Record 200,000 Refugee Claims in Canada Drive Wait Times to 44 Months

Arpan Khanna, MP from Woodstock, Ont.. was seen pressing Canadian immigration officials on significant delays in refugee claim processing, which are now reaching unprecedented lengths. In an exchange with an immigration official, Khanna revealed critical insights into the challenges facing Canada’s immigration system.

Khanna opened the discussion by asking, “What is the average wait time for a case we process at the RPD from being referred to you and finding a decision?” The IRB official responded that while the current wait time averages around 14 months, the situation is rapidly worsening. “We’re funded for about 60,000 finalizations this year,” the official explained. “But with the intake right now at over 200,000 claims, the wait time for a claim that’s coming in now will be about 44 months.”

Reacting to the startling figure, Khanna remarked, “44 months. Wow, that’s a big number,” and followed up by asking if the IRB anticipated further increases in wait times. The official confirmed this possibility, explaining, “If intake keeps growing…about 70% of our inventory is about a year old, less than a year.” This highlighted the strain on resources as Canada faces a historically high volume of refugee claims.

Khanna further inquired about the context of these figures, asking, “What was it last this high? Is this the first time you’re seeing this in our country?” The official responded, “The highest volume that the IRB has had.”

BREAKING NEWS!

Immigration Officials confirm 200,000 NEW asylum referrals, the most in CDN history — 70% of them in the last 12 mos alone!

Wait times for refugee claims have soared from 14 to 44 months under Miller’s leadership.

Liberal incompetence has broken the… pic.twitter.com/tpJ3hKLo7k

— Arpan Khanna (@ArpanKhanna) November 7, 2024

This exchange underlined the critical challenges for Canada’s immigration system. With intakes far outpacing the IRB’s funded capacity, the government faces mounting pressure to address the backlog, which could severely impact Canada’s commitments to processing refugee claims in a timely manner.

As Canada confronts an evolving global migration landscape, Khanna’s questions have spotlighted the urgent need for increased resources, policy reform, and strategic planning to manage the rising demand in the nation’s immigration and refugee processing systems.