Chinese newcomers protest over delays in security screening clearance

Dozens of Chinese newcomers rallied outside Winnipeg’s federal immigration office Friday to protest what they describe as untenable delays to Canada’s security screening process.

The rally against Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada comes after a surge in immigration security screening requests created backlogs for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Protesters said the resulting delays have left them in limbo as they try to obtain permanent residency.

“We just want transparency,” said Pakying Chau, 26, who travelled from Hong Kong to Winnipeg in 2018 to study agribusiness.

“Everything is uncertain. We don’t know if we can stay here, but we’ve already started a new life.”

CSIS provides security assessments to reduce the possibility of foreign actors gaining information about sensitive national data and infrastructure.

Immigration and border officials can ask the national security agency to conduct a security screening as part of a visa or citizenship application before it makes a final decision on admissibility.

Data contained in the last annual CSIS report showed it received 438,600 immigration security screening referrals in 2025, down from 538,100 the previous year. The agency began to see a significant increase in requests in 2023, when it received more than 493,200 requests. Before that, CSIS received roughly 300,000 security screening requests annually over the previous five years.

Last year’s reduction came amid federal moves to slash the number of immigrants accepted into Canada, following years of increases.

“As Canada’s immigration levels were reduced, the overall number of new applications received by CSIS was also reduced. However… the overall number of immigration applications awaiting security screening remains at a historic high,” the CSIS report says.

Chau, whose mother and father live with her in Winnipeg, said they have been waiting 41 months to clear their security background checks — despite her belief that they meet all the eligibility requirements to move ahead with immigration.

She has repeatedly reached out to IRCC to determine the reason for the delays but has received no answer, she said.

The situation worsened in 2020, when her father suffered a traumatic brain injury and was paralyzed in a workplace accident.

The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba provided some support for the family, but without citizenship they can not access the medical care required to improve his quality of life, Chau said.

“We don’t know why we are under security and there is no clarification,” she said. “I feel like my life has just stopped. I cannot process my life…. If the decision is made and I have to be kicked out (of the country) then I have to leave everything here.”

Friday’s protest coincided with similar rallies outside government buildings at five other cities throughout Canada.

In a statement, an IRCC spokesperson said the number of permanent residence applications the government has received in recent years has exceeded the number of admission spaces available in the 2026-2028 immigration levels plan.

“As a result, some applications remain in the inventory until admission spaces become available, contributing to longer wait times for some applicants,” the spokesperson said.

“The Government of Canada recognizes the impact that lengthy comprehensive security screening can have on applicants and is working closely with its security partners to identify opportunities to improve timeliness while maintaining the integrity of Canada’s security screening processes.”

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca