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OnlyOffice

Why this matters

OnlyOffice is an Office document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) that runs inside the browser, with no need to download the file or have Office installed on your computer. You open a .docx from ImmCase's file manager, edit it online, and changes save directly to the applicant's file. There's no intermediate copy that can get lost.

Particularly useful for:

  • Editing draft letters to IRCC.
  • Reviewing contracts before printing.
  • Modifying document checklist spreadsheets.
  • Collaborating with a colleague on the same document at the same time (multiple can edit at once).

Open a document with OnlyOffice

  1. In the file manager, find the file (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .pdf with annotations).
  2. Click on it or menu → Edit with OnlyOffice.
  3. The editor opens in a new browser tab or window.

The first time takes a few seconds to load (downloads the editor). Subsequent times are nearly instant.

Screenshot: Word document open in OnlyOffice inside the browser

Edit

The editor is similar to Word or Google Docs:

  • Formatting — bold, italics, lists, headings.
  • Insert — images, tables, links, page numbers.
  • Comments — add a side comment on a paragraph. Useful when collaborating.
  • Track changes — turn on review mode so every edit shows up marked.

Changes are auto-saved every few seconds. You don't have to hit Ctrl+S — but you can if you feel more comfortable.

Real-time collaboration

If two consultants open the same document at the same time, they see each other's edits live (like Google Docs):

  • Each user appears with a distinct color.
  • You see each person's cursor moving in the document.
  • Edits sync automatically.

Useful for reviewing a draft with a colleague — open the document, comment and edit together.

Close and save the final version

When you close the editor tab, changes are already saved (auto-save). If you want to mark a specific version as "final":

  1. File menu → Save as.
  2. Give it a different name (for example, "IRCC letter - final.docx").

ImmCase saves automatic versions of the document. If you need to roll back to a previous version, File menu → Version history.

Compatible file types

  • .docx, .doc — Word.
  • .xlsx, .xls — Excel.
  • .pptx, .ppt — PowerPoint.
  • .odt, .ods, .odp — OpenDocument.
  • .pdf — view and comment only; to edit PDFs as such use PDF Editor.

Watch out for

  • Don't download and re-upload. That breaks the version chain and creates duplicate files. Edit online and let auto-save do its job.
  • If you have Office installed, don't open the same file in local Word and in OnlyOffice at the same time. They can overwrite each other. Decide: local editing (download, edit, upload) or online editing (OnlyOffice). Don't mix.
  • OnlyOffice isn't 100% identical to Word. Some advanced features (macros, very specific formatting) may look different. For critical documents you'll present to IRCC, review the result in a preview before sending.

Where to next

  • PDF Editor — to edit and annotate PDFs.
  • WebDAV — if you prefer to edit with your local Word connected to the ImmCase tree.