How Do I Apply for My File?

Applying for your CAIPS file is easy - it takes just 4 simple steps:

1. Download our CAIPS note Application Kit
2. Complete and sign the two forms you'll find enclosed - our CAIPS FileCheck Application Form, and the official IMM5475 Consent Form.
3. Send the two forms back to us via email, fax or mail.
4. Send payment to us via PayPal using your credit card - you don't need to open a PayPal account to do this!

The Application Kit includes full instructions for completing your application, but these four stages are also explained in more detail below.

1. Obtaining the CAIPS FileCheck Application Kit

Our Application Kit is a 6 page guide to applying for your CAIPS file. It includes a 'how to' guide, a section on frequently asked questions (FAQ), and the necessary forms that you will need to complete - our application form and the official CIC IMM5475 'Consent to Disclosure' form.

You can download the Application Kit here. If you have any problems downloading the kit, please email us at help@caips.ca and we will email, fax or post the kit to you. The Application Kit is in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format - if you don't already have Acrobat installed on your system, you can download Acrobat Reader free of charge here.

2. Completing the Application Kit

The CAIPS FileCheck Application Form

Our simple application form confirms your personal details and tells us what service you want from us. If you need any further information on what is included with each service then please consult our price list or email us.

The CAIPS FileCheck Application Form is available as part of our Application Kit (above) but if you would prefer to download it alone you can find it here - download the Application Form.

The Official IMM5475 'Consent to Disclosure' Form

The IMM5475 'Consent to Disclosure' Form is an official Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) form on which you provide your consent for CIC to disclose the information in your CAIPS file to us. CIC will not release your personal information (i.e. your CAIPS file) to us without it as to do so would be a breach of the Canadian Privacy Act.

As your CAIPS file contains not just your own personal information, but also that of your spouse and children if any, we will need additional IMM5475 forms to be completed and signed by any persons aged 18 or over that are included in your immigration application. These forms should be filled out with data relevant to the individuals (e.g. your spouse should put their own name and date of birth) but all forms should have the same file number (i.e. that of the principal applicant).

The IMM5475 form has just 7 boxes to be completed:

1. After "I, the undersigned,", put your full name (e.g. John Paul Smith)
2. After "born", put your date of birth (please use format "21-Jan-1967" to avoid any ambiguity)
3. After "located in my file #", put your immigration file number (normally "B" followed by 9 digits e.g, "B 123 456 789")
4. after "in", put the visa office which is handling your visa application (just the town will do e.g. "Buffalo", "London", "Moscow", or "New Delhi")
5. after "Name (printed)" (at the bottom of the form), put your full name again, preferably in capital letters
6. after "Date", put the current date in the boxes provided (e.g. 30 10 2006)
7. after "SIGNATURE", sign in the box provided - please do not forget to sign as CIC will not release your personal information without your signature!

The Official IMM5475 'Consent to Disclosure' Form is available as part of our Application Kit (above) but if you would prefer to download it alone you can find it here - download the Consent Form.

3. Sending The Completed Application and Consent Forms Back to Us

Via Post

Patricia Bridson
CAIPS FileCheck
BOX 317, Salt Spring Island
British Columbia
V8K 2V9
CANADA

n.b. please contact us for our street address if you are sending your request via courier

Via Fax

Our fax number (Canada) is 1-250-483-1513

Via Email

You can scan and email the forms to us at help@caips.ca.

4. Paying for Our Services

We now use PayPal exclusively to process credit and debit card transactions for our clients - it is quick, easy and secure and it means that you don't have to share your card details with us!  Visit our How To Pay page for further details of how to pay via PayPal.

If you are don't have a credit / debit card or are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact us and we will try to find a solution for you.

The Wait

File requests are processed by CIC in Ottawa, Canada. Most file requests are processed and the files returned to us within 5-6 weeks. CIC official performance statistics show that they process over 80% of file access requests within 30 days.

Receiving Your File

We aim to email your file to you in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format the same day we receive it in our office in British Columbia. If you select the 'CAIPS Premium' service we will additionally post or fax the CAIPS file to you at your request.

Help - I Don't Understand!

If you have any questions or problems please feel free to email us at help@caips.ca