Does a reconsideration request need to follow a formal process or can I just email IRCC?

A reconsideration request has no fixed, mandated format the way a formal appeal or judicial review application does. It can often be initiated informally, commonly through a written request or the applicable IRCC webform, explaining the claimed error or new information and attaching supporting material, rather than requiring a specific prescribed form with strict procedural rules attached to it.

This informality is a double-edged feature. It makes reconsideration easier and cheaper to attempt than a formal legal process, since there is no filing deadline or procedural rulebook standing in the way of simply asking. But it also means IRCC is not legally required to respond within any particular timeframe, or at all, and there is no equivalent of a hearing or a decision-maker bound to rule on it the way there is with an IAD appeal or a Federal Court application.

Because there is no formal structure to fall back on, a reconsideration request is most effective when it is clear, concise, and organized around a specific point, even though it is being made informally rather than through a prescribed legal process.