Last Updated On 24 January 2023, 10:14 AM EST (Toronto Time)
IRCC officially revealed details on Chinook in the beginning of 2022. It is a tool used by visa officers to process temporary resident visa, study permit, and work permit applications in different visa offices across the globe.
This tool was initially highlighted in public during the hearing in the case of “Abigail Ocran v. the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.“
A lot of criticism was done by immigration pundits after use of Chinook became public. And, it still continues and use of Chinook is still under the gray area since a lot less is known about this.
Anyhow, this article discusses the key revelations made public by IRCC regarding the use of Chinook.
IRCC defines Chinook as “A Microsoft Excel-based tool developed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for temporary resident application processing to increase efficiency and to improve client service by decreasing the impacts of system and broadband latency, thus improving processing times.”
As per IRCC, Chinook was initially introduced as a pilot in processing offices in 2018. Following this, it was officially launched in 2019.
Since then, IRCC officers are using it discretionally, for assessing temporary resident visa, study permit and work permit applications.
Adding to this, IRCC claims that Chinook doesn’t utilize artificial intelligence (AI). Neither it uses advanced analytics for decision-making nor it has any built in decision-making algorithms.
It is designed to just simplify the visual representation of a client’s information.
This Excel based tool extracts information from client’s application and presents it in a user-friendly fashion.
IRCC Processing & Backlog audit made 6 new recommendations
An audit of IRCC processing and immigration backlogs by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) finds that large backlogs of applications remained across all permanent resident programs, despite recent efforts to improve processing times. Even though the majority of the programs audited reflect improvements in processing times in 2022, most applications still had processing…
As a result, it streamlines the administrative steps and reduces review time per application, increasing the productivity.
A sample study in December 2020 was done to measure performance of Chinook in outside Canada offices.
Result of this sample study revealed that this tool resulted in 18-30% gain in efficiency.
Additionally, IRCC states that all the decision are based on The Immigration Refugee Protection Act and Regulations (IRPA/IRPR). They say, “Chinook does not change the way decisions are made; it is always an officer – not the Chinook spreadsheet – that makes final decisions and provides the rationale for them.”
Red Flags
IRCC’s director of international-network optimization and modernization, Andie Daponte testified in Abigail Ocran case.
He revealed that this tool was originally created without legal oversight and is being used to process applications for study permit, temporary resident visa, and work permit, since March 2018.
The Court dismissed the application for judicial review by Abigail Ocran on February 10, 2022.
However, Andie Daponte revealed (outside court) that he was part of a team of immigration officers with backgrounds in temporary-resident visa applications and in-house technical experts versed in “immigration processing or computer sciences” who created the first version of Chinook using Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft Excel.
He also added that in some IRCC offices, a web- or cloud-based version of this tool is now in use.
Although, IRCC says Chinook does not make final decision on an application.
But, concerns are that visa officers might be using Chinook to categorize (whether to approve or refuse) applications based on information sorted by this tool.
Chinook was introduced in March 2018 and refusal rates increased significantly. Study visa refusal rate jumped from 34% in 2018 to 40% in 2019.
Furthermore, refusal rate increased from 40% to 53% in 2020. Also, the study permit refusal rate for India increased from 34% in 2018 to 57% in 2020.
File Processed using Chinook 3+
Source: IRCC
New Service Canada Benefit Payments Coming In September 2026
Service Canada sits at the centre of the Canadian social network, administering monthly pension payments, disability income support, and employment insurance deposits that collectively deliver billions of dollars to residents in every province and territory. For newcomers still building their financial footing in Canada, understanding these programs early can make a meaningful difference in long-term…
10 New Ontario Laws and Rules In September 2026
September 2026 is delivering one of the busiest months for new provincial rules, policy shifts, and program changes Ontario has seen in years. Transit fares, rental laws, school grading, university funding, highway speeds, and healthcare access are all changing within the same four-week window. Some of these changes took effect on September 1, others land…
New CRA Benefit Payments For Ontario Residents In September 2026
2 major Canada Revenue Agency – CRA benefit payments are scheduled for eligible Ontario residents during September 2026. The Ontario Trillium Benefit is scheduled for September 10, followed by the Canada Child Benefit on September 18. Both payments fall within the 2026–27 benefit year that began in July, and amounts are calculated using your 2025…
New Express Entry Draw On September 4 Sends 3,500 PR Invitations
Nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and dozens of other healthcare professionals received 3,500 invitations to apply for permanent residence through a new Express Entry draw on September 4, 2026.
