World Immigration News

Immigration lawyers concerned IRCC's use of processing technology leading to unfair visa refusals

Release Date: 2025-09-16
Media: CBC
Summary: Concerns are rising in Canada about immigration applications being refused without proper human review, with some decisions appearing to overlook submitted documents. Immigration professionals and applicants report cases where refusals were based on incorrect or incomplete assessments, raising doubts about the thoroughness of the process. These issues are linked to the use of computer-assisted decision-making tools like IRCC’s “Advanced Data Analytics” and the “Chinook” system, which are designed to speed up processing by allowing officers to handle large volumes of cases simultaneously. While IRCC insists that final decisions are made by human officers, critics argue that these tools encourage superficial reviews and bulk processing, potentially compromising fairness and procedural integrity. Examples include spousal visitor visa refusals where key information was ignored, only corrected after reconsideration. The Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association has warned that automation has contributed to an increase in poorly reasoned decisions. Although IRCC sees technology as essential for modernization and reducing backlogs, questions remain about whether efficiency gains are coming at the cost of fairness and transparency in immigration adjudication.
Tags: Canada

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