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Instructions for Sending an E-Mail Inquiry
Instructions for sending an e-mail inquiry
Before you send us an inquiry, please ensure that you have explored the following avenues of information to save you time and provide you quick access to existing information and tools on this Web site as well as Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Web site:
For general information about Canada's immigration program, please consult the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Web site. Citizenship and Immigration provides an on-line inquiry service, e-CAS, for certain categories of immigration applications. Also see other on-line services. For family members in Canada sponsoring overseas applicants at this office, you can get information on citizenship and immigration programs in Canada by using the CIC Call Centre's automated telephone service or speaking with a Call Centre agent. The Call Centre can also provide you with application forms for sponsoring your relatives from Canada and can make address changes for your contact numbers in Canada. For information on Application processing times, click here. For information on who may represent you, click here. Click here for the Web site addresses of the Canadian visa offices around the world. To download application kits, click here.
Language of communication
We will respond to inquiries sent in either of the official languages - English or French.
Who can represent you?
If you wish to appoint a representative (an immigration consultant, lawyer, friend, family member, etc.) who will conduct business with Citizenship and Immigration Canada on your behalf, please click the following link for information and form: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/applications/representative.html and http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/consultants/index.html.
Remember you are not obliged to hire a representative for immigration and refugee matters. The Government of Canada treats everyone equally, whether they use the services of a representative or not.
Release of information to a designated individual
The individual you designate will be able to obtain information on your case file, such as the status of your application. However, he or she will not be a representative who can conduct business on your behalf with CIC.
Please click here for more information and form for authority to release personal information to a designated person.
Consent and disclaimer
By supplying your e-mail address (in your inquiry or previously in your application), you are initiating an e-mail communication with CIC, and CIC is thereby authorized to use the e-mail address provided by you for communication with you including the transmission of personal information on your file/case. When you supply your e-mail address to CIC, it is also understood that you are aware that this channel may not be a secure channel. CIC is not liable for the disclosure of personal information to a third party where CIC has taken reasonable means to ensure the identity of the party. CIC is also not liable for the misuse of this information by a third party.
To see the CIC policy on Internet use, click here.
Protect your personal information
Clients should be careful to protect their file number, FOSS client ID number, date of birth and all other personal identification information. As these personal identifiers may allow clients to receive information about their files from CIC via e-mail, clients should not share this information with unauthorized third parties.
Access to information and privacy
The purpose of the Privacy Act is to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution and to provide individuals with the right of access to such information.
For more information on the Privacy Act, click here.
Service standards
Our office is committed to respond to your inquiry within following service standards:
Minimize failure of e-mail delivery to you
To minimize failure of e-mail delivery, it is suggested that you add our e-mail address or domain address (insert e-mail address damascus-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca ) in your e-mail address list (safe list) to avoid spam blockers, firewalls and attachment stripping etc., that may impede/prevent delivery of our e-mail message to you.
Important
Send an inquiry only when processing times have been exceeded. Check processing times. If our records indicate that we have sent you correspondence by mail, please be patient as mail normally takes up to 3 weeks to arrive. If your inquiry concerns an application already being processed in our office we will send a personalised answer only if the processing time is longer than announced or there is a problem. Otherwise, the correspondent must assume that we have noted his/her message and that processing of his/her application is proceeding normally. Everyday, we receive many e-mails. To limit the number of enquires so as to give the best service possible to our clients, before sending us your e-mail inquiry, please ensure that:
An answer will be provided to you using the most appropriate means of communication, not necessarily via e-mail.
For files that are already being processed at our office, we will answer your questions only if the processing time is longer than the average processing times. Otherwise, you should presume that we received your message and that your file is being processed normally. We ask that you please do not send multiple copies of the same inquiry. Multiple inquiries delay our reply, since the file is retrieved at each inquiry and placed in sequence as if it were a new inquiry. For security reasons, we will not open any attachments. Please include all information in the body of your message, do not attach any files to your emails.
Information you must provide in your e-mail inquiry
You must provide the following information in your e-mail inquiry in order for us to respond:
- Your complete name (family name and given name)
- Your relationship to the applicant (Sponsor/Representative/Member of Parliament)
- Complete name of the individual who has an application at our office (family name and given name)
- Date of birth of the individual who has an application at our office
- Application type (for example: visitor; student; worker)
- File Number or Client ID
Please include all this information in your message and send it to damascus-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca.
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