Re-testing

Appendix F – Re-testing

The Procedure / Re-testing Policy

Segregating first-time testers from those taking a re-test would enhance the accuracy of test performance reports. Therefore, local offices would schedule and hold re-testing sessions as separate events.

Local offices can prescribe tests and re-tests for applicants if the applicants:

  • Are clearly prohibited
  • Have not met the basic residence requirements owing to:
    • Insufficient permanent resident time or,
    • Section 21 (where the applicant is a paroled inmate or has been in jail or under a probation order)
  • Face an enforceable removal order
  • Are permanent residents no longer
  • Have not provided court documents and/or their fingerprints
  • Have been in Canada for 900 days or less

Exceptions to Testing / Re-testing

The local office staff cannot schedule a test/re-test for applicants, if the applicants request a hearing with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). This could be because the applicants:

  • Do not read English or French
  • Have a medical condition that prevents them from writing the test e.g. a mental disability or any cognitive, psychiatric or psychological condition

Monitoring and Reporting

The local office staff would monitor and report performances manually. Their reporting template would contain:

  • Test session performance (i.e. pass, fail, no-show etc.) and,
  • Test details (i.e. first test, re-test, re-test inventory etc.)

Communicating Test Results and Further Steps

Successful Applicants

The local office staff would inform applicants who pass the test:

  • That they would proceed to the citizenship ceremony if they meet all the other requirements – pending a final decision by the citizenship judge
  • About the timelines for the ceremony (either on-the-spot or via a mailed notice)

Unsuccessful Applicants (First Test)

The local office staff would:

  • Provide applicants their test scores (without discussing the outcomes per question)
  • Give applicants a copy of the information sheet titled Notice – Results of Your Citizenship Test and Next Steps – Annex 1
  • Inform applicants that they can withdraw their applications (without recommending this explicitly) if the applicants would not be able to meet the knowledge requirements
  • Provide applicants with a copy of Discover Canada

       They would also inform the applicants that:

  • The applicants would only have one re-testing opportunity
  • The re-test would take place in approximately four to eight weeks
  • If the applicants do not appear for the re-test and do not inform the staff about their absence within 60 days from the date of the scheduled re-test appointment, then the staff would:
    • Close the applicant’s files and,
    • Refund the Right of Citizenship fee of $100
    • In this situation, the applicants could submit a fresh application with the necessary fees for obtaining citizenship
  • Some files could contain more than one applicant. In this scenario, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) would split the file if the unsuccessful applicants in the file, also fail the re-test. Thus, the successful applicants would proceed to the next stage. Similarly, the unsuccessful applicants would appear for the hearing. However, families could make a request to stay as a unit during the processing stages.

Unsuccessful Applicants (Re-test)

The local office staff would provide applicants with:

  • Their test score
  • A copy of the information sheet titled Notice – Results of Your Citizenship Test and Next Steps – Annex 1
  • An intimation that the applicants would have to meet a citizenship judge for an oral interview

The staff would also return the file to its original place in the hearing queue (if the applicant came from the hearing inventory).

Implementation Plan

Group 1: Applicants taking the test (First-time testers)

  • Effective September 3, 2013, local office staff would:
    • Inform applicants that they would need to take a re-test if they fail – regardless of any other issues with their file
    • Use the new Notice to Appear – To Re-write a Citizenship Test
  • For applicants served through itinerant service, local offices could provide operationally feasible options like:
    • Testing sessions without a judge being present
    • One pass sessions in the presence of a judge
  • Local offices could also split successful family files once the applicant(s) fail the first test. This is an exception to the specifications listed in OB 529-A. However, before splitting a file, local offices would need to ensure that there are no:
    • Security concerns  and,
    • Residency issues for any client mentioned in the file

