Called to an admissibility or security interview with IRCC or CBSA: why it happens, bringing a lawyer, and how to prepare

By Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha, lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation · Reviewed November 10, 2026

Published November 11, 2026

Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2019, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Updated November 10, 2026: section 16 of the Act and IRCC’s instructions on representatives at interviews checked that day.

If IRCC or CBSA has called you to an interview about your admissibility, an officer has questions about your past that the paperwork did not answer. It may be about security (military, police or government service, or membership in an organization), criminality, past immigration history, or whether what you wrote on your forms is accurate. An interview is not a refusal. It is a chance to explain. But the officer writes notes, and those notes often become the evidence in any later decision. Under section 16(1) of the Act, you must answer truthfully, so preparation matters more than anything else.

Lawgical Law Corporation, an immigration law firm in Surrey, Abbotsford and Vancouver, BC, prepares clients for admissibility interviews, attends with them where permitted, and takes refusals to the Federal Court; this guide is by Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha.

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Why would I be called in?

• Security screening: past military, police, intelligence or government service, or membership in a political or armed group.
• Criminality: a charge or conviction, in Canada or abroad, or gaps in police certificates.
• Accuracy: differences between your forms, earlier applications, or a sponsor’s or family member’s applications.
• Your history: past refusals, overstays or removals.

Why this needs a lawyer

One lawyer, one file, every step:

• reviewing every form and application you have filed before the interview;
• preparing you for the likely questions and the documents to bring;
• attending where the officer permits, and written submissions afterwards;
• a response to any fairness letter, and judicial review if refused.

Immigration lawyers are members of a provincial law society (in our case, the Law Society of British Columbia), and only lawyers can appear for you in the Federal Court.

Can my lawyer attend?

IRCC’s instructions on representatives at interviews say:

• if you are detained, you “have the right to have a counsel of their choosing present”;
• if you are not detained, you “do not have the right to have counsel present”, but “in the spirit of procedural fairness, officers should permit counsel’s presence”;
• counsel’s role can include “speaking on the client’s behalf, presenting evidence and making submissions on the issues”, and officers may ask counsel to leave if that is warranted.

Ask in writing before the interview whether your lawyer may attend, and if not, ask for time to send written submissions afterwards.

How should I prepare?

1. Get copies of everything you filed, including old applications. An access to information request can get your IRCC file if you no longer have it.
2. Build an accurate timeline of addresses, jobs, military or police service, memberships and travel.
3. Gather documents that prove what you did: service records, job letters, court records.
4. Ask for an interpreter if you need one, rather than struggle in English.
5. After the interview, write down the questions and your answers, and send any promised documents on time.

Interviews at a glance

Worked example: the conscription question

Example. A PR applicant in Surrey is called to an interview on Monday, December 14, 2026, about his compulsory military service 15 years ago. Before the interview, he and his lawyer compare his current forms with a visitor visa application from 2019 and find his unit name was written differently. He brings his service book and a translation, explains the difference at the start, and describes his actual duties and dates in detail.

Mistakes I have seen

• I have seen people guess at dates instead of saying “I don’t remember exactly”.
• I have seen people play down past service or memberships, which made the officer doubt everything else.
• I have seen people promise documents at the interview and then never send them.

Frequently asked questions

Can I record the interview?

Ask the officer at the start, and don’t record without permission. Either way, write detailed notes straight afterwards, and ask your lawyer to do the same if present.

Is the interview a sign I will be refused?

No. Many interviews end with the file approved. But the notes matter, so treat it seriously.

Can I get the officer’s notes afterwards?

Usually, through an access to information request. They are also part of the court record if you apply for judicial review.

Related guides

See our guides on past police or military service, membership in an organization and a refusal for not answering truthfully.

What should I do right now?

Find the interview letter and note the date, time and place. Gather copies of every application you have filed. Get advice before the interview, not after.

Book a consultation with our immigration lawyers in Surrey, Abbotsford or Vancouver, or online from anywhere.

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Sources (official)

• IRCC: Use of representatives: Counselling applicants during interview
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 16 (current to October 19, 2026) and s. 72

This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.