The department's mandate involves the development and delivery of Canada's citizenship and immigration programs. This includes all matters relating to the administration of the programs and policies of immigration and citizenship that are not assigned by law to other departments, branches or agencies of government.

CIC brings together a broad range of activities: the selection of immigrants and refugees and the issuance of temporary resident visas abroad; the facilitation and control of immigrants and foreign visitors in Canada; the settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees; and the processing of applications for Canadian citizenship and proof of citizenship.

The government reorganization of December 12, 2003, launched important changes at CIC. Responsibility for enforcement, intelligence and interdiction operations were transferred from CIC to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officially became an independant agency on the 1st of April of 2005.

The Deputy Minister sets departmental priorities in conjunction with the Minister of CIC and develops strategies to meet these goals. Nine senior departmental executives report to the Deputy Minister: the Assistant Deputy Ministers (ADMs) of Strategic and Program Policy, Operations (including Associate ADM), Client Service Modernization, and Corporate Services, the Departmental Secretariat, the Chief Financial Officer, the Director General of Internal Audit and Accountability, and the Director of the Office of Conflict Resolution. The department operates through its national and five regional headquarters and through 148 local offices across Canada and abroad.

The Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of Strategic and Program Policy is responsible for policy and program development in the areas of Immigration, Strategic Policy, Integration, Citizenship, Refugees, International and Intergovernmental Relations, Risk Mitigation, as well as legislative and regulatory reform, Research and Evaluation, and the Metropolis Project.

The ADM and Associate ADM of Operations coordinates the work of CIC's five domestic regions in Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic, the Prairies and Northern Territories, British Columbia and Yukon; the International Region; Health Management Branch; Case Management; the Foreign Credentials Referral Office, Operational Management and Coordination and three centralized processing offices in Canada under the responsibility of the Centralized Processing Region (CPR).

The ADM of Client Service Modernization is responsible for the Service Improvement Office and the Information Management and Technologies Branch (including the Global Case Management System).

The ADM of Corporate Services is responsible for Communications; Human Resources; Administration and Security; and Corporate Affairs.