The impact of the labor strike on Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada

The impact of the labor strike on Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada

The impact of the labor strike on Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada From [Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada] Overview The Canadian Public Service Union has announced a general strike starting Wednesday, April 19. As a result, bargaining groups representing 159,000 government employees are on strike.

These employees provide a wide range of services to the public. During this disruption, some services may be delayed or unavailable and may not be provided at all. Also, general staff may have difficulty accessing some government buildings where services are provided. Of course, some IRCC services will remain available during the disruption, for example you can submit online letter requests to IRCC or use your online accounts and access some emergency services. If most IRCC services are partially or completely disrupted, many Government of Canada services will be affected as a result.

In these cases, the delay causes disruption and you have to wait: Requests for Access to Information Act and Citizenship Services and Consular Passport Services, Contacting IRCC to extend your stay in Canada, Immigration Appointments Allowance Services, Passport Application Processing Services Of course, this page will continue to be updated during the disruption. We plan to tell you how services are affected. On April 19, the Public Service Union of Canada (PSAC), the union that represents more than 155,000 public sector employees in Canada, went on strike. PSAC says the strike is one of the largest in Canadian history.

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During these strikes, there are disruptions in various public services in Canada, including the services provided by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

New IRCC Strike Update: Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser provided this new update on the ongoing strike. He made it clear that the IRCC strike would have a severe effect on the backlog in dealing with arrears. Following this announcement, IRCC released more information about the services that will be partially or completely disrupted.

It looks like IRCC now has another reason to point to the backlog of questions. You can update, use new programs (online or by mail) and access emergency services through your GCKey online account during the strike. In addition, residency services, health care through the federal Temporary Health Program, and visa application centers outside of Canada will continue to operate because they are provided by non-governmental organizations.

Below, we mention the categories of services that have been partially or completely disrupted due to the IRCC strike:

1. Citizenship events
2. Consular passport and citizenship services
3. Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP)
4. Contact IRCC
5. Application for extension of stay in Canada
6. Grant services
7. Immigration appointments
8. Passport related services
9. Processing citizenship programs and events

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Of course, citizenship events will change, but some of these events and urgent applications can still be processed, and according to IRCC’s latest update, it takes about 22 months to process an adult citizenship application.

It is foreseeable that if the IRCC strike continues for some time, you should expect a general delay in processing. If you are applying for consular passports and citizenship services outside of Canada, expect delays. However, applicants can still access their submitted documents and passport applications. There is a law called ATIP requests which means that Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) requests will require longer processing times than usual. Also, contacting IRCC due to service delays, the response time at the IRCC applicant support center is longer than usual. Additionally, online donations will not be available through IRCC’s social media accounts during the IRCC strike. Similarly, you should expect longer response times than usual for inquiries made through online web forms.

If you want to apply to extend your stay in Canada during the IRCC disruption and stay longer in Canada, you must apply online. To maintain your status and stay in Canada while your application is being processed, make sure your application includes biometrics, fees and other applicable requirements. As is usually done, submit your application to extend your stay before your current temporary resident status in Canada expires. Now, however, reports indicate that biometric collection appointments through Service Canada have been canceled for applicants within Canada. So it seems that until IRCC exempts Canadian applicants from biometrics, these applicants will have to face problems again. The Canada Immigration Grants Service supports recipients, but expect delays in this area as well.

Migration Grant service recipients will continue to receive their first advance payment in 2023-24.

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Immigration appointments

IRCC will contact applicants within Canada to change or cancel immigration appointments.

These requirements apply to applicants who are outside of Canada on a scheduled appointment and interview basis, unless the IRCC office abroad directs a rescheduling.

Passport services

During work disruptions in immigration for refugees and Canadian citizens, expect delays in processing meritorious applications for Canadian passports.

Domestic passport applications are only processed by Service Canada in emergency and humanitarian situations.

Regular passport processing is a critical service for Canadians living outside of Canada, including the United States, and will continue despite the current disruption, but applicants may experience delays.

Application processing

During the strike, IRCC’s capacity is significantly reduced. Processing is therefore greatly affected, and as a result, you should expect delays in receiving decisions on immigration and visa applications.

According to IRCC, the delay includes programs that are currently prioritized.

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The reason for the IRCC strike

The Public Service Union of Canada (PSAC), which represents more than 155,000 Canadian government employees, including IRCC employees, are on strike until their demands are met.