Immigration officials fear that the processing of applications and inquiries submitted online and by mail could be delayed due to the upcoming federal public servants strike in Canada.
According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, immigration and passport applicants can face delays and longer wait times because of the plans of federal public servants to go on a general strike in the near future.
155,000 civil servants belonging to different agencies and departments would be on strike. Consequently, the immigration department’s website has posted a warning claiming that most of the services provided by IRCC would be affected because of a foreseeable labour disruption.
The immigration services that would be severely impacted are as follows;
- Processing applications
- Contacting IRCC through phone, email, or social media;
- In-person appointments or events, including citizenship ceremonies
- Consular citizenship and passport services
- Passport services in Canada.
In addition to this, the industrial action would also cause hindrances in the processing of the immigration department’s current inventory of nearly two million applications for temporary and permanent residence as well as Canadian citizenship. Don’t forget the backlog of passport applications was just eliminated as processing speeds went back to pre-pandemic times.
Regardless, immigration officials have instructed people to keep submitting applications by mail or online, use their online accounts, and avail of services at visa application centers in other countries.
We hope you found this information helpful. Follow our blogs for the latest updates and informative content on Canadian immigration.