Group 2: Reduction of Hearing Inventory

  • Local office staff would arrange re-tests for applicants in the hearing inventory. They would also:
    • Identify and segregate files marked for:
      • A knowledge hearing only or,
      • A knowledge combined with any other criteria hearing
      • Mark the files for place in the queue
      • Return the file to the hearing queue if the applicant fails the re-test
      • Conduct re-testing sessions separately from first-time test sessions
  • For hearings concerning knowledge combined with any other criteria:
    • The previous instructions of OB 530-A do not apply any longer except where local offices have already scheduled files for a hearing. In this situation:
      • Judges could offer applicants the choice of proceeding with an oral knowledge evaluation or with a re-test
      • Office staff would complete the Retest Option for Adult Grant – See Annex 4 and attach it to the file

Applicants Approaching the Age of 55 Years

For applicants turning 55 on or before the date of the re-test or during the triage of hearing inventory files, the local office staff can:

  • Remove the applicant from the re-test and,
  • Refer the applicant to the judge for a paper review and decision

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) 

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Caregiver Program Delays Frustrate Families Searching for Foreign Nannies (Audio)

According to applicants, changes to a federal program to help Canadians hire foreign workers as nannies means families are now dealing with unexplained delays and confusion.

Last year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada implemented changes designed to encourage more Canadian applicants for the job, while onetime Immigration Minister Jason Kenney argued the old program had “mutated” into a family-reunification scheme.

To hire a worker under the program, a family must first show there is a need to hire a foreign worker to fill the job, and that no Canadian applicants were available, by applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). If the family receives a positive LMIA, it can start applying for a work permit and eventually hire a foreign national for the job.

One family currently pursuing a hiring under the program said before the family applied for a LMIA, it spent four weeks searching for a Canadian nanny. After receiving zero response to their ads the couple then applied for the LMIA. That’s where the process stalled.

Family members didn’t hear back for weeks and phone calls didn’t yield any information. In February, they discovered their application, and those of 23 other families, were missing. The couple had to go through the process again and resubmit the application.

Aside from delays, the changes have brought other frustrations. When asked about the delays, Employment and Social Development Canada responded in an email that in February, 80 per cent of the LMIA applications for foreign workers were processed within 30 days. However, the agency does not separately track LMIA processing times specifically for the caregiver program.

It appears the caregiver program was a victim of politics and the changes were made as part of a “knee-jerk reaction” to wider problems with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.  There are unconfirmed reports that the government through its inside Canada offices is delaying the processing of care-giver applications.

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Minimum Education Requirement

The Minimum Education Requirement (for Applications Received on or after May 04, 2013)

The authorities have prescribed certain educational requirements that applicants would need to meet. To meet these requirements, applicants would need to:

  • Submit their completed Canadian educational credentials or,
  • Submit their completed foreign educational credentials and the Equivalency Assessment (ECA) report issued by a designated assessment organisation or institution

The applicants would need to submit these documents along with their applications to the Centralised Intake Office (CIO). The equivalency assessment would need to be less than five years old on the date on which the Centralised Intake Office (CIO) receives the application.

Situations could arise where the authorities have designated a professional body for the primary occupation specified in the application. In this scenario, the applicant would need to submit:

  • A completed foreign diploma, certificate or credential relevant to that occupation and,
  • The Equivalency Assessment (ECA) report issued by a designated professional body

This Equivalency Assessment (ECA) report would serve to establish that the completed foreign diploma, certificate or credential is equivalent to the completed Canadian educational credential required for practising that occupation. The report would enable the applicant to practice the specific occupation in at least one of the provinces in which the authorities recognise the equivalency assessments issued by this professional body.

It is worth noting that this Equivalency Assessment (ECA) report would need to:

  • Be issued by the designated professional body and,
  • Be less than five years old on the date on which the applicants make the application

This is in accordance with the provisions specified in R75 (2.1).

In addition, the authorities would use these Equivalency Assessment (ECA) reports as conclusive evidence that the applicant’s completed foreign diplomas, certificates or credentials are equivalent to the completed Canadian educational credentials. This is especially so to meet the provisions specified in R75 (2) (e), R75 (2.1) and R78.

Typically, these Equivalency Assessment (ECA) reports would also need to include an assessment by the organisation or institution. This assessment would verify the authenticity of the completed foreign diploma, certificate or credential.

