Dear Mr Brown,

When are the delays and refusals at the embassy going to end? Ever since the pandemicI know of so many people who have been denied visas and permits. I encouraged so many of my friends to follow me with studies over here [in Canada]. I am still waiting for my postgraduate work permit after four months. I know of friends whose permanent residence applications have taken over two years. Things have really changed. When do you think Canadian immigration will return to normal?

– KM

Dear KM:

Canada continues to be one of the top destinations for immigrants. Unfortunately, since the pandemic, there have been significant delays in processing all types of temporary and permanent resident applications, as well as citizenship applications.

Processing delays

The increasing backlogs, longer processing times, and corresponding uptick in application refusals for permits is causing frustration, not just in Jamaica but globally. In fact, there are currently more than two million immigration applications for citizenship, permanent residence and temporary residence in the inventory, according to the latest figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Many of these applicants are suffering from depression and despair, as you alluded to, because they are not sure of what steps to take as they are separated from their families overseas. For example, there are many applicants who have been waiting over three years for their permanent resident applications, for a process designed to take six months after an applicant receives an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Causes of delay

The massive backlog of applications was caused by a perfect storm which consisted of:

1. A large number of applications due to a high demand. The federal government also introduced new immigration programmes that have only added to the already slowed immigration system.

2. Limitations caused by the pandemic’s social distancing requirement and reduced staff and productivity. During the pandemic IRCC closed many in-person offices and cancelled interviews, citizenship ceremonies, and other appointments, while its staff shifted to working from home. There were also closures at various processing offices and visa application centres.

3. The prioritisation of humanitarian applications from Afghanistan and Ukraine has contributed to the massive backlog of applications. Following the collapse of the Afghan Government, Canada introduced special programmes to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees. With regards to Ukraine, the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel was introduced to allow an “unlimited” number of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion to arrive in Canada on temporary resident visas. Many have observed that the focus on humanitarian grounds seems to be at the expense of international students.

Avoiding future delays

The IRCC claims that there is an attempt to reduce wait times with additional funding, hiring new processing staff, digitising applications, and reallocating work among offices around the world. I am not sure when these issues will be resolved.

Perhaps the Government of Canada should consider implementing premium processing, where applicants could pay a fee for the faster processing of applications. An additional fee for expedited processing may be the best solution. Other countries have such options. Also, it would be beneficial to stop soliciting immigration applications when its processing capacity is critically diminished — because it creates an impossible task when the processing of applications is resumed.

At this time, only generic or automated responses are received when queries to the IRCC are submitted, stating that there are delays due to the pandemic. As such, there is nothing substantive to rely on when following up on matters such as postgraduate work permits and permanent resident applications.

Please visit JAMAICA2CANADA.COM for additional information on Canadian Permanent Residence programs, including Express Entry, The Study & Work program, Visas or Appeals, etc.

Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSc, RCIC, is an immigration counsel and an accredited Canadian education agent of JAMAICA2CANADA.COM—a Canadian immigration & education firm in Kingston. Send questions/comments to documents.jamaica2canada@gmail.com