The Rise and Fall of the Visa Officer Interview

While interviews associated with admissibility, or querying a family class candidate to ascertain whether their marriage is genuine remains a routine part of a visa officer’s tasks, the convoking of a personal interview between a visa officer and an applicant for an immigration privilege such as a permanent resident visa under an economic class is rare.    

The personal interview was a more common feature under the pre 2015 Express Entry immigration system. These interviews were primarily conducted for the purpose of querying work experience, and (prior to 2010) as an assessment of language ability[1], in order to maintain the integrity of Canada’s immigration program. However, as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has developed other methods of verifying an applicant’s work experience and language ability, the need for a personal interview has decreased significantly.