Canada Immigration Application Processing Time on Rise

Increase In Processing Time: It is beyond imagination to even think that recently, Citizens Immigration Canada estimate that in the next year and a half, the wait time of processing of visa applications would be as long as between six to ten years. Quite recently, it has been observed that the processing time of visas is on the increase phenomenally. There has been a dramatic increase in the immigrant visa applications during the last few weeks filed by temporary workers seeking work permits.

The estimated time for processing of applications has shot up from two months to three months and the following week it rose to around 102 days to process a work permit application. The wait time for a visa application to be processed is interminably long and has become frustrating for an immigrant.

It is rather unfortunate that the Citizenship and Immigration Canada never provides the accurate and present processing times, besides the ranges of these wait times published prove to be worthless. The messages that are published periodically hold nobody accountable and there is a total lack of trustworthiness.

Reasons Contributing To The Enhanced Processing Time: The long processing time of application has become a major concern for not only the immigration authorities but also for the applicants. The processing of a visa application however depends on several factors which very few people are aware of. Some of the main factors are:

• Visa Office where the visa application has been submitted.
• Category of the visa application
• Condition in which the visa application file has been submitted
• Whether the applicant has a Canadian job in hand prior to applying for a visa?
• Whether you are required to attend a selection interview at the Immigration Office?

One of the basic reasons for this inestimable long period of waiting time is attributed to the backlog of applications that is expected to rise to around 1.6 million by the year 2012. Further, the backlog of the applications is due to the Points System and the First-Come-First-Served basis. At present, the backlog is already around a million. The F-C-F-S process is indeed the predominant reason for the increments of immigrating visa applications that has resulted in an increase in the annual applications from 240000 to 265000. The figures are alarmingly high. The Point Selection System for skilled migrant workers is also one of the other reasons for this colossal backlog since under this system, it is easier for an immigrant to become a resident without a job or education or even kinships in Canada.

Remedial Measures: It is therefore imperative that concerned authorities need to look in to this and make concerted efforts to resolve the issues of reduction of the backlog of applications and redeeming this explosive situation by bringing down the application processing time drastically.