AI-Assisted Processing of Refugee Sponsorship Applications

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses an automation system to help process applications under the Privately Sponsored Refugee (PSR) program. The system has two main functions: it automatically approves the sponsorship portion of routine applications that clearly meet program requirements, and it sorts and assigns refugee applicant files to the most appropriate immigration officers based on office capabilities and officer expertise. The system was developed to manage a growing volume of resettlement applications more efficiently and to reduce differences in processing times across immigration offices.

This system directly affects people applying for refugee resettlement through a private sponsor. For most applicants, the system will route their file to an officer for a full individual review. For a subset of straightforward sponsorship applications, the sponsorship portion may be automatically approved, speeding up the process. Importantly, the system never refuses applications — all refusals and all final decisions on refugee applications continue to be made by human officers. Even when the sponsorship portion is automatically approved, an officer still makes the final decision on the overall application.

IRCC is committed to transparency and fairness in how this system operates. The system's rules were reviewed by experienced officers, legal, policy, data science, and privacy experts. Ongoing monitoring and quality assurance measures are in place to detect and address any unintended biases or errors. Applicants who wish to challenge a decision have access to a recourse process, and meaningful explanations are provided for any denial of a benefit or service.