- Situations could arise where the interview experiences disconnection or other technical issues
- In this scenario, the interviewer would need to contact the greeter for helping re-establish the connection
- Similarly, situations could also arise where the interviewee becomes visibly disruptive or upset
- In this situation, the interviewer would need to call or e-mail the greeter
- Ideally, normal procedures at the host office would take over thereafter
- In case a fire alarm occurs at the interviewer’s office, the interviewer would need to:
- Tell the attendees to return to the waiting room and,
- E-mail or call the greeter to inform the greeter of the occurrence of an emergency
- In case a fire alarm takes place at the host office, the interviewer would need to:
- Inform the attendees to leave the room and to follow the emergency exit signs (if applicable)
- In some offices, an authorised person would need to escort the attendees in and out of the building
- In this scenario, the greeter or the contact person in the host office would need to return to the interview room for providing assistance in evacuating the building (if necessary)
- Remain connected to the video link for as long as possible and,
- E-mail the greeter to request the greeter to contact the interviewer upon conclusion of the alarm
- The greeter would typically need to ensure that the attendees have left (if possible)
- Situations could arise where the applicant or another attendee suffers a medical emergency
- In this scenario, the interviewer would need to call the greeter
- The greeter would need to contact emergency services i.e. 911 in the applicable city
The Requirement of Interpreter Services
In some situations, the services of an interpreter might be necessary in case an applicant is unable to communicate in either English or French. Prior to retaining an interpreter, the officers would need to inform the interpreter of the standards of confidentiality and professionalism expected of them.
Before and during the interview, the officers would need to:
- Provide specific and detailed instructions regarding the conduct of the interpretation
- This is especially so in case the interpreter:
- Is new or,
- Has worked infrequently for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
- It is worth noting that the office would need to specify the conditions specified in the personal services contract (if applicable)
- Instruct the interpreter to provide a verbatim translation and to determine whether the officers require:
- A simultaneous interpretation or,
- An interpretation at intervals during the applicant’s response
- Ascertain whether the applicant can understand the interpreter easily and then, record the question and the applicant’s response
- Use a series of introductory warm-up questions for observing the applicant’s ability to respond quickly, easily and appropriately
- The officers would need to be completely satisfied that the interpreter is completely fluent in the languages of both the interviewer and the applicant
- In addition, the officers would need to be completely satisfied that the translation provided is correct and free of any bias
- Rephrase the answers to which the officers have any doubts by asking the applicant to confirm that they have understood the response correctly
- This is especially applicable to answers for which the officers do not feel entirely satisfied that the interpreter is translating accurately
- Situations might arise where the officers feel that their doubts over the interpreter and the translations of the interpreter continue to persist
- In this scenario, the officers would need to identify another interpreter or reschedule the interview (if necessary)
- Advice the applicants to inform the officers at any stage during the interview, if the applicants are encountering any difficulties or find that they are not understanding the questions asked
- Record the interpreter’s name and the language used in the Global Case Management System (GCMS)
Source: Citizenship and Immigration
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