Applicants might wish to acquire more details on this subject. For this, they would need to refer to the section that concerns the authenticity of foreign educational credentials given subsequently in this document (refer to Appendix C).

Note:

  • The applicant would also need to submit at least a completed Canadian secondary educational credential or its equivalent
  • This would enable the applicant to meet the minimum education requirement
  • It is worth remembering that the Centralised Intake Office (CIO) will only accept reports issued by a designated organisation or institution designated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) as an equivalency assessment for the purpose of a Federal Skilled Worker Class application.

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada

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The French Language Testing Agencies

The French Language Testing Agencies

The Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry administers the Test d’évaluation de Français (TEF).

It is worth noting that for meeting the requirements prescribed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), applicants would need to submit results for the following Test d’évaluation de Français (TEF) modules:

  • Compréhension écrite (reading)
  • Compréhension orale (listening)
  • Expression écrite (writing) and,
  • Expression orale (speaking)

Test candidates could also take the Lexique et structure (grammar and structure) test. This test would typically form a part of the reading and listening modules. However, this test is not necessary for Canadian immigration purposes.

Source: Citizenship and Immigration (CIC)

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The Settlement Funds

The Settlement Funds

It is worth noting that settlement funds do not form a part of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) – refer to Appendix C. However, these funds do pertain to the program requirements specified for the following programs:

  • The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and,
  • The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

Therefore, the authorities would include them in the Minimum Eligibility Criteria (MEC) for Express Entry as well (refer to Appendix D).

A change in the applicant’s family circumstances might affect the applicant’s eligibility. However, this would typically depend on the settlement funds required by the program to which the applicant is applying.

For instance, consider that an applicant submits the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR) under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). Subsequently, the applicant informs Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) of the birth of a child in the family. In this scenario, the officer would need to re-assess the application for determining whether the applicant still meets the prescribed minimum settlement funds as specified by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).

Officers might come across situations where the applicant might not have the required settlement funds. In this scenario, they would have no other alternative but to refuse the application on program requirements.

Similarly, situations might arise where the applicant fails to declare a child in the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR). However, the applicant subsequently informs Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) of the existence of the child – in particular that the said child existed when the applicant submitted the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR). In this scenario, the officers would need to assess the application on A11.2.

Processing offices typically bear the responsibility of determining whether the applicants meet the program requirements for settlement funds. Therefore, they would need to apply the principles of procedural fairness in this regard.

Source: Citizenship and Immigration

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Changes to Family Composition

The Changes to Family Composition

The officers would need to examine all family members when they assess the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR). This would be applicable to all accompany and non-accompanying family members. It is worth noting that the addition of family members to the application could take place at any time during the process. In fact, it could even take place after the authorities issue the visa but prior to the applicant obtaining permanent resident status. Therefore, applicants would need to inform Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) of any changes in their family composition immediately. This would typically apply to changes such as:

  • The birth of a child
  • Marriage
  • Divorce

Situations could arise where principal applicants might not include a spouse or a common-law partner in their application. This is especially so if:

  • Their relationship is not genuine or,
  • They entered into the relationship primarily for acquiring a status or a privilege under the Act

This is in accordance with the provisions specified in R4 (1).

Similarly, the principal applicant might not include the details of an adopted child as well. This is especially so if:

  • Their relationship did not create a genuine parent-child relationship or,
  • They entered into the relationship primarily for acquiring a status or a privilege under the Act

This is in accordance with the provisions specified in R4 (2).

In addition, officers would need to note that the provisions specified in A11.2 do not apply when an applicant adds a family member to their application after the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR). However, the authorities would need to assess the family member regardless of this. Therefore, the principal applicant would need to provide Additional Family Information to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). In addition, the principal applicant would need to pay the applicable fees online.

Source: Citizenship and Immigration

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Ottawa’s New Express Entry Immigration System Slow Off the Mark

Less than half of immigrants to Canada this year will be selected through the new Express Entry system introduced by the Conservative government, which promised to match skilled, economic migrants with employers’ needs.

