Posted at 5:00 am.
Suzanne Colpron The Press
A “hard” and “frustrating” process
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
The Montreal Convention Center
“If we continue like this, people will say, ‘We’ll go somewhere else where it’s easier,'” says Mylène Gagnon, vice president of Tourisme Montréal, who worries about the survival of conventions. International in the metropolis.
Only half of the 8,000 participants expected to attend a medical congress organized by the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis from June 24th to 28th at the Palais des Congrès have confirmed their attendance.
“We’ve been working on the band for three years,” she explains. People know they have to apply for a visa. And out of 8,000 participants, I hardly have 4,000 who can come. I’m not saying the other 4,000 didn’t get visas. But out of 4000, 50 to 60% of the time it is due to a visa. Still, the impact it can have on international conferences is enormous. »
Ms. Gagnon adds that Tourisme Montréal has been “fighting” for two years to resolve the issue.
“Last year we explained the long delays as coming out of a global crisis and lack of staff. But how is it that a year later we are in practically the same position? Something is wrong here. »
The Minister for Immigration, Frenchization and Integration, Christine Fréchette, recognizes the problem.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, ARCHIVE LA PRESSE
Christine Fréchette, Minister for Immigration, Frenchization and Integration
“I can still put pressure on the Canadian government to ensure that visa deadlines are greatly reduced, as this sometimes jeopardizes the holding of certain international events,” she replied to questions from La Presse.
“Montréal is one of the centers for international events in America. So we need to make sure we maintain our positioning where this type of event is happening in an important way. »
Ms Fréchette intends to raise the issue with her federal colleague, Minister Sean Fraser, in the coming weeks. “It is certain that reducing deadlines and improving processes are at the heart of our discussions,” she said.
Long Delays
Canada is notorious for its lengthy delays in issuing visitor visas to citizens of certain countries. That was the case even before the pandemic. It still applies today.
These delays are intended to deter people from using a visitor visa to settle in Canada illegally, according to Immigration Canada. However, they have significant side effects on the implementation of international events, congresses and festivals and put tourism, business trips and families at a disadvantage.
To come to Canada, travelers from many countries require a visa. For European countries, especially Australia and Japan, an electronic travel authorization (AVE) is sufficient, which is issued within a few hours in most cases. However, in the 150 or so countries whose citizens require a visa, the delays are often very long and vary by continent and nationality.
In some cases it takes a few weeks. In others, especially in French-speaking Africa, it’s a nightmare.
“The process is still cumbersome,” confirms Suzanne Rousseau, general director of the Nuits d’Afrique festival. When the artists are in Africa I worry because there is no guarantee that they will capitulate. We ask them to come up with a plan B.”
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The Nuits d’Afrique festival in 2022
“Totally crazy”
In Senegal, Canada takes approximately 332 days to issue the visa to applicants. This is according to the deadlines published by the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) based on the time it took it to process 80% of requests in the past.
In Djibouti it is 558 days. In Nigeria 737 days. But oddly enough, the record for slowness is in Antigua and Barbuda in the West Indies: 914 days.
“It’s absolutely insane,” comments Rosalie Brunel, an attorney who has practiced immigration law for more than 15 years. At the Dakar Office in Africa, we are awaiting decisions on applications submitted in September 2022 and May 2022. Totally confusing delays occur. And it’s not the only visa office. In Mexico I have an inquiry that has just exceeded a year. »
Of course, these delays often come with the risk that these citizens are not genuine tourists and that, once here, they will not want to leave, government documents say. However, this caution does not explain the wide disparities between countries and continents, or the fact that the situation appears to be getting worse rather than improving.
Why would anyone have to wait a year or even longer to say no, often people who wanted to visit a family member in Canada?
And why are the deadlines being extended in some countries and not in others?
The delays do not always appear to be linked to the risks of misleading immigration. In Mali the waiting time is 356 days. But how to explain the 27 days for Thailand or the 11 days for Indonesia?
La Presse tried to find out why there were such big differences, but how this system works is difficult to understand even for specialists (see other text).
Nothing
Tourisme Montréal’s Mylène Gagnon doesn’t hide her desperation. “We’re in the void,” she says.
“In 2019, when the machine was running, there were some visa concerns, but not like today. »
In addition to the difficult issue of the travel document, the award criteria have also increased. If we ask the ministry about these criteria, no one can tell us anything. That’s even more frustrating.
Mylène Gagnon, Vice President of Tourisme Montréal
Two other international congresses taking place in Montreal, the first in July by the American society Head and Neck and the second in October by the World Federation of Neurology, give cause for concern. In both cases, registrations are slow, largely because Immigration and Citizenship Canada is slow to issue visas, says Gagnon.
“We as an organization have to be there to support them. But we are not able to do that at all and that is very disappointing. Something has to happen,” she says.
Me Brunel wonders if visitor visas aren’t “last priority” for Immigration and Citizenship Canada.
