With the advent of COVID-related procedural changes last year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) amended its rules to allow for automatic extensions of deadlines for provision of required information in immigration applications. This was obviously necessary because applicants simply were unable to secure information in such cases (e.g. biometrics, since VACs were closed).
However, IRCC has now advised that given that VACs and other such service providers are reopening around the world, the provision for automatic extensions will end. IRCC will soon begin sending notices to applicants with applications in process, advising them that they have 30 days from the date of such notice to provide required information.
Note that in a case where an applicant still has difficulty in securing a particular item, for example, because the VACs in his/her area are still closed, he/she may write to IRCC within the 30 days and explain the situation, and a further 30-day extension may be granted. This will require ongoing 30-day extension requests until the reason for the inability to comply is removed (e.g. VACs in the area reopen). Failure to seek the extension(s), or convince an officer of the reasonableness of the need for extension, may lead to application refusal.
Note further that the processing of applications and the right to travel (under different COVID provisions) are separate. So while this is a step toward bringing processing up-to-date, and perhaps clearing backlogs, the ability to travel may still be restricted. In order to travel, applicants will still need to meet the criteria for exemption from travel restrictions (e.g. immediate family members, certain foreign workers, etc.), and will need to follow through on any procedural requirements in that regard, such as seeking a travel authorization letter based on the relevant criteria.
IRCC information about the updated timeframes for information provision can be found at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/supporting-information-applications-in-progress.html.
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.