Accessibility Standards Canada chose the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) to publish CAN-ASC-6.2, the globe’s first national standard aimed at ensuring artificial-intelligence systems are both accessible and equitable.
While the standard applies broadly to consumer and public-sector AI, it has immediate implications for federal departments that rely on algorithmic decision-making in immigration and border-security contexts, such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The document mandates user-centred design, bias testing and accommodations for disability across the entire AI life-cycle—from data collection to model deployment. Systems that autonomously triage visa applications or flag high-risk travellers must now demonstrate that they do not create barriers for users with visual, cognitive or language disabilities.
![Canada releases world-first accessibility standard for AI systems—a potential game-changer for digital immigration screening]()
Legal experts say that although the standard is currently voluntary, its adoption can be cited in court as evidence of due diligence. Organisations that ignore it risk Charter challenges under equality provisions, especially after the Federal Court’s 2024 ruling in Zhou v. Canada, which faulted IRCC for failing to provide an accessible alternative to its online visa application portal.
Technology vendors supplying predictive analytics and e-gate solutions to CBSA may need to re-engineer interfaces and data pipelines within 12–18 months to win federal contracts. For multinational employers using proprietary AI to screen global mobility candidates, adopting CAN-ASC-6.2 could become best practice as clients increasingly demand compliance with Canadian standards.
Practical takeaway: audit any AI-enabled immigration or travel-screening tools against the new standard and update vendor contracts to require proof of accessibility conformance.
While the standard applies broadly to consumer and public-sector AI, it has immediate implications for federal departments that rely on algorithmic decision-making in immigration and border-security contexts, such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The document mandates user-centred design, bias testing and accommodations for disability across the entire AI life-cycle—from data collection to model deployment. Systems that autonomously triage visa applications or flag high-risk travellers must now demonstrate that they do not create barriers for users with visual, cognitive or language disabilities.
Legal experts say that although the standard is currently voluntary, its adoption can be cited in court as evidence of due diligence. Organisations that ignore it risk Charter challenges under equality provisions, especially after the Federal Court’s 2024 ruling in Zhou v. Canada, which faulted IRCC for failing to provide an accessible alternative to its online visa application portal.
Technology vendors supplying predictive analytics and e-gate solutions to CBSA may need to re-engineer interfaces and data pipelines within 12–18 months to win federal contracts. For multinational employers using proprietary AI to screen global mobility candidates, adopting CAN-ASC-6.2 could become best practice as clients increasingly demand compliance with Canadian standards.
Practical takeaway: audit any AI-enabled immigration or travel-screening tools against the new standard and update vendor contracts to require proof of accessibility conformance.
