Thousands of people who were sent deportation letters by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are still living in Canada years after receiving them, reports The Globe and Mail.

“A person found to be illegally in Canada and being placed on the deportation list should be prioritized for removal,” Tom Kmiec, the Conservatives’ immigration critic, reportedly told the national newspaper.

“Lack of enforcement like this contributes to the growing uncertainty and drop in support on the historic immigration consensus across all parties.”

The Opposition politician reportedly obtained CBSA data as part of an answer he posed in Parliament in May last year.

That information reportedly indicates the CBSA had sent out 14,609 deportation letters from 2016 to May last year and almost 63.8 per cent of those who had received those letters, or 9,317 of them, were still living in Canada last year.

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Those slated to be deported but still living in Canada last year reportedly included 2,188 people who had been sent deportation letters as far back as 2016 and 2017, more than six years ago.

The data also reportedly reveals that only 3,087 people, or barely more than one in five of those sent deportation letters, had actually been removed from the country.

Kmiec maintains this shows the Canadian immigration system is broken. But the CBSA points out the deportation process can take a considerable amount of time.

“Everyone ordered removed from Canada is entitled to due process before the law, and all removal orders are subject to various levels of appeal, including judicial review,” the CBSA reportedly responded.

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“Once all legal avenues have been exhausted, foreign nationals are processed for removal.”

In its report, the national newspaper maintains there are as many as 600,000 people in Canada who do not have valid documents and  now face possible deportation because of that lack of formal immigration status.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller is reportedly preparing a pathway to permanent residency for those who have lived and worked in Canada illegally for years and is thought to be likely to present it to the government this spring.

Temporary Foreign Workers And International Students To Be Offered Pathway To Permanent Residence

Among those who may be offered that pathway to permanent residency are thought to be international students and temporary foreign workers who entered the country legally but then stayed after their study visas and work permits expired.

Through its two-tier immigration system, Canada allows foreign nationals to gain their permanent residency through the federal Express Entry system’s Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) of the 10 Canadian provinces.

Under the Express Entry system, immigrants can apply for permanent residency online and their profiles then are ranked against each other according to a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The highest-ranked candidates will be considered for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Those receiving an ITA must quickly submit a full application and pay processing fees, within a delay of 90-days.

Through a network of  PNPs, almost all of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories can also nominate skilled worker candidates for admission to Canada when they have the specific skills required by local economies. Successful candidates who receive a provincial or territorial nomination can then apply for Canadian permanent residence through federal immigration authorities.