Canada is touting itself as a global hub for immigration, and people want to enter, at least temporarily. The latest data from IRCC, Canada’s immigration agency, shows a sharp increase in the number of temporary resident applications in the first quarter of 2023. The rapid surge in temporary resident applications despite a decline in permanent resident applications has prompted government agencies to turn to artificial intelligence to help process them. Human-impossible mass approvals, what could be the problem?
Canada received more than 550,000 temporary resident applications in one month
Canada has seen a surge in temporary resident applications. According to the latest figures, the number of applications in March 2023 was 553,244, an increase of 13% (an increase of 67,700) from the same month last year. It’s also more than triple the amount in 2021, the largest single month in at least three years, but it could probably go back further. It’s not just a lot of applications, it’s an astronomical amount.
50% increase in first quarter filings in Canada
In general, temporary resident applications showed strong growth in 2023. In Canada in the first quarter of 2023, he received 1.43 million applications, a 50% increase compared to the same period last year (he increased by 475,000 applications).
Over half of the applications came from just three countries. India accounted for nearly one of her three applications (30%), with no other country matching. The next closest countries were Ukraine (17%), followed by China (5%).
Canada Turns to AI to Help Handle Mass Application Influx
If you follow Canada’s immigration backlog, this amount would seem impossible to handle. The IRCC’s “inventory” (total amount, by the way) is about 2 million applications, with 809,000 pending. The number of applications is very high, and if the current pace continues, the number of applications could reach a whopping 7 million.
To help with this, Canada turned to “artificial intelligence” (AI) to help process applications. They first started using AI in their applications in China and India. A third model was added in his 2022 for other countries.
How useful this is is a bit of a mystery at this point. The IRCC said AI can’t reject applications, but it can help prioritize emails and applications based on the words selected in the emails and applications. But advanced analytical systems can’t turn people off, and the agency says the final decision still rests with its officials.
Regarding approving the actual application, the IRCC argued that it was an error. In a memo shared with policymakers last November, “Media reports falsely suggested that the IRCC’s Chinook tool uses advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to automate decision-making. It is written that
fucking media. Anyway, two days later, the IRCC said the results of its automated processing system would be used to “approve some applications”. It looks like you had a really busy two days.
Those who criticize automation based strictly on non-human involvement may not understand the application. A low-complexity application is essentially a rubric and only needs to check if the applicant meets the requirements. In one case, a human neglected a background check and mistakenly migrated the head of an organized crime family to Canada. it happens. A more valid concern may be that Canada approves too many applications and is short on manpower. Building proper shelters for immigrants will be more work than reading applications and conducting background checks, but that’s an aside.
In any case, the use of these tools may be why the backlog is cleared so quickly. This is good news for applicants and could mean an increase in demand for housing. Although it is not entirely clear either.
The application is not approved, but many people want to move to Canada temporarily
These figures are frequently used to indicate housing demand. This definitely shows that there is no shortage of people who want to help Canada’s population grow, but an application is not the same as an approval.
Last year there were 4.7 million temporary residency applications, but the number of people immigrating to Canada was clearly not. The country’s public image as a country with low barriers to immigration means many applicants may not be ready for transition.
Furthermore, IRCC does not distinguish between new applications and extensions under this number. There were over 3.1 million temporary residents last year, and some may choose to apply for extensions and stay on visas to count on that number. Some will decide that Canada is not for them and the net inflow will be zero.
In other words, the application does not directly tell us about demand. Many people apply hoping to join the demand, but we’ll have to see how much demand actually materializes.
An important point worth exploring further is the difference between temporary and permanent residents. Applications for the latter have plummeted, while those for the former continue to soar. The try-before-you-buy approach isn’t the worst thing, but sudden changes are worth watching.
