Processing Delays in Canadian Immigration due to Covid - August 2021
Recent reports have made it clear that Canadian immigration authorities are facing hugh processing time delays due to the Covid pandemic.
Backlogged permanent residence applications (skilled workers, family, refugees) are sitting at 375,137 and temporary residence (students, workers, visitors) as of February 2020. The Minister of Immigration for Canada and his department need to make some wise decisions about what to prioritize.
Some simple tips to help those in the backlog and whose applications are in process are noted below.
1.0 IDENTIFY YOURSELF CLEARLY: If you have a UCI (universal client identifier) number or an application number, list them at the beginning of any correspondence with Canadian immigration authorities (Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada - IRCC). Also, do not forget to include you first name, last name and date of birth, you would be surprised how many people to do not include this basic information when communicating with IRCC via its web form portal.
2.0 WHAT DO YOU WANT: Clealy ask for what you want in a sentence or two. Telling IRCC that you are tired of waiting will not help matters. If you are facing a deadline, tell them what the deadline is and by when you need an answer ("my non-Canadian passport is expiring on October 1, 2021, and I need to enter Canada before that date", "my mother is having critical surgery in Canada on September 21, 2021 and i wish to be in attendance in Canada", etc.).
3.0 SEEK A REVIEW OF YOUR APPLICATION STATUS: Sometimes, it helps to seek professional advice to review your situation and to suggest possible alternate pathways. For example, if there is an emergency involving a family member or business in Canada, sometimes Members of Parliament can be asked to get involved. Or, there might be possible alternative applications which can be filed to enter Canada under another stream.
4.0 PATIENCE: It is hard to be patient in these difficult times, but always good to keep this in mind. Those who are processing your applications are also working under difficult circumstancs. Patience and politeness can only help.
Zool Suleman www.sulemanco.com zool@sulemanco.com
