Operational instructions and guidelines

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

Special measures are currently in effect due to the disruption of services associated with impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). See further instructions:

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Services Agency employees consult operational bulletins (OBs) and manuals for guidance in the exercise of their functions and in applying the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Citizenship Act and their Regulations.

Operational manuals

Operational manuals are divided into different categories. Each manual, in turn, is divided into specific chapters and assigned a chapter number.

Active manuals (PDF format)

Manual Chapter Title
Citizenship Policy (CP) CP 14 Adoptions (PDF, 1.23 MB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 1 Inadmissibility (PDF, 618.98 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 3 Admissibility Hearings and Detention Reviews (PDF, 1,748 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 4 Port of Entry Examinations (PDF, 1.62 MB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 5 Writing 44(1) Reports (PDF, 421.72 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 6 Review of reports under subsection A44(1) (PDF, 504.44 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 8 Deposits and Guarantees (PDF, 509.74 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 9 Judicial Reviews (PDF, 228.24 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 10 Removals (PDF, 869.84 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 12 Search, Seizure, Fingerprinting and Photography (PDF, 0.97 MB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 15 Obligations of transporters (PDF, 312.83 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 17 Maritimes Procedures (PDF, 176.38 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 18 Human or international rights violations (PDF, 748 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 19 IAD Appeal Hearings (PDF, 321.46 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 20 Detention (PDF, 842.85 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 21 Recovering Missing, Abducted and Exploited Children (PDF, 279.75 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 22 Persons Serving Sentences (PDF, 194.43 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 23 Loss of Permanent Resident Status (PDF, 629.95 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 24 Ministerial Interventions (PDF, 908.33 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 26 Appeals at the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (PDF, 883.22 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 28 Ministerial opinions on danger to the public, nature and severity of the acts committed and danger to the security of Canada (PDF, 414.32 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 29 Alternative Means of Examination Programs (PDF, 274.63 KB)
Enforcement (ENF) ENF 34 Alternatives to detention (PDF, 439 KB)
Immigration Legislation (IL) IL 1 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Immigration Legislation (IL) IL 2 Immigration Regulations
Immigration Legislation (IL) IL 3 Designation of Officers and Delegation of Authority
Immigration Legislation (IL) IL 5 Immigration Rules
Immigration Legislation (IL) IL 9 Official Languages Act
Information Sharing (IN) IN 1 Overview on Information-Sharing (PDF, 192.69 KB)
Information Sharing (IN) IN 2 Directives for Sharing Information pursuant to the 2003 Canada-U.S. SMU on Information Sharing (PDF, 374.21 KB)
Inland Processing (IP) IP 1 Temporary Resident Permits
Inland Processing (IP) IP 2 Processing Applications to Sponsor Members of the Family Class
Inland Processing (IP) IP 3 In Canada Processing of Convention Refugees Abroad and Members of the Humanitarian Protected Persons Abroad Classes: Part 1 (General) (PDF, 431.66 KB)
Inland Processing (IP) IP 3 In Canada Processing of Convention Refugees Abroad and Members of the Humanitarian Protected Persons Abroad Classes: Part 2 (Resettlement Assistance Program)
Inland Processing (IP) IP 3 In Canada Processing of Convention Refugees Abroad and Members of the Humanitarian Protected Persons Abroad Classes: Part 4 (Joint Assistance Sponsorship Program) (PDF, 235.29 KB)
Inland Processing (IP) IP 3 In Canada Processing of Convention Refugees Abroad and Members of the Humanitarian Protected Persons Abroad Classes: Appendices (PDF, 97.23 KB)
Inland Processing (IP) IP 4 Processing Live-in Caregivers in Canada (PDF, 366 KB)
Inland Processing (IP) IP 7 Entrepreneur Program (PDF, 164.76 KB)
Inland Processing (IP) IP 10 Refusal of National Security Cases / Processing of National Interest Requests (PDF, 75.79 KB)
Overseas Processing (OP) OP 1

Procedures

Standard requirements for applicants:

Service delivery:

Chapter 01 of the Procedures Manual (OP 01) has been updated and converted to program delivery instructions.

Decommissioned date: 2022-xx-xx

Overseas Processing (OP) OP 3 Adoptions (PDF, 472.4 KB)
Overseas Processing (OP) OP 8 Entrepreneur and Self-Employed (PDF, 488.13 KB)
Overseas Processing (OP) OP 9 Investors (PDF, 206.88 KB)
Overseas Processing (OP) OP 10 Permanent Residency Status Determination (PDF, 650.3 KB)
Overseas Processing (OP) OP 14 Processing Applicants for the Live-in Caregiver Program (PDF, 463.58 KB)
Overseas Processing (OP) OP 21 Appeals (PDF, 146.42 KB)
Overseas Processing (OP) OP 22 Judicial Review (PDF, 185.6 KB)
Overseas Processing (OP) OP 24

Overseas Processing of Family Members of In-Canada Applicants for Permanent Residence

Chapter 24 of the Overseas Processing Manual (OP 24) has been updated and converted to program delivery instructions.

Operational bulletins

In exceptional circumstances, OBs may be issued for one-time-only instructions or to provide urgent instructions to staff for a brief period while the operational manuals are being updated.

Operational bulletins archives

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