It can be either one. for telephonic, you never know when you are gonna get it. They will bombard you one question after another and you have no time to make up an excuse on the spot. You're gonna caught if you have lied something on your application. So prepare for anything. Go through your documents and everything. Study each and every details and remember them. Like how did you choose this course? Why Canada? If you are working, questions about your work experience, designation. In other words, study your case by heart and don't leave it at the last minute. They can ask any tiny details from your graduation dates of your high school uptil now. Normally it will last around 10-15 minutes and one of my cousins had gone through such a telephonic interview. It doesn't have to be a native Canadian it might be his or her assistant who can be a local person and is capable of asking questions in local language.
My cousin had messed up his interview. If you had written you had been working from 19 September 2000 till 15 May 2004 for a particuar organization you should remember the exact date. My cousin remembered the years but forgot to remember months and dates so he was unable to recall dates and taking time, the interviewer was gettting inpatient and in a hurry he said "I suppose" she jumped on his words " I suppose" and then he said in a scared way "I guess". She did not tell him anything on the spot about her decision but they had enquired about his work experience for that company but unfortunately he did not work there but he got a letter head from one of his friends who used to work there but was not working there anymore. His visa was rejected on the basis of showing "non-geniune experience letter from that particular organization". His IELTS was 8 and showed funds +$100,000.
There was a 4 year education gap since high school so he covered up that with a fake work experience letter.
