General processing measures: COVID-19 program delivery - COVID-19 Program Delivery Instructions as of April 7, 2020

From https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/service-delivery/coronavirus/general-measures.html (archived)

General processing measures: COVID-19 program delivery

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada staff. It is posted on the Department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

These COVID-19 program delivery instructions are for temporary residence, permanent residence and citizenship applications.

Applications will not be refused for non-compliance, and all applications currently in progress at IRCC offices abroad, at case processing centres and within the Domestic Network will continue to be processed but may experience delays.

Due to the volume of cases, the International Network’s applications are being tracked by the Operations Planning and Performance Branch (OPPB).

On this page

• Expedited processing
• Requests for additional documents on open applications

Expedited processing

At this time, no significant expedited processing requirement is foreseen; therefore, these instructions do not include specific measures for expedited processing. That said, the decision to expedite an application due to special circumstances remains at the discretion of the Migration Program Manager of the responsible IRCC office and the manager of the responsible processing office in Canada.

Requests for additional documents on open applications

Until further notice, offices may continue to request any additional documents necessary for processing to continue in relation to all citizenship and immigration applications, including police certificates, biometrics, passports, medical examinations and any documents that must be issued by Chinese, Iranian or South Korean authorities, as follows:

• When additional documentation is required to make a decision on the application, processing officers should send a request letter and allow 90 days for the applicant to respond.
• If a request for additional documentation was previously sent but the applicant was unable to comply within the deadline, processing officers should bring forward the application and allow an additional 90 days for the applicant to respond.
• Please note that the biometric instruction letter (BIL) cannot be amended and will continue to advise applicants that they have 30 days from the date of the letter to give their biometrics. Officers should still allow 90 days for the applicant to provide their biometrics, despite the 30-day timeline identified in the BIL.