Canada Expects to Process Only Half of Indian Visa Applications by December 2023
Toronto, October 27: Canada has informed that, out of the 38,000 visa applications from Indians, it will be able to process only 20,000 by the end of December this year due to a recent reduction in on-the-ground staff.
During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Immigration Minister Marc Miller revealed that there are currently only five staff members in India responsible for processing visas. This significant reduction from 27 staff members came about after India requested Canada to withdraw its 41 diplomats in pursuit of diplomatic parity.
As a result of this staffing shortage, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which handles visa applications, anticipates having approximately 17,500 Indian visa applications in backlog at the beginning of 2024. However, the IRCC remains optimistic and is actively working to return to normal processing for Indian applications by early 2024.
This recovery is expected as the immigration staff that was relocated from India re-establishes itself and resumes work in Canada and the Philippines, according to the IRCC.
In an effort to mitigate the impact, IRCC is adjusting the workload for Visa Application Centres (VACs) that predominantly process Indian applications. The IRCC noted that a large majority of applications from India are already processed outside the country, with 89 percent of India’s applications being handled through the global network.
The remaining five Canada-based IRCC staff in India will focus on tasks that require an in-country presence, such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment, and supervision of key partners, the IRCC stated.
The department aims to process 80 percent of all applications within service standards, which vary depending on the type of application. An application is considered in backlog when it exceeds the service standards.
IRCC has temporarily suspended all in-person services at Indian consulates, although they will continue to accept and process applications from India.
Conversely, India has partially resumed visa services in Canada starting from October 26 for entry, business, medical, and conference visas, after these services were suspended amid deteriorating diplomatic relations. Further decisions will be communicated based on an ongoing evaluation of the situation, as stated by the Indian High Commission.
