Introduction:
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has declared a general strike beginning on Wednesday, April 19th, resulting in 159,000 public servants going on strike. This labour disruption is causing delays and disruptions to various services provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). In this blog post, we will outline the impact of these disruptions on IRCC services and provide guidance on what to expect during this time.
Services Maintained:
Despite the labour disruption, some IRCC services remain available. You can still apply online, mail applications to IRCC, use your online accounts, and access some emergency services. Additionally, non-governmental organizations are continuing to offer settlement services, health care through the Interim Federal Health Program, and visa application centres outside of Canada.
Services Partially or Fully Disrupted:
Most IRCC services, like most Government of Canada services, are impacted by the labour disruption. Delays can be expected for Access to Information Act requests, citizenship events, consular citizenship and passport services, and contacting IRCC through various channels, including the Client Support Centre, social media, and the IRCC web form.
Online self-serve tools for application status tracking are still available, including for citizenship grants, permanent resident family class, Express Entry, study permits, work permits, and temporary resident visas.
Extending Your Stay in Canada:
You can apply online to extend your stay in Canada during the labour disruption. To maintain your status and remain in Canada until a decision is made on your application, you must meet certain conditions, including submitting a complete application online before your temporary residence status expires.
Grants and Contributions Services:
IRCC will respond to urgent requests from funded recipients, but delays are expected. Funded recipients will still receive their first advance payment of 2023–2024.
Immigration-Related Appointments:
In-person appointments may be rescheduled for clients in Canada, while overseas interviews are proceeding as scheduled unless advised otherwise by the IRCC office abroad.
Passport Services:
Most domestic passport services are currently unavailable, and delays should be expected in processing passport applications. During the labour disruption, Service Canada is only processing domestic passport applications for emergency and humanitarian situations at specialized passport sites. Regular passport processing for Canadians residing outside of Canada, including in the United States, is deemed an essential service and continues, but clients may experience delays.
Conclusion:
The labour disruption at IRCC is causing delays and disruptions to various services. It is crucial for applicants and clients to be aware of these changes and plan accordingly. We will continue to update this page during the labour disruption to provide information on how services are impacted.
At NPZ Law Group, our U.S. and Canadian lawyers seek to assist clients with regard to employment and family immigration issues. If you or your friends or family should have any questions about any aspect of U.S. and Canadian Immigration Law, please feel free to contact us at info@visaserve.com or you can call our office at 201-670-0006 (ext. 104). We look forward to being able to assist you.