Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Lena Metcalf Diab said that her department wants to obtain tools that will allow it to track the number of people with temporary status leaving the country. This was reported by The Canadian Press.
What happened
According to the minister, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) seeks to “digitize” the ability to count the departures of temporary residents, because there is currently no simple systematic way to understand how many people with temporary permits have actually left Canada after their status has expired.
IRCC also confirms the scale of the “wave of status expirations”: nearly 1.9 million temporary visas/permits (including work and student visas) will expire in 2026, and more than 2.1 million expired in 2025.
Why is this important
The number of people with temporary status in Canada has grown in recent years, and the government is simultaneously talking about the need to better manage the volume of temporary migration. In this logic, counting “how many entered” without a clear understanding of “how many left” makes policy less manageable — especially when millions of permits expire every year.
What the border service already collects
An important nuance: the idea of “tracking departures” does not mean that some new “exit control” is being introduced from scratch. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) already has tools for collecting biographical data on border crossings:
- Land border: a record of entry into the US can serve as a record of departure from Canada (through data exchange).
- Air departure: As of June 25, 2020, air carriers are required to provide the CBSA with electronic passenger and crew manifests for international flights departing from Canada.
- In general: CBSA describes this as collecting basic biographical information about land and air entries/exits in order to have a more complete travel history.
Context: Bill C-12 and the debate on powers and privacy
The topic of “better control” of migration processes is being discussed in parallel with a broader package of initiatives around Bill C-12 (Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act). On the government website, the bill is described as proposing changes to strengthen border security and state tools, while declaring respect for rights and privacy.
Some legal and human rights organizations have already publicly expressed concerns about the potential expansion of powers and the impact on privacy and procedures.