Every year, Canada admits thousands of immigrants. While this is a huge number, there are thousands of others who can’t migrate on time because of delays. So, why is the Canadian immigration process slow?
The Canadian immigration process is slow. This can be due to non-payment of fees, paperwork issues, verification of information, backlog, and strict requirements for immigration. Without these issues, the average duration to complete immigration varies can be as fast as 6 months for express entry.
However, the type of visa you’re applying for may also determine how fast the process is. While there are efforts to fast-track the process, it may still take a year or even more to finalize. Here, we discuss the application process and factors contributing to the slowness.
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Factors Causing Delays in Immigration Process
The immigration process is a complicated and usually long one in Canada. The period between applying and getting the final response can be pretty long and unpleasant. Although it’s hard to pinpoint what causes the delays, the following reasons are usually responsible for the slower than usual immigration process:
1. Non-payment of Fees
The application process usually comes with a lot of attached fees. Non-Payment of required fees or late payment is one of the major causes of delay. Sometimes, you might not even be aware of this, thereby stalling your application inadvertently. There are different means of payment available, and suing the wrong one means payment won’t reflect. Nowadays, credit cards and other online means are mostly acceptable. So, you should make sure you confirm the means of payment before you go ahead to pay.
2. Paperwork Issues
Improper paperwork has delayed more visa applications than you can imagine. So naturally, your documents and paperwork should provide all the information needed to determine your eligibility. But as you’ll soon find out, errors and omissions are more common quite common. When such happens, the case officer usually has to rectify the mistakes before proceeding. That delay until you fix the errors might end up extending for days even after fixing the issue since the case officer will probably move to another application. Common problems include missing signatures, not filing parts of the form, blurry or illegible paperwork or photos, etc. All these could stall the process as you have to resubmit.
It’s crucial to avoid submitting improper paperwork, as this could lead the immigration officer to think there’s something shady going on. Any inkling of misrepresentation in the information provided could cause more delays for you and even lead to worse consequences. So, it’s better to provide the proper paperwork from the onset. Cross-check multiple times, if necessary, before submitting.
3. Verification of Information
Sometimes, you can do everything right on your part, but the immigration process would still be slow. One of the reasons this happens is the verification of the information you provide. In most cases, the visa officer will have to contact various authorities and sources to confirm the data and documentation you offer. If the sources you provide are outside Canada, the process of contacting the offices to cross-check your information might take some time. Getting educational information, financial details, etc., may take months due to bureaucracy, especially on an international level. Even if your authority is in Canada, verifying the information could still take weeks. You can try to speed up the process by contacting the relevant office in advance to prepare for the inquiry from the visa officer. Of course, this won’t always work. But there’s no harm in trying.
4. Backlog of Applications
Another reason for the slow immigration process is the backlog of applications that the immigration office had to deal with. For every application, there are over ten more waiting. Over the years, the backlog of applicants has grown such that anyone who’s just applying is already behind on the list. Even with the fast-track programs such as Express Entry, it’ll still take at least six months to complete the process.
5. Strict Immigration Requirements
The immigration requirements are one of the primary reasons for the slow process. After moving to Canada on a temporary visa, the requirements to stay permanently make it very difficult for many people to stay permanently. Generally, immigration in Canada is a point system. But to get enough points is harder than imagined due to the things that count. This means several people could be stuck in the immigration process for years as they struggle to reach the minimum point to become permanent residents.
How Long Does It Take to Complete the Immigration Process?
Immigration processing time is the period when the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) authorities assess and approve or deny a visa application after receiving it. During the processing, you may need to submit some documents, express interest, respond to the invitation to apply, mail finalized visas, etc. There are generally different pathways to get a visa, and each pathway has its average time to process the application. Examples include:
- A parental sponsorship visa takes between 20 to 24 months to process
- Super visa for parents of residents takes about 14 months on average but will depend on the country of applicants
- Express Entry visa takes about six months, making it the fastest method
- Visitor visa has a waiting period of 114 days
How to Apply for a Canadian Visa
Your visa type will usually determine how long the application takes and the application steps. But there are generally applicable steps. These include:
1. Check which visa You’re eligible for
The first step should be to determine which visa applies to you. You can take several online tests and questionnaires after choosing a visa category to see if you’re eligible in that category. The immigrations website provides you with the information you need.
2. Get all Documents you need
Once you see that you’re eligible, you can go ahead and create an account on the website to start the application. You’ll find the list of documents you need on the platform. Get them all together before you start applying.
3. Pay the Necessary Fees
Once you’ve applied, the next page is the payment page. The fee depends on the visa type. You can pay using any of the stipulated means. However, you may have to wait a few days before the application shows on the page.
You can also apply in person. In this case, you’ll need to take the application to the Canadian embassy in your country.
In Conclusion
The immigration process is usually long and complicated. There are several reasons for the delays that slow down the process.