Evaluation of Canada’s membership in the International Organization for Migration
Executive summary
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. With a budget of over US$1 billion, the IOM is financed through annual contributions from member states and from fees charged to member states, other nations and organizations for services and projects. Currently, it has 132 member states and a further 17 states hold observer status, as do numerous international and non-governmental organizations.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has the lead for Canada’s membership in IOM, contributing an annual membership fee of approximately $1.34 million Canadian dollars in 2009.
The IOM has grown significantly in recent years, with over 2,300 active projects and more than 7,000 staff members serving in over 460 field offices in more than a hundred countries. Canada’s use of IOM as a service provider and executing agency has also grown. CIC relies on IOM for transportation, health services and orientation services related to migration. Transportation services are associated with the travel to Canada of Convention Refugees or members of the Humanitarian-Protected Persons Abroad class, which includes arranging movement from the point of departure in the country of residence and obtaining travel documents. In the area of health services, the IOM acts as a Designated Medical Practitioner to perform immigration medical examinations and other health services. IOM also delivers the bulk of the Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) program for CIC which provides immigrants and refugees orientation sessions about Canada before arrival.
Other government departments, specifically CIDA, DFAIT and HRSDC, also contract directly with the IOM to conduct specific projects in a variety of countries. More recently, provinces and private industry have begun to engage IOM to deliver services related to provincial nominees and temporary workers. In 2009, CanadaFootnote 1 as a whole contracted IOM to deliver services and projects valued at almost US$30 million.
The evaluation included questions about both relevance and performance and covered the five-year period from 2005 to 2010. A small scale evaluation, this study used key informant interviews and a document review as the approaches to data collection, which is in line with low materiality of the program relative to CIC expenditures, and its relative low level of risk.
Key findings – relevance
- Given Canada’s status as one of the world’s major refugee-receiving countries and the mandate of IOM, all respondents cited a strong need to continue membership.
- CIC’s membership in the IOM is aligned with governmental and departmental strategic objectives.
- The immigration-related services that CIC receives from IOM directly support the activities of the department.
Key findings – performance
- Canada is an active and influential member of the IOM, particularly in the areas of governance and budget matters.
- Some concerns exist with mandate expansion and alignment of projects to the strategic direction as well as potential impacts on core migration services as the IOM continues to grow.
- There is also a perceived need for better coordination between other government departments in dealing with the IOM.
- Canada does not generally fund IOM research directly and therefore neither influences nor benefits from IOM research activities.
- There are other organizations, such as the OECD and Metropolis, which are more experienced and better suited to undertaking research on migration issues relevant to CIC.
- The IOM is well-placed to provide the forum for focused, regular discussion on migration, but the current format of the International Dialogue on Migration will have to evolve to fulfill that purpose.
- Membership in the IOM gives Canada the benefits of IOM service and project delivery on a priority basis, which may not be obtained if Canada were to withdraw from the organization. Additional benefits include timely access to IOM management and decision-making influence on IOM governance bodies and issues.
- There are few alternatives that provide the reach, quality of service or cost-effectiveness that IOM does for CIC’s core migration services – transportation, health and orientation services. The ability to access these services from a single organization focused solely on migration has led to efficiencies, according to respondents.
Conclusions
Aligned with CIC and Government of Canada objectives, the IOM is an organization that provides services which benefit the immigration agenda. In the fragmented international dialogue on migration, membership in the IOM offers a forum to discuss issues with like-minded states, and in which Canada plays an active part. It also provides a platform for Canada to influence other countries and the debate. An additional benefit of belonging to the IOM is the priority treatment for the operational services provided, which are wide-reaching and regarded as cost-effective. Though some of the benefits are difficult to quantify, the value of membership in such a prominent organization was found to exceed the expenditure.
With no clear-cut, effective alternatives (especially in the area of services), the full impact of withdrawal from IOM is difficult to assess. Not participating would deprive other member states of the benefit of Canada’s knowledge and experience with managed migration, and we would lose the ability to influence the discussion. Recognizing Canada’s leadership position in this domain, discontinuing membership in the IOM could also potentially damage our credibility in the international migration community.
Recommendations
- Recommendation 1: In its position as a global leader in managed migration, and considering the benefits obtained from participation, Canada should maintain its membership in the IOM.
- Recommendation 2: Canada (CIC) should continue to actively monitor the governance and strategic direction of the IOM, paying particular attention to mandate issues so that potential impacts on core services can be highlighted and minimized.
- Recommendation 3: As the lead, CIC should consider the appropriateness of ensuring a sufficient level of coordination between Canadian government departments that use IOM services, to maintain alignment of projects with Canada’s position in relation to the IOM.
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