In the world we live in, social media has become an Inalienable part of our lives. Immigration authorities all over the world, including IRCC have been using social media to vet applications through an open source search. This is even more relevant for express entry applications, where employment, education and other details are of essence. Unintentionally we share a huge part of our personal and professional lives on the social media. Sometime this is done to make one more marketable, put a positive impression on the prospective employers, or allow our colleagues and friends to know our professional development. On the personal front, we share pictures, information, views etc. to keep our friends updated on what we indulge in, update them on our adventures and travels.
The corporate world started using the openly shared information about individuals to their advantage by making more targeted advertisement campaigns, and in more extreme cases, sell this date to third parties for their advertisement campaign. This data has been used to garner political support during election campaigns.
The security agencies have not been left out when it comes to using such available date to conduct background searches. Since the nature and the procedures of background searches is always a closely guarded secret, it cannot be precisely predicted how the security and immigration agencies use this data. However, in the last few months, especially after the roll out of the express entry program, IRCC and CBSA have been heavily relying on the readily available information to process immigration applications and conduct background searches. The evidence for this was initially only available in GCMS notes, wherein there would be entries of searching the contact information of an employer online, address of an employer / applicant / sponsor etc. on google maps, or a quick search of an applicant’s social media (LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile, Twitter Feed, or any online activity that can be traced back to the applicant).
As a part of the admissibility (at the eligibility and security stages), one of the resources used is the open source check, which involves searching social media. This came to the open in the 2017 Audit of Operation Syrian Refugee – CBSA Security Screening. The Canada Border Services Agency audit identified that changes to screening procedures for OSR “introduced some gaps in the security screening process.” As a result, 39 Syrian refugees who should have undergone comprehensive security checks were not screened before arriving in Canada, although they were recorded as having been. This was reported in the Global News. Since then there has been a lot of speculation about how deep does the open source check go. While there is no straight forward answer to this question, but there are some steps that applicants can take to avoid unnecessarily being flagged during the open source check.
Recommendations – While these recommendations are based on common sense and do not in anyway will enable your application to be processed faster, or avoid it from being flagged.
- Applicants should make sure that their professional profiles on platforms such as LinkedIn should be up to date and substantially match the EE profile
- The designations held and the employers name should be updated on professional social media platforms to match the EE profile and the reference letters.
- If your previous or current employer has merged, was acquired by another company, or has restructured, make sure you point it our in your social media profiles by stating in the description.
- If you travel to exotic destinations, make sure you enter it in your EE travel history, especially if it is available on your social media network.
- If you take recreational drugs, the least you can do is to avoid posting pictures of it online.
- Discrepancies in your relationship status can be a potential red flag. Eg. Claiming yourself as a single applicant, while your Facebook relationship status shows you as married.
- Watch your opinions. The opinions you air online, while justified as your right to free speech, can put you under comprehensive security check if you have favored a banned organization, supported genocide, a political organization that indulges in violence etc.
- Keep a close watch on the pictures you share. A picture with a person in trouble with law, no matter how cool it may look, may land you in a comprehensive security screening.
The above by no means is a comprehensive list of Do’s or Don’ts. Neither is it to dissuade you or scare you from voicing your opinions, which is your right and a fundamental right in Canada. However, prudence and common sense is what should be your guiding spirit.
TRACKING THE APPLICATION – The online IRCC system does not accurately inform as to which stage the application is at. And therefore it is important to keep a track of the application, so that corrective steps can be taken or preparation for an interview can be done. To track your application the only accurate way is through the GCMS notes. You can order your GCMS notes online.
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