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Mr. Chair, what I would say is, in 2024, IRCC approved 292,431 new study permits. That is 41% fewer than what was approved in 2023.
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Mr. Chair, we have instituted stronger integrity to prevent any student fraud, particularly when students are taken advantage of by fraudulent partners that—
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Mr. Chair, yes, of course I can. We have implemented an enhanced letter of acceptance verification system to protect these students from fraud.
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Mr. Chair, people coming to Canada temporarily to work, to study—
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Mr. Chair, I do not think the member really has been here throughout the whole proceedings. Estimates were tabled. We have our levels planned. We have the numbers of the different categories of people who are being brought in. We have met those—
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Mr. Chair, how much has the federal government spent? I did have that in my estimates actually, and I will get it for the member.
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Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert for the question. It is a very good question, a crucial question. My answer is that we are taking important steps to strengthen the integrity of our immigration system while honouring our humanitarian commitments. That is why we introduced changes to ensure that our immigration system can handle such challenges now …
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Mr. Chair, again, as of today, the average time to process these claims is 14 to 18 months.
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Mr. Chair, what I can say is, in 2024, we had approved—
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Mr. Chair, as I referenced in my opening remarks, when we talked about our estimates, we have interim housing supports. We also have—
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Mr. Chair, vetting security risk is something—
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Mr. Chair, what I will say is, post-pandemic, had we not increased our immigration levels, our economy would have absolutely shrunk.
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Mr. Chair, what I have said and will say again is that we have implemented stronger integrity to prevent students from being taken advantage of. We have also clarified that programs delivered through—
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Mr. Chair, we have robust measures in the main estimates that deal with biometric collection, with security, but again, CBSA and CSIS are the ones that are in charge of that.
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Mr. Chair, when those targets are set, the IRCC has to consult all provinces, territories, stakeholders and communities.
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Mr. Chair, students who were granted letters fraudulently did not come to Canada.
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Mr. Chair, these are security matters and security fissures, and of course, Public Safety and CBSA take control of that.
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Mr. Chair, we will get that information before we leave today, but again, as I said to the member—
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Mr. Chair, we will try this again. Immigration is our strength. The increased immigration number, because of COVID, because of the last—
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Mr. Chair, the figures I have been presented with have told me that, because of the work we have been doing in cities like Toronto, there is now a decline of 8.1% in rent.
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Mr. Chair, the measures in Bill C-2 were introduced for the fact that we are seeing a high number of asylum claims, some of which are not legitimate, and that is meant to ensure—
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Mr. Chair, those numbers are given to provinces and communities to help support the people who come to their provinces as well.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. parliamentary secretary is a member from my home province of Nova Scotia. He has been an absolute delight to work with since I was elected federally, but even prior to that when I was a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature. He reminds me often of how young he is, but there is no age in this place. We all come from such different backgrounds. The member is quite right that I …
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Mr. Chair, as I explained, in the estimates, when there is a rise in part of the estimates, there is a correlation decrease in another estimate.
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Mr. Chair, it is 5% of the national population by 2027.
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Mr. Chair, we have a levels plan that has been tabled in this House. We have targeted numbers. Those numbers are very much in the public eye. Everybody can look at them. We are meeting those numbers.
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Mr. Chair, we are concentrating on bringing the talent that Canada needs, and that includes people in the medical world and in the construction world. Those are the targets that we are concentrating on.
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Mr. Chair, I have done my best to answer the questions. There are times when the amount of time is limited. Members are asking very important questions, questions that Canadians rightfully asked when we went to the doors in the last campaign, which was only—
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Mr. Chair, between January and April 30, which is the first quarter of 2025, I can say that total asylum claims across Canada had fallen by 36%.
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Mr. Chair, our 2027 target is 5% of Canada's population. We are working—
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Mr. Chair, again, the provinces and the communities themselves are also working on these pathways. I know, as a former minister—
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Mr. Chair, again, we have met and exceeded the target for the first quarter of 2025.
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Mr. Chair, those people whose visas have expired are expected to be leaving.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an absolute honour to be here this evening as the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship. I want to take a moment to really thank the constituents of Halifax West for placing their faith in me and electing me a second time as their member. I am joined this evening by the deputy minister, Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar. I want to take a moment to thank him and all the staff w…
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Mr. Chair, that is exactly why we are working to reduce our numbers, and those numbers are decreasing.
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Mr. Chair, we have introduced student caps. We have also worked with the institutions. The provinces are very well aware, and they are working with their universities and colleges through the designated learning institutions. We have put all kinds of limitations and expectations on the universities.
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Mr. Chair, the last I heard, the taxpayers were the Canadian population.
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Mr. Chair, I think that the member is talking about the Canada-Quebec accord. Is that right?
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Mr. Chair, again, we have set the targets for permanent residents. We have set the target for temporary residents, which would include the international students—
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Mr. Chair, to begin, I would like to thank my colleague. I greatly appreciate his co-operation. We have met once already, and I look forward to working with him to improve the situation, not only in Quebec, but also across Canada. Could my colleague repeat his question?
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Mr. Chair, we actually spoke about that and it is in the estimates. We have biometrics that—
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Mr. Chair, departmental plans for my department are due in November. They are always due in November.
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Mr. Chair, all immigrants who come here, whether they are international students or temporary foreign workers, are screened by biometrics. Comprehensive screening is done.
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Mr. Chair, that is why the ineligibility requirements in Bill C-2 are there. It is to ensure that we deal with the people who do not have legitimate claims. My—
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Mr. Chair, as I understand it, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada processes 85,000 claims a year.
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Mr. Chair, CBSA and the Department of Public Safety are in charge of those exit numbers.
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Mr. Chair, CBSA is in charge of removals. I would suggest that the member should be asking the public safety minister the questions on that. Again I say to her that we have rules in—
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Mr. Chair, I really appreciate that question. It is a very good question. I can tell my colleague that I will talk to departmental officials about it. I will keep my colleague posted.
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Mr. Chair, what I can say is that estimates have been established for now. I cannot predict what the future will bring.
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