Under Express Entry, over 6,850 prospective immigrants have been invited to apply for permanent residency. However, Citizenship and Immigration Canada says a majority of immigrants will only be processed through the new system by 2017. The shift to the new economic immigration system was announced in 2012 and has been in place since Jan. 1.

In its 2015 immigration levels plan, the Citizenship and Immigration ministry pledged to accept 260,000 to 285,000 new permanent residents, about two-thirds of them economic migrants. To meet that target, the government needs to admit about 22,500 immigrants a month, about 10 times the number that are admitted through Express Entry at present. Most new immigrants this year will have to be selected through the old system, which was criticized because it was slow and operated on first-come, first-served basis.

“CIC is in a period of transition with recent implementation of Express Entry that will span approximately two years,” said Johanne Nadeau, a Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman.

CIC would not say whether it has annual targets or expectations for Express Entry admissions at this point. The number of new permanent residents coming through the program is expected to grow in 2016 to about half of all admissions. By 2017, most, if not all economic admissions should be through Express Entry, Ms. Nadeau said.

The government introduced Express Entry with much fanfare as a selection mechanism that would make economic immigration more responsive to the needs of employers and the labour market.

Under the new system, applicants in the economic streams enter a pool of candidates for initial assessment and are graded on factors such as age, education and work skills and given a score out of 1,200.

The strength of the new system was said to be fast, flexible and responsive to a changing labour market while aiming to cut processing times. Under the old system, every application had to be assessed in the order it was received, even as backlogs grew. Under Express Entry, only those with a strong chance of qualifying for permanent residency need further assessment.

Attorney Colin Singer Commentary:

Current policies and target levels under the Economic Class and Family Class suggest that between 20,000 – 35,000 applicants will be invited to apply for permanent residence under Express Entry in 2015.

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The Requirement of Maintaining the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Score

The Requirement of Maintaining the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Score

A10.3 (1) (h) provides certain authorities to the Ministerial Instructions (refer to Appendix A) that determine the basis on which the ranking of Express Entry candidates takes place. Applicants would need to maintain the qualifications that resulted in giving them a spot in the top rankings for receiving Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in a particular draw. This is in accordance with the provisions specified in A11.2.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) regularly conducts draws. Thereafter, it invites the highest ranked Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence. It has devised a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). It uses this system to rank candidates against each other in the Express Entry pool.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) developed the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) through evidence-based research. The system relies on objective criteria, known to contribute to an immigrant’s economic success in Canada.

Express Entry candidates will typically score Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points based on their:

  • Human capital
  • Human capital and a qualifying offer of arranged employment or,
  • Human capital and a provincial or territorial nomination

Therefore, candidates in the pool receive ranks based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) as well as on the self-declared qualifications given in their profiles. After each draw, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) publishes the score of the lowest ranked candidate to receive the Invitation to Apply (ITA) in that draw (refer to Appendix A).

The Global Case Management System (GCMS) automatically records the applicant’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score when:

  • Provinces and territories (PTs) issue Invitations to Apply (ITAs) and,
  • Applicants submit their electronic Applications for Permanent Residence (e-APRs)

At the time of the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR), processing offices would need to compare both sets of Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores. This would enable them to determine the next applicable steps.

  • If the officers find that the applicant’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score is equal to or higher than the lowest ranked score in the draw
    • The authorities would not refuse the application on A11.2
    • However, they would do this only if:
      • The applicant’s supporting documentation verifies their claims and,
      • The applicant continues to meet the Minimum Eligibility Criteria (MEC) for Express Entry (refer to Appendix D)
        • This would also involve meeting the minimum requirements of the program for which they received Invitations to Apply (ITAs)
  • If the officers find that the applicant’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score is lower than the lowest ranked score in the draw
    • The officers would need to refuse the application on A11.2
    • This is because the application does not maintain the qualifications needed for justifying the Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Source: Citizenship and Immigration

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Express Entry – Assessing an e-Application on A11.2

This document contains policy, procedures and guidance used by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) staff. Stakeholders would be able to refer to this by visiting the website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Situations could arise where processing offices will come across:

  • Trends of concern or,
  • Trends that could serve to inform policy and procedures pertaining to Express Entry including:
    • Observations about the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) [refer to Appendix C]
    • Application triage criteria

In this scenario, processing offices would need to notify CIC-NH-OMC. Officers who come across trends to report would need to send a description of the trend to CIC-NHQ-OMC. The staff at CIC-NHQ-OMC would need to share the information with the appropriate leads within Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) thereafter.

