As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
continues to spread globally, applicants for Canadian immigration benefits
located in certain countries have experienced a number of disruptions with
respect to the processing of their applications.  Such disruptions include: (1) the closure of
visa application centres, (2) service interruptions at Canadian visa offices,
(3) travel plan disruptions, (4) limited access to local government offices and
business, and (5) limited access to designated physicians for the completion of
mandatory medical examinations.

On February 7, 2020, Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) implemented its first set of special
measures for temporary and permanent resident applicants located in China, as
well as for approved applicants in China unable to travel.  These special measures were expanded to similar
applicants in Iran and South Korea on February 29, 2020.

Currently, IRCC’s special measures
grant accommodations to the following individuals:

• Chinese,
  Iranian or South Korean nationals; or
• Foreign
  nationals located in China, Iran or South Korea; and
• Who
  are affected by service disruptions or travel restrictions related to COVID-19.

The special measures are intended
to provide flexibility for those who, due to the above disruptions, are unable
to meet or comply with certain requirements. 
With respect to applications still in processing, IRCC has stated that
it will not refuse or close an application due to a lack of documentation.  By way of example, IRCC will grant automatic
90 day extensions beyond the usual deadline for complying with procedural
requirements, including:

• The completion of biometrics, which involves
  attending a visa application centre to provide fingerprints and a photograph;
• The completion of a mandatory medical
  examination with an IRCC-approved panel physician;
• The submission of supporting documents (ex.
  police certificates); and
• The submission of a passport once an application
  has been approved.

Accommodations are also being
provided to foreign nationals whose applications for permanent residence have
recently been approved, but are unable to travel to Canada due to COVID-19.  Once an application for permanent residence has
been approved, a document known as a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR)
is issued, and the foreign national must present this at a Canadian port of
entry within a limited timeframe in order to complete the process of “landing”
as a permanent resident.  The expiry date
noted in one’s COPR cannot normally be extended.  However, IRCC’s special measures will allow
for the consideration of extenuating circumstances related to COVID-19, which
should facilitate the continuation of the landing process beyond the expiry of
a COPR.

Applicants for Canadian
citizenship unable to travel to Canada for purposes of attending crucial
citizenship events and appointments may also be provided with limited
accommodations, so long as the inability to travel is sufficiently related to
COVID-19.  Such events and appointments
include: (1) attending the citizenship knowledge test or retest, (2) attending the
citizenship interview, (3) attending a hearing, or (4) taking the Oath of
Citizenship.  However, in order to be
eligible for an accommodation, IRCC must be notified of the inability to travel
within 30 days of missing the event or appointment. 

In some cases, applications
related to temporary or permanent residence may be approved or granted on an
urgent basis.  For foreign nationals who
require a visitor visa, study permit, or work permit in order to travel to
Canada urgently due to exceptional circumstances, IRCC will consider these
applications on a case-by-case basis. 
Similarly, for those permanent residents who do not possess a
currently-valid Permanent Resident Card, IRCC will also consider urgent
requests for a permanent resident travel document on a case-by-case basis.