AI and IRCC forms for regulated Canadian immigration consultants

What applies to AI use today

Our research did not find published CICC guidance on generative AI; the College’s board materials describe AI work in progress. Until guidance exists, the operative standards are your Code of Professional Conduct confidentiality duties and privacy law.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s principles for generative AI ask organisations to limit collection, use and disclosure of personal information “to only what is needed” and to “establish safeguards to protect personal information.” Pasting a client’s full file into a consumer AI tool is hard to square with either.

Client details to keep out of AI

• Names of the applicant, sponsor, spouse, children and employers
• UCI and IRCC application numbers, passport and travel document numbers
• Dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers and emails
• Education, employment and relationship details specific enough to identify the person

IRCC forms: what to submit and what a static copy is for

IRCC says: “You must always click the Validate button on 2D barcode forms, whether you submit your application online or by mail.” For online applications: “Do not print the 2D barcode form” and upload the form to the account. For paper applications, print it including the barcodes.

A flattened or static copy has no working barcodes and is not a submission file. It is useful for client review, your records, and reading a completed form on a Mac without Adobe Reader.