Immigration employees accused of sexual harassment, fraud and violence in report - CP24
A report by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has documented founded cases of misconduct by department employees, including harassment, fraud and violence, over the 2024-25 period.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is the federal department responsible for processing applications to visit, study, work, settle in or become a citizen of the country. It is one of the larger arms of the federal public service, and the staff who handle those files have access to sensitive personal information and to the internal systems used to make decisions on applications. Reports of this kind are part of how a government department tracks and accounts for the behaviour of its own workforce. A "founded" case generally refers to an allegation that, after review, was substantiated rather than dismissed as unproven.
The report concerns the conduct of IRCC staff, covering matters such as time theft, improper access to files, harassment among staff and fraud. It found roughly 105 founded cases of misconduct. The disciplinary outcomes included at least three terminations and 47 suspensions without pay. The cases were grouped into categories, with 56 classified as administrative, 22 involving harassment or violence, and 13 relating to network or device use.
The terms used in the report describe distinct kinds of workplace problems. Time theft generally refers to staff being paid for hours they did not actually work. Improper access to files describes employees viewing records they had no business reason to open, a concern in any organization that holds confidential data. The network and device category covers the misuse of government computers and electronic systems. Suspensions without pay and terminations are among the more serious disciplinary measures available to a public-sector employer, and the fact that some cases ended that way signals that they were treated as substantial rather than minor.
Deputy Minister Ted Gallivan said that "some level of wrongdoing will occur in a department that employs more than 10,000 people."
His remark reflects a basic reality of large workplaces: in any organization with thousands of staff, a certain number of misconduct cases is expected, and having a process to identify and act on them is often viewed as a sign that internal oversight is working rather than failing. The figures in the report relate to the conduct of employees and their treatment of colleagues and internal systems. They do not describe wrongdoing directed at the people who apply to the department, and nothing in the report suggests that applicants need to take any special action because of it.
Individuals with matters before IRCC can continue to monitor their online accounts and official correspondence for any updates. Keeping contact details current and responding promptly to any requests remains the most reliable way for applicants to stay on top of their files.