Lack of smartphone functionality for digital immigration services puts refugee claimants at risk: advocates
Why It Matters
For some subgroups of newcomers, such as refugee claimants and asylum seekers, their primary device is likely to be a smartphone. However, many critical services still are not developed on mobile-friendly interfaces.
As Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) embarks on a multi-year, multi-million dollar digital transformation program, settlement organizations are concerned it will ignore the accessibility needs of the most vulnerable newcomers.
Collectif Bienvenue – or Welcome Collective – is a Montreal-based charity that helps refugee claimants fill out their asylum claims online through the IRCC’s portals. They’ve been doing so for the last 18 months, having built an in-house computer lab after a college in the city donated hardware to the organization, says Rani Cruz, director of development and impact.
“We’ve seen multiple iterations of ‘modernization’ on the IRCC platform, but we’re given no warning,” says Cruz. “All of a sudden, it’ll change.”
While staff and volunteers at Collectif Bienvenue don’t directly input information into the forms on behalf of claimants, they are often trained to use the systems, understand claimants’ requirements, and help people complete documents.
“You have to relearn [the system],” Cruz says. “When you rely on volunteers to help, it’s hard to stay on top of.”
According to the IRCC’s 2023 Settlement Outcomes Report, released in early November, “while […] most newcomers will be able to access online services (i.e. through a mobile phone), some may face significant barriers.”
The report highlights specific categories of newcomers more likely to encounter these barriers, such as seniors, those with lower education levels, and resettled refugees.
The report also found that 97 per cent of the more than 18,000 respondents “reported having access to their own device to use settlement services. Notably, more clients reported owning a mobile phone than any other device.”
However, Cruz and the team at Collectif Bienvenue say the IRCC’s asylum claim forms are not accessible on mobile devices, and applicants using phones often find technical bugs.
“There is a misconception that [refugee claimants] have access to technology and computers,” Cruz says.
“Often they only have a smartphone and no [mobile] data. So they have to go somewhere with WiFi to fill out these forms.”
What does the IRCC’s digital transformation program entail?
The IRCC’s Digital Modernization Program (DPM) “is about much more than delivering a new digital platform to replace the Global Case Management System (GCMS),” according to the department.
“It is about re-imagining and redesigning business processes, pursuing policy simplification to maximize outcomes and benefits and providing a modern digital platform.”
In July 2023, the federal government awarded two contracts to Salesforce and Accenture, collectively worth $85.4 million, “to develop the new Client Experience Platform (CXP), which will provide clients with a more user-friendly interface to access Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada programs and services.”
In an email follow-up, the IRCC’s media team confirmed the CXP will act as a single information point for clients to get updates on the status of their applications, manage their profiles and receive notifications.
“Implementation of the CXP is expected to take place over the next 24 months,” they added.
They also said that since it awarded contracts to Salesforce and Accenture, IRCC has begun work on new online accounts for clients, starting with the Temporary Resident Visa Visitor Applicants. Subsequent releases of the platform will be rolled out to other newcomer groups.
“The biggest problem is that the IRCC leaves people in the dark,” says Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the Institute of Canadian Citizenship.
“There have not historically been easy ways to check on the status of applications,” he adds, noting that has led to the IRCC being “inundated” with phone calls and the federal government receiving more freedom of information requests about immigration applications.
The CXP will be a welcome development for many newcomers, who “make significant decisions about their lives and work on the expected completion time of their immigration,” says Bernhard.
“If your citizenship is expected to come around the time your permanent residency expires, and you haven’t reapplied for permanent residency, you can be stranded.”
The IRCC has also been using automated and algorithmic technologies to speed up application processing times, but will also embed Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ARDEI) principles into the development process to “assess and address the inequalities and disparities that exist within [their] systems.”
“IRCC knows that public confidence in a technology-enabled immigration system will depend on safeguards to protect against unintended bias and discrimination,” the department says, adding it recognizes new technologies have “disparate impacts on Black, Indigenous and racialized groups.”
To prevent further disenfranchising these communities, the department has stated that it is adopting an “equity-by-design” approach, ensuring equitable opportunity is built directly into the programs as it develops new digital platforms and user interfaces. When Future of Good asked what this approach means in practice, the IRCC’s media team did not provide tangible or practical examples.
The Collectif Bienvenue team observed that families, in particular, were struggling to fill in asylum claim forms. Cruz says large families must input the same information into each claim rather than carrying over basic information from the primary applicant. Since each form takes around three to four hours to fill in thoroughly, this is a significant and “tedious” time cost, she adds.
IRCC has already identified that it must address the barriers families face when navigating the Canadian immigration system, not just in terms of technical accessibility but also in understanding different family compositions and taking an inclusive approach to immigration policy wherever possible.
Who is going to be involved in the development of this technology?
The IRCC conducts annual and ad-hoc client experience surveys, user research and usability testing on existing immigration and citizenship programs. A spokesperson said it plans to continue these surveys and tests throughout the program with various client groups and settlement service provider organizations.
However, to Cruz’s knowledge, settlement organizations have not been consulted.
“It’s clear that they’ve not used any UX designers, and to not have done that with that budget is shocking,” she says.
“It’s irresponsible.”
Cruz suggests several simple fixes the IRCC could make to the asylum claims form. She says some form builders use conditional formatting and algorithms to make replicating information straightforward.
Where it is unclear why a particular question is being asked of the claimant, a simple video introduction to the purpose of the question and how to answer it can provide clarity, she adds.
One of the biggest priorities, Cruz stresses, is mobile functionality.
“If you’re paying that much money, you can make it work on a cell phone.”
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