Canada’s immigration system is going digital, and accountability must keep pace
Canada’s immigration system is going digital, and accountability must keep pace
https://hrlawcanada.com/2026/03/canadas-immigration-system-is-going-digital-and-accountability-must-keep-pace/
Publish Date: 2026-03-17 16:13:00
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By Marika Jeziorek
Canada’s immigration system has long played a central role in the country’s economic and social development. Immigration accounts for most of Canada’s population growth and helps address labour market shortages across sectors. Settlement services support newcomers as they build lives and communities across the country.
As the number of people seeking to visit and immigrate to Canada grows, the way applications are handled is becoming more digital. This shift is reshaping how applicants interact with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Through its Digital Platform Modernization initiative, the department has been rolling out new online client accounts, automated processing tools and digital visas as part of a broader multi-year transformation.
However, as processes become more automated, it can be harder to see how decisions are shaped or how to challenge them. The growing use of automated tools has long been linked to changes in accountability and institutional practice.
In immigration administration, these changes are becoming visible in everyday interactions with digital systems.
Operational pressures
Canada processes millions of temporary and permanent immigration applications each year, placing significant pressure on administrative systems and processing capacity.
Much of this work is currently done through the current Global Case Management System (GCMS). This system was introduced 20 years ago when immigration processing relied heavily on paper records and centralized operations.
However, the system was designed for a different era of immigration administration. When GCMS was first implemented, immigration processing still relied heavily on paper documentation and centralized administrative workflows.
Over the past two decades, both the scale and complexity of Canada’s immigration system have expanded significantly. As a result, IRCC has begun developing a new case-management…
