The government of Canada updated instructions regarding the centralized receipt of invoices from interpreters on March 25, 2022.
Based on the updated instructions, applicants who use interpretation services by the government have to send the invoice to the interpreter for approval. Then, the interpreter has to forward the invoice to National Payment and Accounting Services (NPAS) within 10 business days in order for payment to be made.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) offers accredited and security-cleared interpreters for some applicants (refugees, select permanent residence applications, etc.) to help them complete their applications.
Interpreters are not employed by IRCC or the Immigration Refugee Board (IRB). However, IRCC employs them on a contract basis to provide interpretation services.
In addition, the IRB interpretation standards below are also followed by IRCC:
Interpretation should be continuous, without breaks and complete
Interpretation should be precise, as close as can be to word-for-word and without summaries or changes in grammar and syntax; it should be in the first person
Interpretation should be impartial; the interpreter is not a witness
Interpretation should be competent; the interpreter must take an oath and should his or her competence be in doubt, an inquiry into competence should be made
Interpretation should be contemporaneous, consecutive, rather than simultaneous
If an interpreter is selected, they should be informed of Standard Interpretation Service Contractor Clauses and Conditions. They should also be informed of IRCC Code of Conduct for Interpretation Service Contractors, which guides their conduct, competence, care, skill, diligence and efficiency, conflict of interest, confidentiality, compliance, etc.