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From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada News release September 24, 2020—Ottawa—Today, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, is announcing action to speed up spousal application processing and help families build their lives together in Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the number of decision makers on spousal applications in Canada by 66%, to process spousal applications more quickly and reduce couples’ wait times. IRCC is leveraging new technology in a pilot to digitize paper applications so they can be processed more efficiently by IRCC employees working remotely and at various worksites. In addition to implementing facilitative biometrics measures, IRCC will be piloting, in the upcoming weeks, technology to conduct interviews with applicants remotely, in adherence with public health protocols. With these initiatives, IRCC aims to accelerate, prioritize and finalize approximately 6,000 spousal applications each month from October until December 2020. Combined with processing to date, this rate will lead to about 49,000 decisions by the end of this year. COVID-19 has created uncertainty for Canadians who are sponsoring spouses for permanent residence. We will continue to search for innovative and compassionate ways to reunite families, while following the advice of our public health experts to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Quotes “We understand that the last few months have not been easy for those who are far from their loved ones in these difficult times. This is why we are accelerating the approval of spousal applications as much as possible. Our government will continue to find new ways to keep families together.” – The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2020/09/ircc-speeding-up-processing-for-spousal-applications.html

Ottawa, September 17, 2020 — At the onset of the pandemic, IRCC moved quickly to put operational safeguards in place to protect the health and safety of our staff and those using our services. Over the past few months, IRCC has taken steps to provide virtual services where possible, but there have still been significant disruptions in our services. For services that we haven’t been able to provide virtually, we are slowly beginning to reopen in-person services in select offices by appointment only, beginning the week of September 21, 2020. This testing phase will allow us to assess our protocols and procedures, and ensure the safety of our staff and our clients. The lessons learned will help us plan for reopening services more widely in the future. Please note that services are currently by appointment only. You do not need to reach out to IRCC offices for these services, as we will be reaching out to clients to schedule appointments. The limited services being offered as of September 21, 2020, include the following: Citizenship: Vancouver Expo will be reopening for limited citizenship-related services, including citizenship knowledge re-testing and citizenship hearings, for a select cohort of applicants, to test the flow and viability of client-facing services. IRCC will be scheduling appointments by email. Permanent residence: IRCC offices in Etobicoke and Montréal are reopening for permanent residence-related services. Clients who require a permanent resident card (PR card) pick up or permanent residence determination (interview to determine the client’s status) will be contacted by email to schedule an appointment. Asylum: IRCC offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, and Niagara Falls are reopening for limited asylum-related services. IRCC will schedule appointments via epost with clients who need to collect or submit documents, provide their biometric information, or come in for an interview. If this pilot goes well, IRCC offices in Vancouver (Hornby), Montréal, and Etobicoke will open in the future to provide these services. IRCC will contact clients to book appointments based on their file status, location in Canada and other factors. Client selection is largely based on the date of the client’s application. Only clients with scheduled appointments will be allowed to come into an IRCC office. Biometrics: If you’re a permanent residence applicant in Canada waiting to give your biometrics, you’ll receive a call from Service Canada over the next few months to book a biometrics appointment. If you’re in a region where more people are waiting to give their biometrics, such as the Greater Toronto Area, it may take longer for Service Canada to call you. We know that this is a challenging and frustrating time and we are grateful for your patience. Service Canada will contact you as soon as they can. This is a limited service. You should not go to a Service Canada Centre unless a Service Canada officer has called you and booked a biometrics appointment for you. For more information, including what to do if your contact information has changed or an authorized representative applied on your behalf, please visit our website. Your health and safety remain our priority, and measures are being put in place to ensure the safety of staff and clients at IRCC facilities: Clients will be asked to complete a Health Canada self-assessment questionnaire before coming in for an appointment. Upon arrival, clients will be asked the same questions to determine if they can enter IRCC premises. All employees and clients will be required to wear masks, maintain social distance and follow signs directing the flow of foot traffic. Clients will be asked to reschedule their appointment if they appear ill. IRCC will continue to follow guidelines and recommendations set by the Public Health Agency of Canada and provincial and local public health authorities. The department will also monitor the offices where in-person services are offered to help us plan for reopening services more widely in the future. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/gradual-resumption-in-person-services-sep-2020.html