the budget cuts cause CLOSURE of the IMM & VISA SERVICES in some embassies

[Fencesitter]

Is it possible that the reason for the closures is due to fewer applicants in those locations?  Perhaps not many people in Tokyo are applying, so it saves the government money by transferring to a different VO.  

The question my wife raised was about interviews.  So if someone in Japan is required to do an interview, they need to fly all the way to the Philippines?  Kind of silly and a bit too much to ask of applicants (time, money, etc.).

FS

[missmini]

yes i think that's the reason too....tokyo was not such a busy office, but berlin i think it was more....anyway they have soo many european offices close to each other, they had to sacrifice one....i hope they did do some research and not just randomly

abt the interviews i really don't know for sure but i think they won't have to go to Manilla, the Tokyo embassy is not closed full, so the officer can travel to Tokyo for the interview (slight delay for everyone)...for example i read abt Thailand residents who had the interview in Bangkok not Singapore; same the Lebanese could have had the interview in Beirut although the VO was Damascus....and for the Gulf region the VO is in Abu-Dhabi but it's the officers who travel for the interview in the region (Saudi, Qatar, etc) and not the applicant due to strict visa regulations for the countries here; this makes a long waiting line for the interview and not surprisingly Abu-Dhabi has 25 months timeline....also sometimes they could conduct short phone interview...otherwise yeah it would really b silly to ask the applicant to travel such a long distance, pay for the hotel, etc and what if it was all in vain and they refused

[Shiny88]

AND anyone knows what will happen to those who have to attend an interview? where they will go to do?dhaka high commission is CLOSeD,and we are in queue for interview.? am so worried,and pissed..anyone with new info please share...

[missmini]

AND anyone knows what will happen to those who have to attend an interview? where they will go to do?dhaka high commission is CLOSeD,and we are in queue for interview.? am so worried,and pissed..anyone with new info please share...

nothing it's clear...i guess it will still b in Dhaka, based on my explanations before....just hang in there

[pelipeli]

i just hope there are not that many files from Tokyo.. 

[CanAusGal]

They closed local offices in Canada as well. They closed both on Vancouver Island in BC and that has so far delayed my 'landing' by 3 months. There is still no policy in place as to what to do with Vancouver Island people yet, so even though my application has been completed with decision made on Feb 7, I am still just in limbo waiting for them to make policies. Vancouver is only 2 hours away from me, and I have no problem going there, but they say that it is not my decision to make 

[mr70]

 @ Fencesitter.  Yes a person that had applied in Tokyo if needing an interview will have to go to Manila. The government is not going to pay a VO to travel to Tokyo to conduct interviews,they are closing offices to save money. The government does not care about what we have to do,amount of monies we have to spend and about a persons circumstances.
 @ pelipeli. I highly doubt the applications coming from Tokyo will impact your application. The application coming from Tokyo will more than likely be treated like new applications and have to start the processing time again. Stop and think for a little bit,how would you feel when your application was very well underway and then transfered to another office to be started again?

[Shiny88]

   @    Fencesitter.  Yes a person that had applied in Tokyo if needing an interview will have to go to Manila. The government is not going to pay a VO to travel to Tokyo to conduct interviews,they are closing offices to save money. The government does not care about what we have to do,amount of monies we have to spend and about a persons circumstances.
    @    pelipeli. I highly doubt the applications coming from Tokyo will impact your application. The application coming from Tokyo will more than likely be treated like new applications and have to start the processing time again. Stop and think for a little bit,how would you feel when your application was very well underway and then transfered to another office to be started again?

Do you really think they will make the applicant go allthe way to a different country just for an interview and then return backhome , to know you have 50/50 chance to get the visa?!(spending hundreds of dollars) Theres nowhere on the application guideline saying such thing. And its gonna be at our own cost, hotel and food i guess. where did you get the info that someone with interview gotta go to the visa office abroad that is working on their file?

I guess until further notice we cant really determine whats is going to be. They could have said sponsor to bring the applicaton TO THE VISA office responsible for their application,instead of Case processing center in canada sending by mail to these office..(cuz it cost them money too to send those big loads of proofs to the VISA office abroad every day ..

