Extensions revert to Pre-COVID 30-day Deadlines
Posted on 13/04/2021
As of April 12, 2021 requests for additional information on open applications for:
- Temporary residence
- Permanent residence
- Citizenship
will revert back to pre-COVID extensions. That is, you will now receive a letter asking for additional information with a 30-day deadline for obtaining the requested information rather than the 90-day deadline used during the past year.
However, you may be given additional time to provide the information (supporting documents, medical exams, biometrics, etc.) as long as:
- You can provide a reasonable explanation as well as proof of why you need more time.
- Incomplete applications with no reasonable explanation provided or for reasons unrelated to the disruption of services due to COVID may be rejected by IRCC.
Depending on the reasons you provide in asking for further extensions, at the end of the initial 30-day period, IRCC officers can either:
- Give another 30-day extension if your reasons are accepted, OR
- Make a final decision on your application.
If you submit an application (temporary residence, permanent residence, or citizenship) on or after April 12, 2021, you should:
- Include all the required supporting documents, (including medical exams and biometrics) OR
- Include a reasonable explanation along with proof of why you cannot obtain certain supporting documents.
I. Applications with missing medical exams:
IRCC officials will check with the Regional Medical Office (RMO) if panel physicians are available in your area. They will then decide whether to leave the application open to allow for more time to obtain the medical exam, or to close the application.
II. Applications with missing biometrics:
IRCC officials will determine whether biometric collection is available in the applicant’s region and whether efforts have been made by the applicant to book a biometric appointment. They will also review the operational status of biometric collection sites before making a decision on keeping an application open that has missing biometrics, or whether to close the application.
III. Work Permit applications with missing information.
- If the work permit application is for a renewal of a previous work permit, then you will have Maintained Status (formerly implied status) until you send the additional information and you will receive the following response from IRCC:
Your authority to work is continued under Paragraph 186(u) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations for an additional 120 days from the date of this letter or until a final decision is made, whichever comes first.
- If the work permit was submitted after graduation (i.e. a Post-Graduate Work Permit) but while your study permit is still valid then you will have status under an open work permit until you send the additional information and you will receive the following response:
You are authorized to work for any employer, in any occupation, with no restriction on hours for 120 days from the date of this letter or until a decision is made on your application, whichever comes first.
This period of work is authorized as per subsection 186(w) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
IV. Closed or Non-operational Biometric Sites
Due to COVID-19, the following biometric sites are closed or not offering biometrics collection:
- Visa Application Centres (VAC)
- Application Support Centres (ASC) in the USA
- Designated Service Canada Centres
Therefore, if the applicant successfully makes the case that their biometric collection point remains closed then IRCC officers can continue to grant extensions until the site re-opens.
Posted in News and tagged Extension deadlines
