Global News

This multi-platform series exposed serious flaws in the way Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) handled permanent residency applications for people with disabilities and medical conditions. The investigation found that, each year, Canada rejected as many as 450 viable applicants as “medically inadmissible” because their condition would create “excessive demand” on Canada’s publicly funded health, education and social services. The Global News team revealed that, for years, immigration officials used faulty or outdated academic research to determine a “cost threshold,” and how these calculations had no credible basis. Following the series, IRCC reversed its decision in two cases profiled by Global News; a parliamentary study called for the repeal of the “excessive demand” section of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and the government has recognized that the law is ‘out of step’ with Canadian values and promised legislative changes to restore trust in the immigration system. Global News was also awarded a Citation of Merit.