Canada to appoint new deputy minister of immigration

On March 4, 2026, the office of Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the appointment of a new deputy minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, to “take effect in the coming weeks.”

Ted Gallivan, who currently serves as interim deputy national security and intelligence advisor to the prime minister, will take over the role. At this time, the exact date of the appointment has not been specified.

Deputy ministers are in positions of great consequence concerning national policy in Canada.

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While ministers tend to be moved out of their positions every few years (if not sooner, in the case of a cabinet shuffle), deputy ministers are typically more consistent fixtures, often advising multiple ministers throughout their term on how best to achieve their government mandates.

Deputy ministers typically:

Advise the minister on policy and operations, generally with expertise in each portfolio and the law that surrounds it;
Manage operations within the department, particularly around program delivery, departmental management, and coordination with other government bodies; and
Report directly to the relevant minister, and in certain cases to the prime minister.

Who is Canada’s new deputy immigration minister?

Ted Gallivan has been a fixture of Canadian politics since 2005, when he first took up the position of director, internal audit, tax operations at the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA).

Gallivan has held a number of different roles across Canadian politics and currently serves as the executive vice-president of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)—a title he has held since September 2021—and as the interim deputy national security and intelligence advisor to the prime minister.

In addition to the immigration-related experience he brings through his work in the CBSA, much of Mr. Gallivan’s expertise centres around directing operations and compliance policies, particularly as it relates to the CRA.

To this end, the list of titles that he has held includes:

Interim deputy national security and intelligence advisor to the prime minister — 2025 to present;
Executive vice-president of the CBSA — 2001 to present;
Assistant commissioner, Compliance Programs Branch, CRAy — 2016–2021;
Deputy assistant Commissioner, Compliance Programs Branch, Canada Revenue Agency — 2014–2016;
Deputy assistant Commissioner, Collections and Verification Branch, Canada Revenue Agency — 2013–2014;
Director general, Business Returns Directorate, Canada Revenue Agency — 2010–2013;
Director, Summerside Tax Centre, Canada Revenue Agency — 2010;
Director, Business Registration and Corporation Programs, CRA — 2008-2010; and
Director, Internal Audit, Tax Operations, CRA — 2005-2008.

Gallivan will replace Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar, who held the title of deputy minister of immigration since January 2024.

Before his appointment, Dr. Kochhar also held the title of assistant deputy immigration minister, Operations Sector within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), between 2017 and 2020. In his time at IRCC, he assisted four different immigration ministers, including:

Ahmed Hussen;
Marco Mendicino;
Marc Miller; and
Lena Metlege Diab.

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