Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is gradually resuming in-person services beginning September 21, following months of virtual-only operations due to COVID-19. The phased return aims to safely reintroduce essential services that cannot be completed online, using new health protocols designed to protect both staff and clients.
As part of this pilot phase, a limited scope of services will reopen across select cities. Citizenship re-testing and hearings will restart at Vancouver Expo for a specific group of applicants, scheduled directly via email by IRCC. Permanent residence services are being reintroduced in Etobicoke, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec. Here, individuals waiting for permanent residence interviews or card pickups will be contacted to book appointments.
Asylum seekers will also begin to see movement on their cases. IRCC offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, and Niagara Falls will restart limited asylum-related services, including biometric collection, document submission, and interviews. Appointments will be set via epost—the digital mail service offered by Canada Post. The IRCC has indicated that if this initial rollout proves successful, additional offices in cities such as Vancouver (Hornby), Montreal, and Etobicoke may also reopen later for asylum services.
Appointments will be allocated based on several factors, including the date of original application and the client’s current location in Canada. The IRCC emphasizes that only those with scheduled appointments will be permitted to access in-person services.
Additionally, Service Canada will begin scheduling biometrics appointments for in-Canada permanent residence applicants in the coming months. Appointment scheduling will be prioritized by region, which means those in high-demand areas like the Greater Toronto Area may experience longer wait times.
Clients are reminded not to visit a Service Canada Centre or IRCC office unless they’ve been explicitly contacted with a confirmed appointment. Those who need to update their contact information due to changes or having an authorized representative can do so through the IRCC webform.
To ensure health and safety, IRCC will enforce strict protocols at reopened offices. Clients must undergo a Health Canada self-assessment before attending appointments and will be screened again upon arrival. Masks are mandatory, physical distancing will be enforced, and directional signage will guide foot traffic. Anyone displaying COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to reschedule.
IRCC had suspended all in-person immigration services on March 18 as a precaution during the early stages of the pandemic. While many services have continued virtually, this reintroduction marks a significant step toward normalizing immigration processing in Canada under a controlled and safe environment.
Maple News will continue to monitor and report on further developments as Canada expands access to immigration and citizenship services nationwide.