A nationwide strike in the Federal public sector could start at 12:01am EST on Wednesday (April 19, 2023). The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) declares to launch the strike if no agreement reached among the bargaining groups by its Tuesday night deadline.
Reason of the Strike
The PSAC is one of Canada's largest national labor unions, "representing more than 230,000 public servants in every province and territory in Canada and in locations around the world"(from PSAC). The aim of the current labor dispute is to fight for better pay and the ability to work from home for its union members.
IRCC Services impacted
According to the government webpage, many IRCC services would be fully or partially impacted by the strike. You might experience delays with the following IRCC services:
processing applications
in-person appointments or events including citizenship ceremonies
contacting IRCC via email, phone or social media
consular citizenship and passport services
passport services in Canada
Services remain available:
apply online
mail applications to IRCC
use your online accounts
access some emergency services
Visa application processed outside of Canada would still be available to applicants.
Processing delays
Since the large-scale of the strike, people should expect processing delays in almost every aspect of their IRCC services. From Labor Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) with ESDC, passport service with Service Canada, interviews with local offices to any temporary or permanent applications with the IRCC, most lines of business would be impacted.
IRCC did not provide any specifies on when the strike will end and how processing time might be delayed. In Fiona Huang Immigration Consulting Inc., we will continue to monitor the situation and advice our existing and potential clients as the event unfolds itself.
Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/labour-disruptions.html
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