Have you ever questioned what precisely occurs together with your immigration utility after it’s submitted? Are there sure issues you are able to do to enhance your possibilities of success? Are there issues you are able to do to harm your possibilities of success? On this episode, we’re going to pull the curtain again on CIC and share perception on the applying course of from an X-Immigration officer’s perspective. 
On this podcast I had the uncommon alternative to interview Billie Younger who labored inside Citizenship and Immigration Canada for over 11 years earlier than becoming a member of our workplace as an Immigration Technical Adviser. Billie has now accomplished her Immigration Marketing consultant Certification and is increasing her follow inside our legislation agency, Holthe Tilleman LLP.
Billie shared some phenomenal perception on what it was like working inside the division in a wide range of capacities. She additionally pulled the curtain again on the mindset of an officer when adjudicating purposes at quite a few completely different areas together with the border, on the airport and on the inland places of work of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
On this podcast, we lined quite a few areas together with:
- A day within the lifetime of an immigration officer.
- How entries are handled otherwise on the border versus the airport.
- An inside take a look at the inland immigration enforcement course of.
- An immigration officer’s mindset when adjudicating purposes.
- Recommendations on what an officer likes to see in an immigration utility.
- Recommendation on what an officer doesn’t prefer to see in an utility.
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Discover Extra Assets
On this episode we talked about the next assets:
Canadian Immigration Institute
We simply accomplished our very first Pilot Course on how one can submit your Categorical Entry profile (Section 1). It was a powerful success. We will likely be releasing inside the subsequent two weeks, Section 2 of our Categorical Entry Pilot Course which is able to cowl how to file your everlasting resident utility after receiving an ITA.
If you need to register for the course, please subscribe to my mailing record within the high proper nook of this website and you’ll be the primary to obtain notification when the brand new pilot course is launched.
Questions for our Subsequent Podcast
Learn the Transcript
You’ll be able to learn extra notes for this episode, [spoiler]
Mark’s Questions:
What bought you into immigration within the first place?
Inform us slightly bit about a number of the completely different jobs you’ve had working inside Canadian Immigration.
So what made you resolve to go away your place with immigration to enter personal follow inside a Canadian legislation agency?
Inform me slightly bit concerning the day within the lifetime of an immigration officer processing purposes?
I’d like to provide some actual worth to our listeners right now, so let’s dive into the precise adjudication strategy of assessing purposes.
What had been a few of most typical errors folks made when submitting immigration purposes?
Processing occasions are usually fairly prolonged when issues are referred to a neighborhood workplace, you have to have had plenty of inquiries from folks concerning their purposes. Individuals tend to suppose the extra you name and inquire, the extra consideration an officer will give to your utility? How did you take care of individuals who made repeated inquiries into their purposes?
Clearly, immigration purposes are permitted offered the international nationwide meets the necessities of the visa class. Nevertheless, are you able to give the viewers some useful recommendations on making ready their purposes in a method immigration officers like?
Billie’s Present Notes:
I’ve labored for over 11 years inside Citizenship and Immigration Canada in a wide range of capacities. My profession inside CIC began as a summer time scholar (1998) on the port of entry in Coutts, Alberta. I continued on as a senior immigration analyzing officer on the Edmonton Worldwide airport, then moved on to take up an enforcement officer position in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and proceed offering companies on the airport in Saskatoon as nicely. I just lately accomplished my profession with CIC because the admissions officer within the Lethbridge, Alberta workplace previous to its closing in 2012.
Now within the personal sector I’ve acted as a strategic useful resource to the enterprise immigration crew in aiding purchasers in navigating the complexities that exist inside the division of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. I proceed to make the most of my previous expertise as an adjudicating officer to reinforce the standard of immigration purposes submitted by our purchasers and supply direct help to our employees in speaking with CIC when troublesome and difficult conditions come up. On October 22, 2015 I grew to become a regulated Canadian immigration marketing consultant.
Officer’s Thought course of:
Discretionary-An officer can take a look at the identical case with the identical proof and are available to completely different conclusions, with each choices being proper. So long as an officer can justify there choice, and there choice is predicated on reality not opinion they’re good to go.
Threshold-With every officer they ultimately decide their very own threshold, often utilized to H&C’s and TRP so the very discretionary LOB. Usually an officer is aware of what they may let go and approve in these instances, and what they may refuse. Once more nothing you are able to do to alter their thoughts normally and by arguing with them solely makes them battle again tougher as nicely since they typically don’t prefer to be unsuitable.
