There is nothing amazing about this, in my opinion.
They paused accepting new PSR applications because of the backlog and claimed it was necessary to help clear the existing files. But what has really happened is that they have paused the process, reduced the number of refugees they plan to accept over the next three years, and shifted their focus toward other immigration streams.
According to the Canadian Council for Refugees, “Refugees in Africa continue to face the longest wait for resettlement to Canada.” From what I can see, there is still no clear picture of what is actually happening with these files. All we keep hearing is: wait, wait, and wait—without knowing when the process will actually move forward.
The new IRCC reports also do not clearly show how many PSR applications are actually in the system out of the total number of protection applications. The only information we are given is that around 55,000 applications have been finalized since January, while 299,460 applications remain unfinished. Of those, 55% are in processing and 45% are waiting for space under the yearly targets.
If this is the way the system is going to operate, many of these applications could remain stuck for years. Limiting the number of refugees admitted under the annual targets while thousands of people are already waiting does not solve the problem—it simply pushes the problem further into the future.
People who have already been waiting for years deserve transparency. They deserve to know where their applications stand, how many PSR applications are actually in the backlog, how many officers are working on them, and what realistic timeline they can expect.
Keeping people in limbo for years without a clear explanation is not fair.