| Account message | New official letter or instruction appears in secure account/portal; email may only say an update is available. | Open through saved official URL, verify application/person, download letter, record timestamp, parse scope/channel/deadline and protect identifiers. | Email subject, “updated” badge or ghost change does not itself prove approval, refusal, security result or document acceptance. |
|---|
| Status/tracker change | Overall or stage label changes, stays unchanged, disappears or differs between interfaces. | Record exact wording/date, compare current official status definitions and look for messages/action items. Escalate only through applicable route. | Status is not a live officer-work log and does not reveal complete GCMS, CBSA or CSIS activity. Lack of change is not proof no work occurred. |
|---|
| ADR/request letter | IRCC asks for a document, information, fee, biometrics, medical or interview by named deadline. | Treat letter as specification; verify timezone/date, obtain responsive evidence, translate/certify where required, submit through exact channel and save confirmation. | ADR is not automatically good or bad outcome. Broad unsolicited narrative and duplicate uploads can create noise or contradiction. |
|---|
| Uploaded — not submitted | File name appears but request status or account still requires Next/sign/transmit action. | Follow q1310/account steps until document is transmitted, then capture confirmation and reopen request to verify status before deadline. | File selected, progress bar complete or draft saved is not proof IRCC received it. Screenshot without application context is weak evidence. |
|---|
| Material change | Marriage/divorce, birth/adoption, death, contact/passport, representative, nomination/intent, employment, education or language changes. | Document effective date and evidence, assess affected answers/CRS/eligibility, send concise update through current webform or instructed account channel. | Webform does not automatically update every field or guarantee acceptance. Silence does not authorize keeping known outdated information. |
|---|
| Processing time exceeded | Application is beyond current tool estimate for correct type/date and no outstanding applicant action is known. | Check messages/status, validate estimate inputs, submit one specific official enquiry if eligible, and consider record-owner ATIP for a defined question. | Estimate is not legal deadline or promise. Webform, paid representative or ATIP does not force faster processing or reveal all protected checks. |
|---|
| Technical problem | Account error, missing upload field, file-size/format rejection or confirmation mismatch blocks instructed action. | Capture timestamp, full error, browser/device, request/deadline and non-sensitive screenshot; try official troubleshooting and report through technical webform promptly. | Technical report does not extend deadline automatically. Do not email documents to unofficial address or share password/2FA with helper. |
|---|