Backlog Reduction Offices

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) received additional short-term funding to reduce the backlog of pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) applications and applications for permanent residence based on humanitarian and compassionate considerations (H&C).

To accomplish this goal, IRCC has created three new points of service called Backlog Reduction Offices (BRO) in Vancouver, British Columbia; Niagara Falls, Ontario; and Montreal, Quebec.  

The BRO in Vancouver will coordinate the backlog reduction work. The offices in Ontario and Quebec, along with other immigration offices across Canada, will process the PRRA and H&C cases which are referred to them by Vancouver. As a result, PRRA and H&C files which are currently held in offices across Canada are being transferred to Vancouver. New PRRA and H&C applications will also be sent to the BRO in Vancouver for screening and processing.

The BRO in Vancouver (BRO-V) is responsible for:

  • consolidating all existing PRRA and H&C cases at BRO-V and coordinating the intake of all new PRRA and H&C applications;
  • reviewing, triaging and distributing files to the existing IRCC network of immigration offices in Canada which now also includes BROs in Ontario and Quebec; and
  • resolving a variety of cases on which decisions can be rendered quickly, based on the information on file.

These changes will enable IRCC to manage the inventory of PRRA and H&C cases across the entire network of immigration offices. These changes will also improve consistency in terms of when applications are processed by eliminating uneven geographical distribution as some regions receive substantially more applications than others.

FAQs

What application types will be included?

This new processing model will be used for handling Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) applications and Humanitarian & Compassionate (H&C) applications.

Public policy applications such as spousal sponsorship applications and applications submitted under the Live-in Care-giver Program will continue to be processed through the usual channels and are not subject to the new processing plans.

How can I find out the status of my application?

You can check your status online using the Client Application Status service.

How can I contact the office holding my application?

If you need to update a PRRA or H&C application, please send your information by fax at 604-666-1116 or e-mail to: VancouverBRO@cic.gc.ca. Please note that no acknowledgement of receipt will be provided.

Where should I send a new application?

The application guide for any given type of application includes the correct address. It is important that applications be sent to this address. You can find the guide on the same page as the forms you need to fill out.

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