If your PR file has been stuck for months with eligibility and background verification (BGV) not yet started, group members shared two approaches before escalating:
- Check the online application status tracker first. This is the baseline step to confirm the file genuinely hasn't moved, rather than a display lag.
- Contact your local Member of Parliament (MP) if the tracker confirms a real stall. One applicant reached out to their MP's office by email and shared a signed consent form authorizing the MP to inquire with IRCC on their behalf. The MP's office did follow up with IRCC.
- Manage expectations on the outcome. In this reported case, IRCC's response to the MP's office was that they would not intervene until the average processing time for that application type had actually elapsed. In other words, contacting an MP doesn't guarantee expedited processing before your file is even past the normal timeline — but it can be a way to get a status check and create a documented follow-up.
Takeaway: an MP inquiry is a reasonable step once you're past the average processing time, not before — and it works through a signed consent form and email, not a walk-in meeting.