On January 31 IRCC released a news release confirming that they are investing $85 million in new funding to help speed up processing times across certain inventories. The investment will add new staff and is supposed help speed up study permits, work permits, and permanent resident card renewals, as well as visitor visas and proof of citizenship applications.

The $85 million allocation is not a new announcement. It was first published in the Economic and Fiscal Update 2021, but today IRCC is reconfirming that those funds will be deployed. IRCC has also publicly announced and admitted what lawyers have know for some time: that IRCC is using basic AI algorithms (some of the them just formulas within a simple Excel spreadsheet!) to speed up the intake and processing of files. While the news release makes it sound that the outcomes of this AI have all been positive, the truth is that we have seen, through Access to Information requests, some serious mistakes made by visa posts who are using this AI, which was apparently created in-house within one of the Consulates. As counsel, due process and procedural fairness are top of mind, and we are concerned that the use of AI will fall short. Specifically, the AI might miss nuanced details that make up an application, or misread critical documents, resulting in the application being inappropriately flagged.

IRCC states that the AI cannot refuse an application and that “an IRCC officer will always make the final decision.” While this sounds comforting, it is actually problematic because the officer’s final decision might be based on the negative bias the AI has presented, i.e. the officer might refuse the file without conducting a proper review of the documents that make up the application, resulting in erroneous and avoidable refusals. We know this has already happened as it has been tested in Federal Court under cross-examination.

The bottom line is that we anticipate that the AI might create significant problems for applicants and result in unreasonable refusals, despite the upside that applications in general will achieve shorter processing timeframes. Unfortunately, it will be up to immigration lawyers to hold IRCC accountable and this process is likely to happen within the slow and expensive Federal Court system.


Borders Law firm

Baljinder Singh

Everyone in this office was incredibly supportive and helpful. In a situation that could have been very stressful, they took care of EVERYTHING. Thanks Jenny and Devika for providing exceptional service. Dealt with them for the second case, they kept me in loop for the whole process. Highly recommend using them again which in hindsight I will not have to but if you ever need legal help, they are definitely the people to go to!

Charanjit singh

I and my family want to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to Devika, John and the team at Borders Law firm for assisting us with the PRTD application for my mother at a time when most processing was closed due to lockdowns. They also worked proactively with us to establish a good strategy with back up plans which gave us sufficient information and assurance. Very responsive and forthcoming with information. Proactive in processing but at the same time they put enough time in the application and the supporting details to have high quality of the application. As a result our application was processed in 1 go at a time when it was critical and sensitive time for the family. Thank you again.

Abin Abraham

Borders Law firm is one of the best immigration consultants & lawyers in Ontario, Canada. Their way of service is outstanding & Ms.Devika’s service is really appreciable. She will clearly tell the best option that suits you. Special thanks to Jenny, she helped the documentation part in a professional way. I will 100 percentage suggests borders law firm for immigration-related services. Thank you so much for your service.

Satish Maduri

I had a very good experience with Borders Law Firm. Though my PR file was a bit complicated, Brendan, Andres and Devika worked extremely well in a thorough and perfect manner. I was so happy when my PR application was processed in a record-breaking 45 days, thanks to the meticulous handling of my case by the lawyers.

See more Google Reviews

Copyright © 2024 Borders Law firm
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.