Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has overall responsibility for immigration and refugee matters. For example, CIC:
Can I email my new address to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)?You can only do so if you are in Canada and can not use one of the online services. In that case, you can use this email form to your change of address. If you live outside Canada, contact the Canadian visa office serving your region. CIC Portal: Authorized Paid Representatives CIC Offices in CanadaMost applications made in Canada are handled through the case processing
centres (CPCs) . Some CIC offices offer in-person assistance or self-help kiosks. Vancouver Immigration Local Office Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
Vancouver Citizenship and Immigration Centre 1148 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2C3
Monday to Friday: 8:00 – 16:00 (7 am to 7 pm EST) 1-888-242-2100
TTY: 1-888-576-8502
In-person help: Immigration, PR Card 1-888-242-2100 Vancouver Citizenship Local Office
200 - 877 Expo Blvd. Vancouver, BC V6B 8P8 Monday to Friday: 8:00 – 16:00 In-person help by appointment only:
Surrey Office Central City, 290 - 13450 102nd Ave Surrey, BC V3T 5X3 Monday to Friday: 8:00 – 16:00 In-person help by appointment only: Citizenship Victoria office 816 Government Street, Room 377 Victoria, BC V8W 1W9 Monday to Wednesday: 8:00 – 15:00 Thursday: 8:00 – 13:30 Friday: 8:00 – 15:00 In-person help by appointment only: Citizenship, Immigration, PR Card Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. Settlement Services.
Immigrant Integration and WelcomeBC Branch 5th Floor-605 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5J3 604-660-2203 STATISTICS:
Responding to requests for information: Access to Information Act
Under the Access to Information Act, Canadian citizens, permanent residents and all other individuals or corporations present in Canada have a right of access to any information held by a government institution, regardless of its source, subject to exclusions and exemptions as described in the Act. Whereas the Privacy Act is limited to providing access to personal information only, requests under the Access to Information Act may be about anything, including records on non-case files. Clients who are outside Canada, and are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents, must have a representative in Canada submit a request on their behalf pursuant to the Access to Information Act. Appropriate authorizations to disclose information to the representative must be provided. All requests under this Act must be submitted to BMX at NHQ. Only senior officials at NHQ have the delegated authority to release and exempt information pursuant to this Act. There is a CAN$5.00 application fee (payable by cheque or money order to the Receiver General for Canada). In some cases, clients may also be required to pay processing costs. All requests for information pursuant to the Access to Information Act must be responded to within 30 days. If a visa office receives a request from BMX for information, officers should respond immediately. Officers will make one copy of the record(s) and file jacket of the immigration files, including any recommendations and rationale for any exemption on a separate page. They may wish to indicate their recommended exemptions on a separate copy of those specific pages. Officers will send a copy to BMX by the next unclassified bag. If the next bag is not scheduled to depart within a week of receipt of the request, the records will be forwarded by commercial courier. For more information, see Chapter 1, Access to Information Manual (AM). Applying for CAIPS/FOSS notes
Follow these five 5 steps :
1) Fill out Form IMM 5563B 2) Fill out Form IMM 5475E 3) Include photocopy of both passports/photo id with signature of the sponsor ordering the CAIPS note from Canada 4) Include $5.00 Payment (check/money order) 5) Send by mail/fax to Ottawa IMM 5563B Acess to Information & Personal Information Request To be filled out by Sponsor or Representative residing in Canada IMM 5475 Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual
To be filled out by Applicant $5.00 Payment
Cheque or Money Order made payable to The Receiver General for Canada Send your information request to:
Public Rights Administration
Q.3: Who can make a request under the Privacy Act?A: Canadian citizens, permanent residents and any individual present in Canada can make a request under the Privacy Act. Q.4: Will my Access to Information or Privacy request be processed faster if I submit it through a representative?A: If you choose to hire a representative, your application will not be given special attention, nor can you expect faster processing. The Government of Canada treats everyone equally, whether they use the services of a representative or not. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) realizes that the use of a representative to assist in the completion of your Access to Information or Privacy application is a personal choice. Please note that the Government of Canada does not recommend or endorse any individual representative. Visit the following page for more information on immigration representatives. Q.5: What is the fee for an Access request?A: Each request filed under the Access to Information Act requires a $5.00 application fee (money order or cheque made payable to the Receiver General for Canada). There may also be additional fees if copying, computer processing or further search and preparation time is required. (The first five hours of search and preparation are free). Q.6: What is the fee for a Privacy request?A: There are no fees under the Privacy Act. Q.7: How and where does a requester submit an Access to Information request?A: To make a formal request under the Access to Information Act, a requester must submit a written request using CIC’s Access to Information and Personal Information Request Form (IMM 5563) or a letter indicating that the request is made in accordance with the Access to Information Act. Requests must include sufficient detail to enable an