Operational Bulletin 593-A – November 07, 2015
The Implementation of Ministerial Instructions Stopping the Intake and Processing of Permanent Residence and Temporary Residence Applications from Individuals who Have Resided in, Travelled to, or Transited through Ebola Affected Countries
Summary
This Operational Bulletin (OB) provides officers with various operational instructions. These instructions typically relate to the Ministerial Instructions (MIs) that affect applications received from the following individuals:
- Individuals who have resided in an Ebola Affected Country (EAC)
- Individuals who have travelled to an Ebola Affected Country (EAC) and,
- Individuals who have transited through an Ebola Affected Country (EAC)
Background
Ministerial Instructions (MIs) are useful in helping provide the support necessary for the Government of Canada to attain the various immigration goals it has established. This is in accordance with Section 87.3 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
The Ministerial Instructions (MIs)
The Minister issued Ministerial Instructions (MIs), which the Canada Gazette published on October 31, 2014. These Ministerial Instructions (MIs) had the objective of protecting the public health and safety of Canadians against the threat of the Ebola virus disease.
As a result, these Ministerial Instructions (MIs) affected applications from individuals, who:
- Have resided in an Ebola Affected Country (EAC) during the last three months
- Have travelled to an Ebola Affected Country (EAC) during the last three months and,
- Have transited through an Ebola Affected Country (EAC) during the last three months
For applications received from the above-mentioned types of clients, the Ministerial Instructions (MIs):
- Instruct officers to stop processing new applications for Temporary Residence (TR)
- Instruct officers to stop processing pending Temporary Residence (TR) applications
- Instruct officers to stop processing new applications for Permanent Residence (PR) and,
- Instruct officers to withhold the issuance of Permanent Resident (PR) visas
It is worth highlighting that these Ministerial Instructions (MIs) define the Ebola Affected Countries (EAC) as countries that have widespread and persistent (or intense) transmission of the Ebola virus disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already identified these countries.
The authorities have also clarified that these Ministerial Instructions (MIs) do not apply to all the:
- Permanent Resident (PR) types of applications and,
- Temporary Resident (TR) types of applications
Therefore, the officers would first need to determine whether the Ministerial Instructions (MIs) apply to the type of application submitted by the applicant. Thereafter, the officers would need to assess whether the Ministerial Instructions (MIs) describe the applicants themselves too.
Related links:
- Procedures that Officers Would Need to Follow if They Find that the Ministerial Instructions (MIs) Describe the Applicants
- Types of Applications Affected by the Ministerial Instructions
- The Process for Determining Whether the Authorities Have Described the Applicant in the Ministerial Instructions (MIs)
- High Profile Cases from Applicants Described in the Ministerial Instructions (MIs)
Source: Citizenship and Immigration