Hi,
If by an email, 4 -7 working days.(time varies depending on different visa offices). what I did to get a quick response to my email inquiries was that, I put a note " Special Request" or "Urgent" after the subject. I also kept the details to the point (sweet/ short and straight) than long emails or letters.
It did really work 80% of the time.
If you are contacting the embassy or visa office, please do enclose a self-addressed and stamped envelop together with your letter. That may also speed up communication. I know waiting in our cases can be really big pain.
Most offices will not reply if the answer can be found in the CIC web sites, or in length of processing, if the application is within the normal processing times.
