IRCC

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for matters dealing with immigration to Canada, refugees, and Canadian citizenship

CBSA

The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border control, immigration enforcement, and customs services in Canada

IRCC

Making a request from IRCC or CBSA is a matter of personal preference. For most, requesting from IRCC will be sufficient

CBSA

There can be situations when requesting from CBSA may be a better choice;

you have a deadline to meet and want the file from both IRCC and CBSA to reduce the risk of delay
your application is in progress and you want more information about Security Screening
you were found inadmissible and were refused entry to, or removed from Canada
you want maximum possible information about your file and want information from IRCC and CBSA

IRCC

The Global Case Management System

CBSA

CBSA uses the Global Case Management System as well

IRCC

GCMS Notes – Includes the status update of the file, the officers electronic notes and/or the reason for refusal

Entire File – Includes the status update of the file, the officers electronic notes and/or the reason for refusal copies of all forms and supporting documents sent to/from IRCC

CBSA

Includes the same information as provided by IRCC information administered by CBSA

IRCC

IRCC provides information via email as a PDF document

CBSA

CBSA also provides information via email as a PDF document

IRCC

There is a great degree of variability with IRCC’s performance; files from IRCC may arrive well before the due date, on the due date itself or may be delayed beyond the due date

IRCC receives the most requests of all government agencies and was also investigated by the Information Commissioner of Canada regarding delays

CBSA

Processing delays with CBSA can occur as well but overall CBSA has had a better track record for on-time performance

IRCC

The compliance rate (i.e. percentage of requests completed within legislated timelines) at IRCC has decreased in the last few years as a result of high volumes of requests, antiquated technology, and ongoing challenges attracting and retaining human resources. More recently, IRCC has realigned its structure and implemented new strategies that have resulted in an improvement in compliance.

CBSA

Over the years CBSA has enjoyed a very high compliance rate but more recently The Office of the Information Commissioner has observed a significant increase in complaints being made against CBSA, alleging that CBSA is not responding to requests within legislated time limits. To better understand the root cause of this surge and provide recommendations, in February 2023, the Information Commissioner initiated a systemic investigation into CBSA’s processing of requests for immigration application files. The Commissioner plans to publish the final report on this investigation in 2024.

IRCC

IRCC and CBSA both do not disclose certain information that could be injurious to Canada’s security or economy, federal-provincial relations and international affairs

In some cases IRCC will withhold certain types of information but CBSA will disclose the exact same information. Example; Security screening details are always redacted in files from IRCC. However, in most files from CBSA security screening details are not redacted

CBSA

Due to inconsistencies in how IRCC and CBSA release the exact same information, it can be beneficial in certain situations to request your file from both IRCC and CBSA. This will provide the maximum possible information about your file

IRCC

• IRCC will accept an e-sign Consent form with an audit log
• For a minor child i.e. under the age of 16, consent from both parents is a requirement

CBSA

• CBSA will also accept an e-sign Consent form with an audit log
• For a minor child, consent from both parents is also a requirement