Mix-up by Immigration Officials Discloses Personal Information

A Canadian woman complained after her personal information, including her passport and income tax assessment, was disclosed to a Bangladeshi man whose work permit application she was supporting. The woman had sent these documents via her MP to the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka. When the man's application was refused, the High Commission returned the entire file, including the woman's documents, to him. Citizenship and Immigration Canada acknowledged the disclosure was made without consent and should not have occurred. The OPC found the complaint to be well-founded and recommended that all High Commissions implement a system to distinguish and prevent the return of third-party documents to applicants.