CIMM - Covid-19 Response: In-Canada Services - Nov 25, 2020
Key messages
At the onset of the pandemic, IRCC moved quickly to put safeguards in place to protect the health and safety of our staff and those using our services.
While there have been significant disruptions to our services due to the pandemic, we have taken steps to provide virtual services where possible and will continue to explore ways to do so.
For services that cannot be delivered virtually, IRCC is piloting the gradual resumption of in-person services by appointment at offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Etobicoke and Montréal.
Services will vary from office to office, but they will include Permanent Resident Card pick up for urgent cases, biometrics collection for asylum claimants, document seizure, interviews, citizenship hearings, and retesting in a limited capacity.
The Department is also working closely with Service Canada to increase biometrics collection services by appointment across the country. As of November 2020, we are now completing over 900 biometrics enrollments per day across 55 Service Canada locations.
Throughout the pandemic, the passport program continued to process applications to respond to urgent passport needs. Since March 19, 2020, more than 185,000 passports and travel documents have been issued in Canada and abroad.
To keep employees and clients safe, IRCC is following public health guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada and provincial and municipal public health authorities.
Should local health restrictions be further tightened, our resurgence readiness protocol will guide how we maintain capacity while providing a safe and healthy work environment for employees in each region.
Supplementary messages
IRCC is piloting the gradual resumption of in-person services by appointment at offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Etobicoke and Montréal.
For example, our office in Vancouver has resumed offering some in-person citizenship services such citizenship re-tests and hearings (since October 9, 2020).
Since mid-October, our offices in Etobicoke, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Montréal and Vancouver are also conducting in-person asylum eligibility interviews.
IRCC’s work to implement digital solutions has allowed us to continue to provide clients some of our services despite not being able to attend in person, including: virtual landings, virtual citizenship oaths, and limited one-on-one virtual citizenship testing.
Thanks to our virtual citizenship ceremonies, over 43,000 clients have become new citizens between April 1, 2020, and November 4, 2020.
Current in-person resumption has been proceeding well with no issues to report. Clients are advised in advance of the space limitations and health protocols required to attend IRCC spaces, and have been provided with information to safely prepare for their appointment.
Employees have also been equipped with comprehensive information on how to conduct business in a manner that protects their health, as well as the health of their colleagues and clients.
The Department is evaluating on-going client surveys, requesting client feedback on their recent in-person experience at IRCC offices. The results from these surveys are informing subsequent expansion of the Department’s client-facing services.
IRCC is adapting to these challenging circumstances and continues to deliver timely services to our clients. We have ensured priority processing for vulnerable people, those seeking to reunite with their family, and people who perform or support critical services.
Domestic passport services
Throughout the pandemic, the Passport Program continued to process applications to respond to urgent passport needs. Since March 19, 2020, more than 185,000 passports and travel documents have been issued in Canada and abroad.
Between March and July 31, 2020, Canadians with urgent travel needs applying from Canada were able to receive in-person passport services, but only with a scheduled appointments.
As of July 31, 2020, domestic passport mail-in services resumed and in-person appointments became available for Canadians in need of a passport in less than 30 days.
Domestic walk-in passport services are unavailable at Service Canada offices in order to protect the health and safety of clients and employees.
Public health restrictions and IRCC readiness
In the event of reintroduction of local health restrictions affecting in-person services, IRCC has put in place a resurgence readiness protocol, which includes a monitoring system that captures pandemic conditions and their impact in different regions and worksites. It provides data that will help the Department decide how to best maintain its capacity while providing a safe and healthy work environment for employees in each region.
Currently, new restrictions in Manitoba have shifted the risk level at IRCC Winnipeg to “critical” in accordance with the monitoring system. The Department has responded rapidly to de-integrate resumption processes and return to critical services; in order to safeguard the health of employees while delivering on our operational commitment to provide these services.
Supporting facts and figures
In-person citizenship services:
Since October 9, our Vancouver Expo office has served 24 clients for retests and hearings and continue to schedule approximately 18 clients per week.
In-person immigration services:
As of November 2, 2020, select IRCC offices have collected 500 client biometrics for the asylum intake process, and conducted 182 Minister’s Delegate Reviews/eligibility decisions.
IRCC local offices began collecting biometrics on the following dates:
Calgary – Sept. 25
Edmonton – Sept. 29
Hamilton – Sept. 29
Vancouver – Oct. 5
Montréal – Oct. 5
Etobicoke – November 5
Niagara Falls – delayed due to Plexiglass challenges
IRCC local offices began conducting asylum eligibility interviews on the following dates:
