Canada Immigration Visas

Canadian Immigration wait times have surged more than 20 per cent since 2004, according to statistics released by Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis.

Karygiannis obtained the figures from Citizenship and Immigration Canada through the Access to Information Act.

The figures also reveal disparities in the way Canada processes applications from different countries.

Some immigrants are forced to wait a staggering 2,300 per cent longer than others depending on where they’re from and what immigration category they fall under.

A dependent child whose file is dealt with by Canadian officials in Beijing, Seoul or Ankara, for instance, has an 80 per cent chance of being processed within four months. But a child’s average wait time is 13 months in Singapore, 19 months in Guatemala and 34 months in Cairo.

Similar disparities occur in the skilled workers category.

A skilled worker could expect to be processed within 14 months in Lima and 15 months in Paris but would likely wait up to 71 months in Kyiv.

The 2006 figures released to Karygiannis indicate:

-For dependent children, although 80 per cent of overall cases were processed within 11 months, there were significant variations by geographic area. Eighty per cent of cases were completed within three months in Vienna, five months in Jamaica, seven months in Damascus, eight months in London, and 19 months in Haiti and Guatemala.

-For parents and grandparents, 80 per cent of cases were processed within 40 months. But the figures were eight months in Sao Paolo, 11 months in London, 19 months in Mexico, 30 months in Colombo, 34 months in Beijing, 36 months in Rabat and Guatemala, 40 months in Islamabad, and 45 months in New Delhi.

-For skilled workers, 80 per cent of cases were processed within 62 months - an increase from 43 months in 2004. Eighty per cent of cases were completed within 14 months in Lima, 15 months in Paris, 31 months in Vienna, 54 months in London, 59 months in Rome, 62 months in New Delhi, 63 months in Islamabad, 64 months in Beijing and 71 months in Kyiv.

-Processing times increased most dramatically in the skilled workers category. The parents/grandparents category also saw a sizeable increase, while processing times fell significantly for children and slightly for spouses.

-For spouses and partners, 80 per cent of cases were processed within nine months. Eighty per cent of cases were completed within five months in Taipei, 13 months in Buffalo, N.Y., and Buenos Aires registered among the longest wait times at 15 months.

-The overall percentage of applications for temporary resident visas refused by Canadian officials has remained stable.

-In 2006, 32 per cent of applications for temporary resident visas were rejected from Africa and the Middle East. That compares with a rejection rate of 19 per cent for the Asia-Pacific region and 14 per cent from the Americas.