[missmini]

 @  Fencesitter.  Yes a person that had applied in Tokyo if needing an interview will have to go to Manila. The government is not going to pay a VO to travel to Tokyo to conduct interviews,they are closing offices to save money. The government does not care about what we have to do,amount of monies we have to spend and about a persons circumstances.
  @  pelipeli. I highly doubt the applications coming from Tokyo will impact your application. The application coming from Tokyo will more than likely be treated like new applications and have to start the processing time again. Stop and think for a little bit,how would you feel when your application was very well underway and then transfered to another office to be started again?

as for the interview it's not true....what i said from other countries is based on people who actually had the interview like that....they didn't have to travel anywhere....CIC will not make ppl travel.....even for other types of applications let's say the main processing offices r london, vienna for skill worker but the interview will b conducted at the local embassy of the applicant....that i know from my own experience....

[Fencesitter]

That makes more sense.  I also believe that they will not ask the applicant to travel to another country for an interview.  Surely they must have staff at the Consulate or Embassy who can do that...

My wife was wondering why they have 2 VOs in China...1 in Beijing and another in Hong Kong.  She's worried they will close one of them, but I don't think so...too many applicant's for both locations, so we hope nothing changes, as Hong Kong is only a short train ride from where we live...we're 99.9% sure that the interview will be waived, but we want to drop the passport ourselves, as we don't want to risk it getting lost if we send by courier...is this allowed?  Can we drop the passport ourselves?

FS

[canadiangirl78]

That makes more sense.  I also believe that they will not ask the applicant to travel to another country for an interview.  Surely they must have staff at the Consulate or Embassy who can do that...

My wife was wondering why they have 2 VOs in China...1 in Beijing and another in Hong Kong.  She's worried they will close one of them, but I don't think so...too many applicant's for both locations, so we hope nothing changes, as Hong Kong is only a short train ride from where we live...we're 99.9% sure that the interview will be waived, but we want to drop the passport ourselves, as we don't want to risk it getting lost if we send by courier...is this allowed?  Can we drop the passport ourselves?

FS

One of the February applicants dropped it off and picked it up later that day WITH the visa. Vienna I believe.

[Fencesitter]

Thanks, Canadiangirl.

Does anyone know if CIC allows for applicant's to hand deliver the passport?  Or must it be sent by courier or mail?  Is there any information about this on the official website?

Thanks,
FS

[tink23]

Before the Earthquake in Haiti in 2010, all visa applications for Dominican Republic were handled in the Haiti office. If an interview was required, applicants were given a choice to either go to the Haiti office for their interview, or they could wait for when a couple visa officers were scheduled to be at the office in Santo Domingo, DR. The interviews at the DR embassy seemed to happen every 3 months or so, and within the span of a week they would do tons of interviews. The applicant is not forced to travel if their processing office is in another country.

Thank goodness, now since the earthquake in Haiti, the DR embassy now processes all Dominican visa applications, so it's no longer an issue here.

For those affected, hopefully once the files are all transferred to the proper new location, the visa officers get back into the swing of things, so hopefully u won't see much of an extended delay.

[missmini]

Thanks, Canadiangirl.

Does anyone know if CIC allows for applicant's to hand deliver the passport?  Or must it be sent by courier or mail?  Is there any information about this on the official website?

Thanks,
FS

usually u need to follow the instructions in the passport request letter....some embassies will give u both choices, others just the mailing choice (they don't want big line-ups inside the embassy)....but still u can go in person and avoid the maybe weeks of courier waiting....when u go in person u might not have the visa in the same day, maybe next day, maybe the day after....u don't know from before unless u ask around others from the same office....saying that for all that period u need to pay a hotel, etc....

[Fencesitter]

Thanks.

We wouldn't mind the hotel expense, as we would probably take a few nights to relax and anxiously await the visa...and Hong Kong is a great city...we used to go almost every weekend, but after my wife got pregnant, and now that our son is 6-months old, it's not so easy...we just hope we can hand deliver the passport...we don't want to take ANY risks at that stage of the game...I think I've read somewhere that you can hand deliver in Hong Kong, and that they request you to pick the passport up in person...

FS