OGGO – Client Services And Support – February 15, 2023
Key Messages
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is a service-focused department, interacting yearly with millions of clients in Canada and around the globe.
- IRCC’s Client Support Centre provides personalized, human‑assisted client support for individuals seeking information, application status, technical support and other services. It also has dedicated teams to provide timely client support for those affected by the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
- That support was, and continues to be, essential as Canada emerges from the compounding effects of the pandemic and humanitarian crises, which increased clients’ need for information about our programs, the status of their application and processing times.
- We understand that improving client service is important for a world-class immigration system, and IRCC continues to modernize by adapting, modifying, and reinventing how services are delivered to clients.
- Over the next five years, IRCC is undergoing business transformation to modernize the Department’s suite of programs and services to better meet the changing needs and expectations of clients.
Supplementary Messages
- Budget funding has been used to improve capacity at the Client Support Centre to respond to a growing volume of client enquiries, as well as stabilize the technology and tools used by its front-line agents. This will allow the Client Support Centre to continue to bridge the gap as services “go digital” by providing clients with both a telephone and online option through email for technical assistance and reassurance to navigate their immigration journey.
- The disruptions caused by the pandemic served to accelerate innovations IRCC already had in development, such as introducing more digitally enabled application processes and virtual client services.
- IRCC launched application status trackers in 2021 and 2022 (for Citizenship Grant and Permanent Residence Family Class) to improve the clarity on the status of client applications. On February 8th , 2023, the Minister announced the expansion of the Application Status Trackers to Express Entry clients and their representatives, who can now access the tracker for: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Provincial Nominee Program applications. Additional temporary resident lines of business will be added to the application status tracker by the end of March 2023 (study permit, work permit and temporary resident visa).
- IRCC has been modernizing its services at the Ministerial Centre for Members of Parliament and Senators, co-developing an online appointment-based system with Member of Parliament and Senator offices. It currently offers approximately 1000 hours of support weekly, which allows Members of Parliament, Senators and their staff to better serve the constituents that are seeking support directly from them.
- Under the Digital Platform Modernization program, IRCC is working to introduce a new client experience platform. Once implemented, it will provide the tools and capabilities to offer a seamless client experience; enabling personalized services to clients, and replacing outdated or standalone client-facing portals and tools.
Background
Client Support Centre Operations
- With its headquarters located in Montréal, IRCC’s Client Support Centre provides personalized, human-assisted client support for individuals seeking information, application status, technical support and other services through three primary channels: telephone (in-Canada only), email (received primarily via an online Web form), and the Ministerial Centre for Members of Parliament and Senators. It also currently offers telephone and email support for clients impacted by crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
- Live agent telephone support is offered to clients located in Canada, coast to coast, during business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and touchtone self-service for general information and simple application status is available through the Interactive Voice Response system 24/7. In-Canada and overseas clients can also contact the Client Support Centre via an online Web form.