August 30, 2021
More Immigration Applications Moving Online
On 11 August 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the launch of a tool that allows citizenship applications to be submitted online, which IRCC had previously began testing in late 2020.[1] IRCC is now inviting applicants who are 18 years of age or older who are applying as an individual (not as a family), who are not using a representative for their application, and who are not declaring residence outside of Canada as a crown servant or with a crown servant family member.[2]
IRCC is looking to further expand eligibility to apply for citizenship online to families and minors (persons under 18 years of age), and anticipate that in 2022 the online application will open to representatives applying on behalf of clients, and individuals declaring residence outside Canada as a crown servant or with a crown servant family members.[3]
This comes after the announcement by IRCC on 10 August 2021 that authorized paid immigration representatives will be able to submit non-Express Entry permanent resident (PR) applications online on behalf of clients beginning in September 2021.[4] However, it appears the new PR portal will be separate from the existing Authorized Paid Representative Portal which has allowed authorized paid representatives to submit a number of different applications for clients online such as temporary resident visas, study permits, work permits, and Express Entry profiles and related PR applications.
These steps are indicative of IRCC’s continued initiative to streamline processes, and hopefully signals further digitization of applications to come, improvement of service delivery, and efficiency of application processe