INSTRUCTIONS FOR SENDING AN EMAIL ENQUIRY

INFORMATION YOU MUST PROVIDE IN YOUR EMAIL ENQUIRY

To generate an email enquiry, we have put in place the following Electronic Email Enquiry Form (fillable). The fields indicated by an asterisk must be filled. If you have a composite given name or family name, please give it in its entirety, as it appears in your passport.

We will respond to enquiries sent in either of the official languages – English or French.

If you wish to appoint a representative (an immigration consultant, lawyer, friend, family member, etc.) who will conduct business with Citizenship and Immigration Canada on your behalf, please click the following link for information and form:

www.cic.gc.ca/english/applications/representative.html

and

www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/consultants/index.html

Remember you are not obliged to hire a representative for immigration and refugee matters. The Government of Canada treats everyone equally, whether they use the services of a representative or not.

The individual you designate will be able to obtain information on your case file, such as the status of your application. However, he or she will not be a representative who can conduct business on your behalf with CIC.

Please click here for more information and form for authority to release personal information to a designated person  www.cic.gc.ca/english/applications/release-info.html

By supplying your email address (in your enquiry or previously in your application), you are initiating an email communication with CIC, and CIC is thereby authorized to use the email address provided by you for communication with you including the transmission of personal information on your file/case. When you supply your email address to CIC, it is also understood that you are aware that this channel may not be a secure channel. CIC is not liable for the disclosure of personal information to a third party where CIC has taken reasonable means to ensure the identity of the party. CIC is also not liable for the misuse of this information by a third party.

To see CIC policy on internet use click here  www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/notices.html

Clients should be careful to protect their file number, FOSS client ID number, date of birth and all other personal identification information. As these personal identifiers may allow clients to receive information about their files from CIC via email, clients should not share this information with unauthorized third parties.

The purpose of the Privacy Act is to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution and to provide individuals with the right of access to such information.

For more information on the Privacy Act click here  www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/notices.html

Our office is committed to respond to your enquiry within following timeframes:

1. All enquiries will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 48 hours;
   
2. All enquiries will receive a substantive reply within 28 days. (Repeat enquiries may be ignored). 

To minimize failure of email delivery, it is suggested that you add our email address or domain address (insert email address <name of visa office>-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca) in your email address list (safe list) to avoid spam blockers, firewalls and attachment stripping etc., that may impede/prevent delivery of our email message to you.

Important

• Send an enquiry only when processing times have been exceeded. Click here to view those times.
• If our records indicate that we have sent you correspondence by mail, please be patient as mail take some weeks to arrive depending on your location and the postal services in your country of residence.
• If your enquiry concerns an application already being processed in our office we will send a personalised answer only if the processing time is longer than announced or there is a problem. Otherwise, the correspondent must assume that we have noted his/her message and that processing of his/her application is proceeding normally.
• Everyday, we receive many emails. To limit the number of enquires so as to give the best service possible to our clients, before sending us your email enquiry, please ensure:

• that the information you are looking for is not this website as well as on Citizenship and Immigration Canada website  www.cic.gc.ca
• that you have checked the processing times at www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/times/index.html
• Your application is within the processing periods mentioned on the CONTACT US page and therefore you do not need to send an enquiry.
• You have checked the information in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section of our website

• An answer will be provided to you using the most appropriate means of communication, not necessarily via email.

• Please do not send multiple copies of the same enquiry. Multiple enquiries delay our reply, since the file is retrieved at each enquiry and placed in sequence as if it were a new enquiry.