Officers would need to note the difference between the stages when an individual is a candidate and when the individual becomes an applicant. When an Express Entry candidate submits an electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR) to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the individual ceases to be a candidate. Instead, from that point onwards, the individual becomes an applicant.

Section 11.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) comprises a new authority. This authority serves the purpose of supporting the Express Entry system.

Officers would not be able to issue a visa to an applicant who:

  • Did not (or does not) meet the Express Entry Minimum Entry Criteria (MEC) – refer to Appendix D or,
  • Did not (or does not) possess the relevant qualifications for which they received their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores at the time where:
    • The applicant received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) (refer to Appendix E) or,
    • Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) received the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR)

Similarly, when reviewing an application, the processing offices would need to determine whether:

  • The applicant possesses the relevant qualifications specified in their electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR), based on the supporting documentation provided by the applicant and,
  • The applicant has not materially changed the information provided in their Express Entry profile to the extent that the authorities would not have issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in that draw, when the applicant submits the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR)

Therefore, officers would need to refuse an application on the grounds of A11.2 if they find that:

  • The applicant did not (or does not) meet the Express Entry Minimum Entry Criteria (MEC) at the time of Invitation to Apply (ITA) or when the applicant submits the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR)
    • This would typically include the requirements of the program to which the authorities invited the applicants to apply OR,
  • The recalculated Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of the applicant has fallen below that of the lowest-ranked candidate invited to apply in that draw (refer to Appendix A)

In addition, processing offices would need to enter a decision on A11.2 in the Global Case Management System (GCMS). Only then will they be able to finalise the application.

Situations could arise where officers come across cases having a change in circumstance after the submission of the electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR). To understand how to deal with these kinds of situations, they would need to refer to the instructions specified subsequently in this document.

Similarly, situations could arise where the authorities refuse an application on A11.2. In this scenario, the officers would also need to assess whether they could refuse the application for failing to meet federal program requirements. On refusing the applications, the officers would need to invoke all the relevant and applicable grounds. Officers would also need to consider situations to find misrepresentations, wherever applicable.

It is worth noting that the templates for refusal letters for the following programs include options for refusal on various grounds:

  • The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
  • The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
  • The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and,
  • The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

The options for refusal could include:

  • A11.2 or,
  • Program requirements or,
  • Both A11.2 and program requirements

Related Links:

  1. The Change in Circumstance Declared in the e-Application
  2. Appendix A – The Ministerial Instructions for the Express Entry Application Management System
  3. Appendix B – A40
  4. Appendix C – Express Entry: The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)
  5. Appendix D – Express Entry: Creating an Express Entry Profile and the Requirements for Entering the Pool

Source: Citizenship and Immigration

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The Alternative Application Process for Persons with Disabilities

Section C – The Alternative Application Process for Persons with Disabilities

The authorities are cognisant of the fact that some foreign nationals could have a physical or mental disability. This disability could prevent these foreign nationals from:

To remedy this, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has specified provisions for accommodating such foreign nationals. The instructions given below enable officers to handle such cases fairly and equitably. At the same time, they help in the prevention of fraud.

The Electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR)

The authorities would typically invite foreign nationals to apply under Express Entry. On receiving the invitation to apply, the foreign nationals would need to submit their Applications for Permanent Residence (APRs) electronically. This is in accordance with the provisions specified in R12.01 (1).

However, some foreign nationals might not be able to submit their Applications for Permanent Residence (APRs) online because of a physical or a mental disability. In this scenario, R12.02 (1) provides an exemption to these foreign nationals from this mandatory requirement.