“On one file, we waited 477 days,” she said. In Dakar we have files that have been going on for 254, 391, 399, 380 days, she says. They are visitors, family members, tourists. I don’t know what’s going on internally. The longer it takes, the more anonymous the Visa and IRCC offices become. It is really difficult to contact the responsible person in the visa offices. »
One thing is certain: if a client calls her from Africa and tells her that he wants to come to Quebec in August to visit her family, she will reject the file.
“In fact, it’s as if IRCC no longer offers this service. “It’s of such poor quality that it looks like it’s no longer available,” laments Me Brunel.
“When we talk to the families who live here, we tell them, ‘Don’t think you can bring your mother and brother here this summer, it’s impossible.’ We have several mothers who have given birth and want their mother to be there, but that just doesn’t work. »
According to Me Nadia Barrou, an immigration lawyer, the government “lacks transparency” about the reasons for these long delays. “I think it’s meant to discourage some people from applying for tourist visas,” she says.
“If China [55 jours] and India [32 jours]”Since a third of the world’s population has correct deadlines, the government might think it doesn’t matter if they do badly elsewhere,” adds Benjamin Brunot, who also works in the immigration department. But to be honest, I don’t know her reasoning…”
Application processing time
The timeframe published on the Immigration and Citizenship Canada website is historical as it is based on the time it took historically to process 80% of applications. Here are some examples.
- Burundi: 537 days
- Pakistan: 413 days
- Qatar: 411 days
- Russia: 381 days
- Morocco: 309 days
- Haiti: 242 days
- El Salvador: 213 days
- Vietnam: 112 days
- Argentina: 60 days
Data as of May 31st
Ottawa relaxes rules for 13 countries
Immigration Canada is relaxing rules for 13 countries so they can get an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to enter Canada. The AVE costs $7 and can be purchased within hours of applying online. These countries are Morocco, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay. However, citizens of these countries must have held a Canadian visa within the last 10 years or hold a “US visa for nonimmigrant purposes”. Others should apply for a visitor’s visa and pray for it to be issued on time.
why is it so long
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Applying for a visitor visa to enter Canada can take months or even years.
Applying for a visitor visa to enter Canada can take months or even years. why is it so long The press tried to understand.
How are visitor visa applications reviewed?
“First come, first served,” says Mary Rose Sabater, communications consultant at the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). “All applications from around the world are assessed using the same criteria by designated immigration (visa) officers, whose decision must be made in accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act,” he told her via email.
What is the normal timeframe for processing a request?
A fortnight, according to IRCC. However, according to the ministry, this deadline is almost never met in those countries that require a visa.
What must be proven to receive the travel document?
“A visa application is a request for the person to prove that they are going to leave Canada,” summarizes Benjamin Brunot, an immigration lawyer. “By the way, we’re making sure this person doesn’t pose a threat to Canada. However, most of the proof required is to show that the person will leave the country. We also check if the person has money and if they have ties to their country of origin or outside of Canada. »
How does the government do it?
“For example, a common practice of visa authorities is to approve one spouse’s visa and reject the other spouse, or to approve the parents and reject the children,” explains Me Brunot. By keeping part of the family in the country, we convince ourselves that this will force them to leave the country. »
How do we explain such large differences in processing times?
“Many factors can contribute to different processing times, e.g. B. whether an application is complete, the quality and speed with which applicants respond to IRCC requests for additional information and biometric data (if applicable), the ease with which we can verify the information provided.” and the complexity of a enquiry,” explains Ms. Sabater from IRCC. “The lawsuits are most serious in French-speaking Africa,” says Nuits d’Afrique executive director Suzanne Rousseau. “We ask them endless files to justify that they will come back. Agents ask about travel history, artist portfolios, bank accounts, are they married…”
How does it work on site?
“A person abroad often goes through a Visa Application Center (VAC), explains Me Brunot. In some countries, a private company will ensure that the file is complete before forwarding it to an official for a decision. These officers work in Canadian visa offices. Each office serves about ten countries. Depending on the country, there are different queues as there are specialized agents per country. Files are processed in separate queues. The deadlines are also different for the countries of the same office. From this I conclude that the agents are different. »
Do officials have discretion?
Yes. “A file is assigned to an agent for a decision”, specifies Benjamin Brunot. The queue depends on the work speed of certain people. Every officer has discretionary powers. There are many cancellations. Historically, Canada is very strict. Many clients have told me that it is more difficult to obtain a visitor visa in Canada than in the United States. »
Current cases
Yemi Alade
PHOTO BY YEMI ALADES FACEBOOK PAGE
Yemi Alade
Yemi Alade, star of African pop, has had to cancel her show scheduled for the end of the Nuits d’Afrique festival in July 2022 due to lack of a visa. After staying at MTelus in November, with a five year visa, she will be back on July 19th for a free open air concert.
Victoria Azarenka
PHOTO KAI PFAFFENBACH, Portal ARCHIVE
Victoria Azarenka
One of the best tennis players in the world, Victoria Azarenka, missed the National Bank Open in Toronto last year because Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials failed to issue her visa on time.
AIDS Conference
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
Conference on AIDS in July 2022 in Montreal
Many participants, researchers and staff were unable to attend an AIDS conference in Montreal in July 2022. Some did not get their visas on time, others saw their application rejected.