Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has implemented sweeping changes to how decision-making powers are distributed among immigration officials. The latest version of the Instrument of Designation and Delegation (IDD), approved by Immigration Minister Lena Diab, became effective on December 15, 2025, and was officially published on January 16, 2026.
This updated framework significantly restructures who holds authority in Canada’s complex immigration system. Most notably, the IDD grants 189 distinct powers to IRCC, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officials while reserving 15 key powers for the minister alone. These adjustments reflect not only administrative refinement but also policy shifts amid ongoing efforts to streamline government services.
One of the most prominent changes is the reorganization of immigration operations from nine geographic areas to five, reflecting an effort to simplify service delivery and increase regional efficiency. The refugee division, previously unified, has now been split into two specialized arms: one focused on domestic asylum claims and another handling international resettlement cases.
A new “Manager” role has also been introduced for officers at the PM-05 level or equivalent within two critical branches: Immigration Operations and Humanitarian & Identity Operations. Alongside this, terminology updates have been made, including renaming ‘Integrity Risk Management’ to ‘Migration Integrity Operations’ and rebranding international officers as ‘Migration Officers’.
The IDD is a pivotal legal document that formally transfers decision-making power from the Minister of Immigration to authorized officers. Its release comes at a time when the Liberal government, under Finance Minister Mark Carney, is targeting broad reductions in public sector staffing. IRCC has been particularly affected by these cuts, prompting overhauls aimed at improving operational efficiency without expanding the workforce.
Moreover, the establishment of a new Service Delivery Sector indicates the government’s commitment to specificity and accountability in immigration case processing. Officers in this new sector are now authorized to make key determinations on applications relating to work and study permits, permanent residency, and medical admissibility.
These latest administrative updates are designed to modernize Canada’s immigration system, respond more nimbly to caseloads, and reinforce public confidence in immigration processes. By refining internal delegation structures, IRCC aims to ensure timely and fair outcomes for applicants across all streams.
According to Maple News, this marks the most substantive shift in officer authority since the previous IDD version signed by then-Immigration Minister Marc Miller on March 11, 2025.