To contact Canada immigration by phone, you only have to dial the IRCC Call Centre (1-888-242-2100), from within Canada only, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm local time, aside from statutory holidays.
To navigate the automated messages and expressly speak with an agent, follow instructions and tactically input these combinations 3-4-1-0. You will be able to speak with an agent in English or French, Monday – Friday, and from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm in your local time zone.
However, while you can contact Canada immigration by phone from within Canada, it is a very challenging and almost impossible process to call or reach Canada Immigration by phone from outside Canada, this is because IRCC does not want anyone reaching out to their call center from outside of Canada just because they want to check the progress of their application.
Agents handling these call centers may even decline to provide information if they notice you are calling from abroad. The IRCC only answers inquiries by email or mail on an application’s status if you are outside Canada, and only if the stipulated time meant for processing has been exceeded, or if there is a very critical problem.
Owing to the number of applications the IRCC receives and processes from around the world, they have even put in place technologies to restrict phone calls from abroad as they want to avoid being bombarded with requests on how the caller’s application is faring.
According to IRCC’s website, call center agents cannot answer questions about an application once it has been sent to a visa office outside of Canada. They do not in any way make decisions relating to immigration applications and they cannot also help to hasten applications. Therefore, there is little or no need to bother them with calls unless there is a substantial delay or a problem involved with your application.
Tips and Tricks to Contact Canada Immigration By Phone
Just as was noted above, it can be quite challenging to contact Canadian immigration by phone, especially from outside Canada. However, there are ways to work around these restrictions, and while these might not be guaranteed solutions; it is still worth a try especially if you are eager to contact Canada immigration by phone.
Call the Local Ottawa Area Phone Number for IRCC
Since it can be quite challenging to contact IRCC Call Centre (1-888-242-2100), consider dialing the local Ottawa area phone number for IRCC which is 613 944 4000. If it were to be a normal local call, you will have to dial 001 613 944 4000 to contact the call center.
However, since there are technologies in place to detect and restrict calls from abroad at IRCC, you will not get through by dialing 001 613 944 4000. Instead, dial *67 613 944 4000, but it blocks caller ID at the receiving end. Although this will only work for callers from the US and from inside Canada, below are other prefixes to help block caller ID depending on the country you are dialing from:
- From the UK and Ireland, dial 141 before the number.
- On a GSM phone from any country, dial #31#613-944-4000.
- In Argentina, dial *31# from a landline, and *31* or #31# for mobile phones.
- From Hong Kong, dial 133 before the number.
- From South Africa, dial *31* (Telkom) before the number.
- From cell phones in Asia and elsewhere dial +1 613 944 4000.
Use VOIP
Callers using Skype will have to deal with a whole lot of issues, but other VOIP providers may offer number portability. VOIP providers like VoIP. ms offer you the opportunity to port toll-free numbers to your Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP service and you can leverage this feature to contact IRCC by phone from abroad.
Nevertheless, when you eventually connect to the call center, you will be directed to a menu where you are expected to work your way through the options by selecting 1, then 1 again on the next menu, and then option 2.
Try to Convince the Call Agent
By using these tips mentioned above, know that the IRCC Call Centre will only see ‘blocked number’ on the caller ID and there is a good possibility that your call will be put through. However, have it in mind that you will be speaking with a weary call center agent who may become even more suspicious if there is an echo or delay.
Most often, you are left with the task of convincing them that you are not calling from abroad or that you have a genuine reason for calling. While they will most certainly try to verify your current location, a good number of callers have admitted to calling from abroad and despite a visibly angry reaction on the part of the agent, they were able to obtain certain vital information.
While you might not be that lucky if you are going to try to use these types of tricks to get through, you must have a genuine reason that can be used to convince the person at the other end of the line that they should not hang up on you.
Most often, these agents will politely let you know that they cannot provide you with the information you seek. In recent times, reports have it there is an ongoing battle between international callers to the IRCC, and IRCC policy directives always strive to discourage them. This does not bode well for anyone who wants to obtain any useful information on the status of their application by phone.
Conclusion
Before you try to reach the IRCC or any other immigration contact by phone, it is imperative you first check to see if the answer you seek is available online.
Unless your application is delayed by more than a few days or there is a very critical problem that needs to be handled urgently, there might be no need to try to contact Canada immigration by phone from abroad. However, if you believe there is a need to make the call, then consider some of the tricks noted above.