Impact of Canadian Strike at IRCC Disrupting Application Processing Time

As negotiations continue, Canada’s largest federal public-service union has initiated a strike, resulting in 155,000 members walking off their jobs. The strike involves approximately one-third of all federal public servants and both the government and the union have warned of potential disruptions, such as border slowdowns and disruptions to immigration and passport applications.

The Canadian government has stated that it is committed to negotiating fair collective agreements that balance the needs of employees and taxpayers. However, the government has described the union’s demands as “unaffordable” and has also highlighted the potential impact of the strike on services provided by Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Maintained Services

Despite the strike, there are still some IRCC services that will be available to the public. Applicants can still apply online or submit applications by mail to IRCC. Online accounts created by customers will also remain accessible, and emergency services will still be provided.

Furthermore, some non-governmental services provided by partner organizations will continue to operate, including settlement services and health care through the Interim Federal Health Program. Additionally, visa application centers located outside of Canada will remain open.

Disrupted Services

Unfortunately, the strike will have a significant impact on several IRCC services. Processing of applications will be partially or fully disrupted, and in-person appointments or events, including citizenship ceremonies, will not take place. Contacting IRCC through email, phone, or social media will also be difficult during the strike.

In addition, consular citizenship and passport services provided inside and outside Canada will also be affected. As previously mentioned, the strike will likely result in slowdowns at airports and border crossings, causing further disruptions.

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Overview

The Public Service Alliance of Canada declared a general strike beginning Wednesday, April 19th. As a result, bargaining groups representing 159,000 public servants are on strike. These employees provide a range of services for the public.

During this labour disruption, certain services may be delayed or not delivered at all. As well, the public may have trouble accessing some Government of Canada buildings where services are delivered.

Services maintained

Some IRCC services remain available during the labour disruption. You can still

• apply online
• mail applications to IRCC
• use your online accounts
• access some emergency services

These services offered by non-governmental organizations are still available:

• settlement services from our partner organizations
• health care through the Interim Federal Health Program
• visa application centres outside of Canada

Services partially or fully disrupted

Most IRCC services, like most Government of Canada services, are impacted. You should expect delays with the following:

Access to Information Act requests

• You can expect longer processing times for Access to Information Act requests.

Citizenship events

• Citizenship events will be rescheduled. Some urgent applications may still be processed.

Consular citizenship and passport services

• You may experience delays with citizenship or passport services outside of Canada. You can still access your passport applications and submitted documents.

Contacting IRCC

• Client Support Centre response times
  • The IRCC Client Support Centre is experiencing service delays. You can expect longer response times.
• Social media
  • We are not able to answer your social media enquiries during the labour disruption.
• IRCC web form response times
  • You should expect longer response times when using the IRCC web form.
  • IRCC also offers online self-serve tools for application status tracking that are still available online. This includes
    • citizenship grant
    • permanent resident family class
    • Express Entry
    • study permit
    • work permit
    • temporary resident visa

Extending your stay in Canada

You can apply online to extend your stay in Canada during the Government of Canada labour disruption. You must meet the following conditions to maintain your status and remain in Canada until a decision is made on your application:

• Your extension application must be submitted online (unless you are exempt)
• The application must be complete by including
  • biometrics
  • fees
  • other applicable requirements
• You must submit your application before your temporary residence status expires

Grants and contributions services

We will respond to urgent requests from funded recipients, but please expect delays with our response times. Funded recipients will still receive their first advance payment of 2023–2024.

Immigration-related appointments