Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has undergone an internal shake-up of roles and responsibilities and terminology.
The changes could be related to more fundamental shifts in immigration policy expected this fall, and also appear to be concerned with the influx of Syrian refugees.
They took effect on September 12, 2016. They are outlined below:
IRCC Responsibility Changes
- Program delivery in Domestic Networks (formerly Domestic Regions) moved under a single Director-General located at IRCC headquarters in Ottawa.
- Delivery of integration programs (both Settlement and Re-Settlement Assistance Programs) in Domestic Networks moved under Director-General of Integration Program Management at IRCC headquarters in Ottawa.
- Operational delivery for resettlement of refugees moved under new Senior Director of Resettlement Operations, reporting to the Director General of the International Network (formerly Region).
IRCC Terminology Changes
Program delivery
| Old term | New term |
| Domestic Regions | Domestic Network |
| Integration Program Management Branch | Settlement Network |
| International Region | International Network |
| Centralized Processing Region | Centralized Network |
Functional guidance
| Old term | New term |
| Operational Management and Coordination Branch | Immigration Program Guidance Branch |
| Citizenship and Passport Operations Coordination Branch | Citizenship and Passport Program Guidance Branch |
Oversight
| Old term | New term |
| Operations Performance Management Branch | Operations Planning and Performance Branch |
The IRCC was completely renamed under the Liberal government, having been known as Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) under the Conservatives. The website for the department retains the old acronym (http://www.cic.gc.ca/).
The name change was made to reflect the efforts being made to bring in Syrian refugees, a key campaign pledge for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
The department continues to be referred to as the CIC in many documents, including older web pages.
It is important to note that the CIC and IRCC are two names for the same department, to avoid confusion when consulting immigration guidelines.
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