New Canada Immigration Processing Times As Of September 2026
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published its September 2026 processing time data on September 2–3, 2026, and the headline is staggering. Citizenship certificate processing has now hit 33 months, leaping by eight months in a single reporting cycle, while the queue swelled by 14,200 applicants to approximately 136,000 people. That figure stood at 10…
New Canada Prescription Drug Rules Coming In October 2026
Health Canada is replacing the patchwork of federal regulations that currently govern prescription drugs containing controlled substances with a single consolidated framework that takes effect on October 1, 2026. The new Controlled Substances Regulations, published in the Canada Gazette on December 17, 2025, will merge the Narcotic Control Regulations, the Benzodiazepines and Other Targeted Substances…
New Canada Immigration And Refugee Rules Effective September 7
Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board is introducing new rules governing the use of artificial intelligence in immigration and refugee proceedings effective September 7, 2026. Under the new Practice Notice, signed by IRB Chairperson Manon Brassard on July 10, 2026, parties appearing before the Board will be prohibited from using AI to generate or materially change…
10 New Alberta Laws And Rules In September 2026
Alberta’s 2026–27 year is starting with one of the most sweeping packages of new rules the province has introduced in a single month. Several major legislative changes took effect on September 1, with additional rules scheduled for September 15, September 22, and September 30. The changes touch a wide range of Albertans. New health coverage…
Canada Could Narrow These 5 Express Entry Categories In 2027
Canada could significantly tighten eligibility for five major Express Entry labour-shortage categories in 2027 as IRCC concentrates invitations on a smaller set of occupations and economic priorities. The five current labour-shortage categories most directly implicated by that narrowing language are healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, and transport. No category has yet been confirmed…
New Minimum Wage In 2 Canada Regions In September 2026
Two Canadian regions raised their minimum wage on September 1, 2026, delivering increases of approximately 2.1% and 1.5% that directly affect hourly pay for thousands of workers across the country’s north. One of the two new rates is now higher than the general minimum wage in every other Canadian province and territory and also exceeds…
First Express Entry Draw Of September Sent 2,000 PR Invitations
IRCC kicked off September with a Canadian Experience Class Express Entry draw that doubled the invitation count and pushed the CRS threshold slightly back down from its 2026 peak. The department selected 2,000 candidates for permanent residence on September 1, 2026, at 10:19:50 UTC. A Comprehensive Ranking System score of 521 was the minimum required…
10 New Canada Immigration Changes & Updates In September 2026
September 2026 brings a slate of Canadian immigration developments that touch nearly every category of applicant, from international students and temporary foreign workers to permanent residence seekers and employers. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is moving ahead with compliance investigations targeting higher-risk study permit extension cases linked to the former Student Direct Stream while also…
Latest Express Entry Draw On August 31 Sent 562 Invitations For PR
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issued 562 invitations to apply for permanent residence through a Provincial Nominee Program Express Entry draw on August 31, 2026. The Comprehensive Ranking System cutoff for the lowest-ranked candidate invited was 697 points. That score marks the lowest PNP cutoff recorded in any Express Entry draw conducted in 2026. The…
What Newcomers to Ontario Should Know About Online Entertainment
Moving to Ontario comes with a long list of small discoveries. Health cards, transit rules, banking and winter boots can all demand attention. Online gambling sits lower on that list, but the rules can still surprise newcomers because Canada does not use one nationwide system for every province. Ontario has its own regulated online gaming…
3 New CRA Benefit Payments Coming In September 2026
September 2026 brings three CRA-administered benefit payments to Canadian households on three separate dates throughout the month. The Ontario Trillium Benefit arrives on September 10, the Canada Child Benefit is scheduled for September 18, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Disability Benefit will be paid on September 25. September falls within the new 2026–27 benefit period…
10 New Canada Laws and Rules Taking Effect In September 2026
New Canada Laws and Rules in September 2026: Next month brings one of the heaviest clusters of federal changes Canadians have seen in a single month. New counter-tariffs on American goods, the return of gasoline taxes, an expanded disability benefit, and modernized rules for broadcasting and controlled substances all arrive within the same four weeks.…
New Ontario ODSP Payments Coming On August 31
Ontario Disability Support Program recipients across the province will receive their next ODSP payments on Monday, August 31, 2026. The August payment lands on the last business day of the month, following the standard provincial schedule that governs all ODSP deposits. Single recipients continue to collect up to $1,436 per month under the updated rates…
New Canada Study Permit Proof of Funds Increase Effective September 1
Canada’s study permit proof of funds requirement is rising to $23,448 for a single applicant effective September 1, 2026. The increase means international students submitting applications on or after that date must show at least $553 more in living-expense funds than the current $22,895 threshold. The University of Toronto now explicitly tells prospective international students…
New Canada Disability Benefit Supplement In September 2026
A brand new one-time $150 Canada Disability Benefit supplement payment is heading to hundreds of thousands of Canadians with disabilities this fall, and you do not need to apply for it. The federal government has finalized a one-time $150 supplemental payment for recipients of the Canada Disability Benefit, with the amended regulations taking legal effect…
New IRCC Processing Times As Of August 2026
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released its latest processing time data on August 26, 2026, and the headline number is impossible to ignore. Citizenship certificate processing has now reached 25 months, climbing by another six months in a single reporting cycle, while the queue added 22,300 applicants to reach approximately 121,800 people. That figure…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.