Coverage based-Although are choices are based mostly on IRPA, officers take a look at the coverage manuals for route and the way IRPA needs to be utilized in every LOB. I extremely suggest when submitting purposes and making ready your submission letter you reference the coverage manuals to help your utility as a result of that’s what an officer will do when making a call in your purchasers file.
Coping with legal professionals and or Immigration Consultants-For probably the most half officers within the bigger facilities don’t need to be bothered instantly by the shopper or the lawyer in our case, until once more processing occasions have handed, or strains of communication have been opened by CIC, so they’re requesting additional submissions or interview. It’s my understanding that inside CIC Calgary for instance (or no less than it was once) that every one use of consultant inquiries are principally handled by the supervisors until as acknowledged beforehand the officer has reached out to the lawyer or tremendous
For instance in Lethbridge after I was admissions officer I handled all of the strains of enterprise (LOB) inside CIC, from momentary residents VR,WP,SP,TRP, to PR purposes, spousals, H&C, PR card investigations, criminality opinions, and inland refugee claimants. Nevertheless that was not the case within the Calgary workplace. Once more it comes all the way down to assets, they didn’t have sufficient. As nicely officers had been assigned to particular LOB, which is nice they develop into specialists in sure areas, e.g. the previous TFWU, however the issue is if you deal retirements, transfers, layoffs, and workplace closures, you now have officers that solely are used to doing one LOB making an attempt to be taught a number of LOB with restricted assets, and a backlog of recordsdata. I’m telling you this so once more you possibly can see what an officer is coping with, take a minute to see it from there perspective, and now use could possibly you this to your benefit when submitting your utility.
Inside working
CIC/CBSA-The communication and partnership isn’t as shut since CBSA got here to be. CIC and CBSA are to separate departments regardless that they’re intertwined.
O/S offices-It’s troublesome to have the ability to converse with an workplace inside the visa places of work at the same time as an officer working for CIC in Canada it may be troublesome to get a well timed response from the visa workplace. The fact is they don’t have the assets to maintain up with the quantity. Due to this fact it’s not a precedence to reply inquiries which are inside the processing occasions. On the POE you’ll want to contemplate that with new officers usually are not closely educated in IRPA. As nicely on the POE they don’t seem to be as acquainted and infrequently don’t know the inland procedures concerning most LOB. They give attention to purchasers which are coming into Canada for the fist time as guests, or finalizing landings, or pre-approved purposes from the visa workplace. I say this simply to bear in mind if you’re occupied with going to the border to have your utility adjudicated until it is rather straight ahead LMO based mostly WP ect, you take a danger. You additionally need to just remember to even are eligible to journey to the border and request your utility be adjudicated upon re-entry.
Problem-Problem the instances you’re feeling warrant it. It will govern the best way CIC approaches instances sooner or later if instances are received within the federal court docket. Once more be sure it’s price it as a result of everyone knows it’s time consuming and ultimately if we lose will solely harm the shopper.
Likes and Dislikes after I was an officer:
- • Preserve the submissions brief and candy. For me I didn’t must see a condensed model of the knowledge already offered within the utility. Submission needs to be temporary, and used to offer clarification that the applying might not permit, or that’s required to assist construct a extra bought case to your shopper when wanted. Spousal’s for example-two step strategy:
- o First take a look at the sponsor, and sections of IRPA that apply. Does the sponsor qualify;
- o Then take a look at the connection between sponsor an PA-legal marriage, as as to whether or not it meets widespread legislation;
- o Now’s it real that is all first stage overview for an officer. As soon as the officer is happy the sponsor and PA meet the necessities they approve it at stage 1 and transfer on to the essential screening of inadmissibilities resembling criminality, medical, safety;
Once more that is how I consider we must always strategy placing collectively an utility for a shopper in these levels, they method an officer would overview them. Nevertheless, a secure option to put the applying collectively is by following the doc guidelines.
- • Inquiries, hold them to a minimal, be sure when calling in a favor it’s warranted, pressing, and never merely simply to quick observe the processing occasions as a result of the shopper is impatient .
- • Don’t strategy an officer as if you’re entitled, and you’re a lawyer due to this fact you get particular remedy. As it’s splattered all around the provincial web sites, and CIC’s a consultant isn’t obligatory.
- • Exhaust all doable choices, like contacting the decision centre, earlier than inquiring to the CIC/CPC workplace instantly.
- • Inform the reality.
- • Don’t abuse the CIC system, attempt to adjust to the officers directions, CBSA/CIC as it’s going to solely assist to facilitate sooner or later, even when the specified consequence takes slightly longer to get it’s extra prone to occur if the shopper cooperates.
- • It’s typically simply greatest to adjust to the officers request and settle for the choice that was made if in fact their was no error in legislation.
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