intensified by the rising intake of cases. Claim volumes have increased by an average of 30 percent per year since 2014 and continue to rise steadily by two to three percent each month. As a consequence, the inventory of pending claims is growing and aging, thus affecting the efficiency of the system. Unless the steady trend in intake volumes reverses, additional capacity will be required to meet regulated timelines.

Capacity of Internal Services to Support Programs

Internal services directly supports the needs of the four divisions to deliver the IRB's core programs. These needs include new accommodations in the regions, a transformed case management system, and upgraded IT infrastructure. The capacity of internal services to deliver is at risk because of pressures associated with the ongoing centralization of common services and the ambitious scope of program needs. To mitigate the risk, the IRB is working closely with partners—business owners, central agencies and common service providers—to ensure that resources and activities are appropriately aligned to support the IRB's plans.

Planned Results: What we want to achieve this year and beyond

1.2 Refugee Appeal

1.3 Admissibility Hearings and Detention Reviews

Planning Highlights

During 2017–18, the ID will support the IRB’s organizational priorities by conducting detention reviews in a manner that respects legislative time limits and upholds fundamental rights and procedural fairness.

At the same time, the ID will continue to process admissibility hearings as efficiently as possible by closely monitoring its scheduling standards and case management practices. This aims to ensure that predetermined productivity targets are met, that is, that most admissibility hearings will be finalized within six months of referral.

In 2017–18, it is projected that the ID will receive similar volumes of cases as in recent years and will finalize up to 2,000 admissibility hearings and up to 15,000 detention reviews within legislated timelines.

The Division will continue to promote excellence within a collaborative work environment as well as consistency in decision making. The Division will encourage open discussion and consultation between management, registry employees and decision makers on various salient issues including business process improvement, varying interpretations of the law, the continued development of adjudicative tools and a continuous learning environment at all levels.

Through ongoing communication, collaboration and effective management, the Division will continue to build and maintain a healthy and respectful work environment that focuses on the skills and talents of its people and fosters common goals and results.

1.4 Immigration Appeal

Spending and Human Resources

Planned Spending

It is anticipated that the Sunset Program, which funds cases requiring the protection of information pursuant to Division 9 of the IRPA, will be continued in 2017–18.

The lifting of the Temporary Resident Visa requirement for Mexican citizens in December 2016 resulted in additional funding for the Refugee Protection and Refugee Appeal programs, in anticipation of an increase in asylum seekers. The increase in spending is attributable to incremental regional staffing and infrastructure planned in order to resolve the cases of these claimants.

Planned Human Resources

The IRB is currently staffing positions to address the rising needs of the organization.

Estimates by Vote

For information on the IRB’s organizational appropriations, consult the 2017–18 Main Estimates.

Future-Oriented Condensed Statements of Operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides a general overview of the IRB’s operations. The forecast of financial information on expenses and revenues is prepared on an accrual accounting basis to strengthen accountability and to improve transparency and financial management.

Because the future-oriented condensed statement of operations is prepared on an accrual accounting basis, and the forecast and planned spending amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan are prepared on an expenditure basis, amounts may differ.

A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the IRB’s website.

Future-Oriented Condensed Statement of Operations

The net cost of the IRB’s operations is projected to be $155 million in 2017–18, an expected increase of $5.6 million compared to the 2016–17 forecasted results. The increase in expenses in 2017–18 is due to the planned spending to add capacity to ensure the timely resolution of refugee determination cases and appeals arising from the lifting of the visa requirement for Mexican citizens.

Supplementary Information

Appendix A: Definitions

appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

Core Responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a Core Responsibility are reflected in one or more related Departmental Results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (Plan ministériel)
Provides information on the plans and expected performance of appropriated departments over a three year period. Departmental Plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.

Departmental Result (résultat ministériel)
A Departmental Result represents the change or changes that the department seeks to influence. A Departmental Result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

Departmental Result Indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a Departmental Result.

Departmental Results Framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
Consists of the department’s Core Responsibilities, Departmental Results and Departmental Result Indicators.

Departmental Results Report (Rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
Provides information on the actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

full time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. Full time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
For the purpose of the 2017–18 Departmental Plan, government-wide priorities refers to those high level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2015 Speech from the Throne, namely: Growth for the Middle Class; Open and Transparent Government; A Clean Environment and a Strong Economy; Diversity is Canada’s Strength; and Security and Opportunity.

horizontal initiatives (initiative horizontale)
A horizontal initiative is one in which two or more federal organizations, through an approved funding agreement, work toward achieving clearly defined shared outcomes, and which has been designated (e.g. by Cabinet, a central agency, etc.) as a horizontal initiative for managing and reporting purposes.

Management, Resources and Results Structure (Structure de la gestion, des ressources et des résultats)
A comprehensive framework that consists of an organization’s inventory of programs, resources, results, performance indicators and governance information. Programs and results are depicted in their hierarchical relationship to each other and to the Strategic Outcome(s) to which they contribute. The Management, Resources and Results Structure is developed from the Program Alignment Architecture.

non budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

Performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

Performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
The process of communicating evidence based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts that receive Treasury Board approval by February 1. Therefore, planned spending may include amounts incremental to planned expenditures presented in the Main Estimates.
A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

plans (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.

Priorities (priorité)
Plans or projects that an organization has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired Strategic Outcome(s).

program (programme)
A group of related resource inputs and activities that are managed to meet specific needs and to achieve intended results and that are treated as a budgetary unit.

Program Alignment Architecture (architecture d’alignement des programmes)
A structured inventory of an organization’s programs depicting the hierarchical relationship between programs and the Strategic Outcome(s) to which they contribute.

results (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

Strategic Outcome (résultat stratégique)
A long term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization’s mandate, vision and core functions.

sunset program (programme temporisé)
A time limited program that does not have an ongoing funding and policy authority. When the program is set to expire, a decision must be made whether to continue the program. In the case of a renewal, the decision specifies the scope, funding level and duration.

target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an Appropriation Act. The Vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.