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How can I monitor the status of my VISA application and contact the IRCC?

You will have inquiries regarding the status of your visa application at some point during the visa application procedure. There are several ways to get in touch with the IRCC and find out the status, and these are all described in detail here.

Web Form

It is occasionally necessary to get in touch with IRCC personally, even after consulting the IRCC website. It’s critical to concisely describe your issue and include all pertinent data when speaking with IRCC. Otherwise, you risk getting inaccurate information. Here is a link to the Case Specific Enquiry Web Form, which you can use to get in touch with the IRCC.

IRCC Help Centre

The website of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), where you may obtain information, guidelines, application forms, and answers to several commonly asked questions, should always be your first stop if you have questions. This is the URL for the IRCC Help Centre.

Email

While many visa offices outside of Canada provide a general email address, using the IRCC Web Form is advised because it is a more dependable method of getting in touch with IRCC. Please include the following details in your email to IRCC:

Date of birth Country of birth
UCI or Client ID that appears on your study permit, employment permit, or visitor record
Surname and given names precisely as they appear on your passport
Application number, if applicable
Other facts that are pertinent to your circumstance

Contact your local MP

You can also ask for help from your local member of parliament if you’re in Canada. In accordance with Section 8 [2] [g] of the Privacy Act of Canada, the IRCC is required to reply and provide the requested information within a few days. MPs often receive updates in 48 hours as opposed to 14 days or 30 days for Web Form Enquiries or GCMS Notes. An MP may be given information that resembles this;

Additionally, MPs may add letters to files, and IRCC visa officials are required to examine these letters while evaluating applications. See Nagarasa v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) Federal Court Decision.

Client Support Centre

The IRCC call centre offers services in Canada to people who have submitted applications from within the country or online in two ways: a 24/7 automated service and call centre representatives who answer calls in English or French, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time. Weekends and statutory holidays are off limits. Dial 1-888-242-2100. You will be required to select a menu choice following the audio introduction.

Additionally, call centre representatives have received more training and access to client files so they can respond to inquiries about the status of their VISA with more thorough responses.

Your call will be disconnected if there are no agents available due to a high call volume at the Client Support Centre. There won’t be a hold-up as you wait for the next agent to become available. Always take note of the day and time, the agent’s name and badge number, and the precise details they give you when you do connect with an agent.

All calls are recorded in GCMS, making any further follow-up calls easier.

Electronic Client Application Status (ECAS)

The Global Case Management System (GCMS) has been implemented, making the ECAS tool less useful.

GCMS Notes

An applicant who submits an application to the IRCC is frequently in the dark before a decision is made. In the event of a denial, applicants are almost always issued a generic letter of rejection that doesn’t adequately explain why their request wasn’t granted.

Lack of transparency throughout the application process makes it difficult for applicants who want to know more about what happened, and this frequently causes them to contact the IRCC for multiple status updates or submit multiple applications because they are unsure of the full reasons why their previous application was rejected. Such behavior can hurt your VISA and make it take longer.

In reality, there aren’t many commonplace, easily accessible choices for applicants to learn more about their application. The IRCC discloses average processing times for various sorts of applications on its website to enable applicants realise that their applications are being handled promptly.

The IRCC website offers online tools for tracking an applicant’s VISA status as well as a contact center that Canadian applicants can call if they don’t mind waiting to speak with an agent. However, the information available from such sites is not always up to date and is typically limited to just stating that their application is being reviewed.

There are additional options for getting access to client file information besides these. Asking the immigration officer(s) handling the VISA, for instance, is one such example. Immigration agents are required to keep track of every activity on a file, including when papers are requested or obtained, and to explain any denials they make.

These notes are added to the Global Case Management System, or “GCMS“

Requesting these GCMS notes may probably help you understand what happened and choose what to do next if you believe that your VISA has been unduly delayed or rejected without a clear reason.

Canada Visa Status – To obtain the most comprehensive and detailed information regarding a visa application, requesting GCMS Notes is the only reliable method. GCMS (Global Case Management System) provides the most up-to-date and extensive information available, surpassing the level of detail provided by IRCC’s online system. Ordering your GCMS Notes online allows you to access in-depth insights into the status of your visa application or gain a comprehensive understanding of the reasons behind a visa refusal.

Disclaimer – The content on this website is provided solely for informational purposes and is intended to serve the Canada visa applicant community. It is important to note that the materials presented here do not, and should not, be construed as legal advice.