Meeting 31 · May 4, 2026 · 11:00–12:18 (1h 18m)
45-11 witness · 206 interventions · 8,073 words
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration met to study Canada’s immigration system, focusing on the 2026 Auditor General’s report on international student program reforms. The witnesses were the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Ted Gallivan, Deputy Minister of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.
Ted Gallivan acknowledged that the department lacked a comprehensive entry/exit system to track when temporary residents depart, calling the development of such a system a “paradigm shift” for IRCC. He stated that a pilot to manage departures begins in May 2026, and that the department is working to string together data from CBSA and IRCC for a real-time picture of who is in the country. He also clarified that of the 153,000 flagged cases, 78% were cleared (students had valid status, transferred schools, or applied for asylum), while the remaining 22% require further investigation to confirm departure or initiate removal. He committed to investigating all 800 cases of fraud identified in the report, with a goal of reaching a decision on each by the end of 2026, and noted that the student direct stream—a “light touch” program—has been discontinued, while renewals for those who entered through it now receive additional scrutiny.
Minister Diab emphasized that the Auditor General’s report covered the early stages of a multi-year reform plan already underway, and that the department welcomes its recommendations. She broke down the 153,000 flagged cases: 64% had valid status, 14% had claimed asylum, and 22% had expired status, with work ongoing to determine if they left Canada. She stated that all flagged cases will be reviewed by the end of 2026, that fraudulent document submitters will have notes on their files, and that Bill C-12 is intended to curb the practice of using student permits to then claim asylum. She disagreed with characterizations that the department had not acted, noting that student arrivals dropped by over 60% in 2025 and that the letter of acceptance verification system is preventing fraud. She also committed to providing the committee with a breakdown of the 153,000, 800, and 39,500 cases within three weeks.
During the meeting, members requested and the minister agreed to table: a breakdown of the 153,000, 800, and 39,500 cases with current status; the names of designated learning institutions that have been banned from issuing new permits; and the contribution agreements between the federal government and municipalities for the purchase of real estate. No procedural debate, motions, or votes occurred.
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Ted Gallivan
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Opening remarks
On both security screening inventories and managing the departure, entry/exit, there have been discussions with CBSA jointly on the way forward. We've agreed on the way forward.