Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's top bureaucrat says the department has an action plan to respond to an auditor report that found "critical weaknesses" in the student visa program.
Auditor General Karen Hogan published a report earlier this year that found thousands of potentially problematic student visas were not being investigated.
Ted Gallivan, deputy minister for the immigration department, says there will be outreach with temporary visa holders to remind them their visa is expiring and the consequences that come with overstaying that visa.
He says that could include a five-year ban from returning to Canada.
Gallivan, who just became deputy minister last month, says he has not heard an explanation for why about 800 student visas that included fraudulent or misrepresented information were not investigated between 2018 and 2023.
He says an action plan is being implemented in response to the auditor's findings and he hopes to see it fully implemented by the end of 2026.
Hogan says the department has the tools to investigate and deal problematic files, but it needs to use them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2026.
By David Baxter | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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