experienced employee of CIC, with a reasonable effort, to identify the records that are being requested. You can send your completed form or letter, along with the $5.00 application fee, to: Access to Information and Privacy Division Q.8: How and where does a requester submit a Privacy request?A: To make a formal request under the Privacy Act, a requester must submit a written request using CIC’s Access to Information and Personal Information Request Form (IMM 5563) or a letter indicating that the request is made in accordance with the Privacy Act. Requests must include sufficient detail to enable an experienced employee of CIC, with a reasonable effort, to identify the records that are being requested. You can send your completed form or letter to the appropriate region or Case Processing Centre where the file is held or to the ATIP Division at NHQ at the following address: Access to Information and Privacy Division Q.9: How long does the Department have to respond?A: For requests made pursuant to the Access to Information Act, the Department has 30 days to respond to a formal request. However, this period may be extended for a reasonable period of time if the request is for a large number of records or necessitates a search through a large number of records and meeting the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the government institution. A time extension may also be granted if consultations are necessary to comply with the request that cannot be completed within the original time limit. If the required time extension is greater than 30 days, the head of the institution is required under subsection 9(2) of the Act to inform the Information Commissioner of the extension. The requestor will also be given notice of the extension, within 30 days after the request is received, including the length of the extension. The notice shall contain a statement that the individual has the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner about the extension. In the case of formal requests made pursuant to the Privacy Act, the Department also has 30 days to respond. This period may be extended for a maximum of 30 days if meeting the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the government institution, or if consultations are necessary to comply with the request that cannot be completed within the original time limit. The period may also be extended for a reasonable period of time if additional time is necessary for translation purposes or for the purposes of converting the personal information into an alternative format. The requestor will be given notice of the extension, within 30 days after the request is received, including the length of the extension. The notice shall contain a statement that the individual has the right to make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner about the extension. Q.10: Can requesters obtain personal information on people other than themselves?A: To obtain the personal information belonging to someone else, you must submit their written consent authorizing you to receive their personal information. Consent may be provided by completing the Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual form or by way of a written statement indicating the name of the person giving the consent and to whom consent is being given. The consent must be signed and dated by the person giving the consent. Permission is not required to obtain the information of any dependants who are under 18 years of age. Designating a third party or representative Use of a Representative (IMM 5476) If you have questions or need clarification about this application kit, you may contact CIC. You may also choose to obtain the help of a representative if you need additional advice or support. CIC will process your application in the same manner, whether or not you have a representative. A representative is someone who has your permission to conduct business on your behalf with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). He or she will also be able to obtain information on your case file. If you are appointing a representative, you must obtain and complete the Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476) and send it with your application. The form is available on CIC website or from CIC Call Centre. Authority to Release Personal Information to Designated Individuals (IMM 5475) To authorize us to release information from your case file to someone other than a representative, you will need to complete form Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual (IMM 5475) which is available on CIC website. The person 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 able to conduct business on your behalf with CIC. List of acronymsCAIPS: Computer-Assisted Immigration Processing System Several immigration services are available through the CIC web site. MyCICYou can use MyCIC to apply for certain services online. New to MyCIC? First-time user?
If you have never used MyCIC before, you must follow these steps: Step 1 – Create an Access Key
Step 2 – Log into MyCIC
Before Enrolling in MyCIC CIC Portal: Authorized Paid RepresentativesFacts and figuresConsult Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s annual statistical publication to learn about new permanent residents to Canada as well as temporary residents entering Canada to work, study or for humanitarian and compassionate reasons. Preliminary tables – Permanent and temporary residents, 2011Preliminary data for calendar years 2007 to 2011 provide immigration statistics by category and intended destination for permanent residents as well as total entries and “present on” December 1st statistics for temporary foreign workers and foreign students. Facts and Figures 2011: Immigration overview – Permanent and temporary residents will be available in summer, 2012. Table of contents
* Data for 2011 are preliminary estimates and are subject to change. For 2007-2010, these are updated numbers and may differ from those of Facts and Figures 2010. References:
|
Immigration Blog Visit us on Facebook Mbmigration Twitter Channel Watch us on Youtube |
|