The Instructions for Accommodating Foreign Nationals with Disabilities

Some foreign nationals might be suffering from a physical or a mental disability. Therefore, they might not be able to complete an Express Entry profile or an electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR). In this scenario, these individuals would need to contact the Call Centre of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The Call Centre would need to evaluate the need for accommodation. Therefore, the Call Centre would need to answer questions such as:

  • What is the nature of the foreign national’s disability?
  • Is the foreign national aware that the Express Entry profile and electronic APR have CIC’s web accessibility features? The features could include the following:
    • Low vision
    • Blindness
    • Mobility and dexterity
    • Cognition
  • Does the foreign national have a friend or family member, access to community resources, or an authorized representative to help them with the application?

Usually, the use of assistive technology and the web accessibility features of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) are useful in accommodating the disabilities of many foreign nationals. However, situations could arise where both these methods are insufficient for accommodating the disabilities of some foreign nationals.

In this situation, the Call Centre would need to e-mail CIC-NH-OMC with the subject line “Express Entry – Alternative Application Request”. The e-mail would typically contain:

  • Answers to the three questions listed above
  • The various personal details of the foreign national such as:
    • The name
    • The mailing address
    • The telephone number and,
    • The e-mail address (if applicable)

On receiving the request, the CIC-NHQ-OMC would consult Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) application accessibility experts. These experts would determine the best ways for accommodating the foreign national. Situations could arise where the experts express satisfaction that the existing web application would not be able to accommodate the disability of the foreign national. In this situation, the CIC-NHQ-OMC would need to contact the foreign national. Thereafter, they would need to provide the foreign national with an alternative to the online application process.

Note:

  • It is worth noting that foreign nationals would need to provide the relevant documentation to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
  • Only on receiving this documentation would Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) be able to consider the foreign national’s request for accommodation
  • Appropriate documentation could typically include medical certificates etc.

The Instructions for Paper-Based Applications

Situations could arise where the authorities determine that a foreign national has a disability that renders the individual unable to complete an electronic form. However, they find that the foreign national can complete a paper form. In this scenario, CIC-NHQ-OMC will offer to mail a paper version of the Express Entry profile questionnaire to the foreign national.

The profile questionnaire will typically include a cover letter. The cover letter will explain that the officers could consider granting the foreign national an exemption from the requirement of registering with Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC’s) Job Bank. This is especially so because the foreign national is unable to apply online because of a physical or a mental disability. In this scenario, the foreign national could receive assistance for registering with Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC’s) Job Bank later. They could even avail of this assistance at a Service Canada office. However, this scenario would only materialise if the foreign national expressly chooses to do so.

The authorities would instruct the foreign national to complete the Express Entry profile questionnaire. Thereafter, the foreign national would need to mail it to the Centralised Intake Office in Sydney (CIO-S). The authorities would make the necessary arrangements with the Centralised Intake Office in Sydney (CIO-S). These arrangements would typically include creating a MyCIC account and an Express Entry profile for the foreign national. The creation of these accounts and profiles would enable the foreign national to become a candidate in the Express Entry pool.

Situations could arise where the authorities invite the candidate to submit an Application for Permanent Residence (APR). In this scenario, the Centralised Intake Office in Sydney (CIO-S) would need to mail the program-specific paper application to the candidate. The officers would need to ensure that they send a ‘flat’ version of the application i.e. not a form that includes drop-down menus designed for a computer. After completing the form, the applicant would need to return the paper Application for Permanent Residence (APR) by mail to the Centralised Intake Office in Sydney (CIO-S). A clerk at the Centralised Intake Office in Sydney (CIO-S) would receive the Application for Permanent Residence (APR). Thereafter, the clerk would be responsible for inputting the information into the Global Case Management System (GCMS).

The authorities envisage that they would need to use mail as the medium for managing all communication with the foreign national. This would include using mail for all activities including creation of the individual’s Express Entry profile to taking a decision the individual’s Application for Permanent Residence (APR). However, the authorities would only determine the necessity of this approach based on the nature and the extent of the foreign national’s disability.

Therefore, an employee from the Case Processing Region would need to monitor the foreign national’s MyCIC account. This individual would need to forward all correspondence to the foreign national by mail.

Source: Citizenship and Immigration

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