Officers would need to note that most applicants would be eligible for a videoconferencing hearing. However, officers would need to ensure that they do not include residence and prohibition cases. They should only include these cases once:
- They receive all the supporting documentation prior to scheduling and,
- An official of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has seen all this supporting documentation previously
Situations could arise where officers come across cases where they (or the judges) have identified an issue with the credibility of the applicant. In this scenario, the officers would need to avoid scheduling such cases for a videoconference hearing. In addition, officers would need to seek a confirmation from the judge that the judge is ready to proceed before the officers scheduling a residence case.
Similarly, the officers would need to ensure that the applicant has not identified any “Special Needs”. This is because the presence of special needs might impede the applicant’s ability to participate in a videoconference hearing. Lastly, officers would need to avoid scheduling applicants who have never met a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) official earlier. Doing so might lead to complications during the hearing.
Source: Citizenship and Immigration
