Mandate and operations of the Official Travel Section of the Passport Program within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Circular Note No. XDC-5591 of March 21, 2016

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development presents its compliments to Their Excellencies the Heads of Diplomatic Missions and notified Chargés d’affaires, a.i. accredited to Canada and has the honor to refer to the Department’s Circular Note No. XDC-4884 dated October 19, 2015, providing information regarding the mandate and operations of the Official Travel Section of the Passport Program within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, as well as its communication expectations.

The Department has also the honour to inform that, as of November 5, 2015, the name (applied title) of Citizenship and Immigration Canada has been changed to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The Department further wishes to clarify that although the Official Travel Section of the Passport Program is the authority responsible for providing visa services for individuals who are representing the Government of Canada during official travel abroad or who are being posted abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development also continues to exercise a subsidiary function in providing visa services. Therefore, depending on whether the visa request originates from IRCC or the Department, either a letter on a Government of Canada letterhead or a Note verbale issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development could be used respectively.

In this respect, the Department would be grateful if the foreign missions accredited to Canada would accept these two formats of communication as being equally valid for visa issuance purposes.

In the event that a foreign mission accredited to Canada wishes to seek clarifications pertaining to a visa request, the Department would ask that the foreign mission addresses its queries to the Department which originally submitted the request. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development avails itself of this opportunity to renew to Their Excellencies the Heads of Diplomatic Missions and notified Chargés d’affaires, a.i. accredited to Canada the assurances of its highest consideration.

OTTAWA, March 21, 2016