Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reports database breach
The office is conducting an investigation.
In early August, the Canadian government announced the renewal of PGWP to its holders. The announcement stated that applicants should wait for an email with further instructions. Just the next day, reports began appearing on social media that the emails from the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship contained someone else's data: names, application numbers, unique client identifiers.
Department officials say they learned about the break-in on August 3. All immigrants involved in the incident can do now is wait for the investigation to conclude, after which they will be sent a new notice with instructions.
"A separate email will be sent to affected clients informing them of the privacy breach. We are advising clients NOT to share the incorrect email with others and to delete the email from their inbox. Once the issue has been resolved, a notice of correction will go out to those affected, and the correct email message will be distributed," the IRCC said in a statement.
Now the agency is conducting a thorough check. Its representatives promise to give a detailed comment on the results of the investigation.
