Agreed. We (along with a couple of other Start-Ups) plan to write to MP Sean Fraser on 15 March 2022, please DM me for details if you wish to participate. We should all write - there is no one for us to lobby our case. Some people in HK have received some responses from some MP. At least in their next meetings, they can discuss the fate of our applications, otherwise, we are an application in a pile of paper waiting for our turn.
In past in this forum only, I had read SOWP applicants had appointed some lawyers to lobby their case - today they are priority applicants and we are waiting
@Rakap it might also be beneficial to direct the message to the
Parliamentary Committee on Immigrations.
Sean Fraser, as an immigration minister receives hundreds of emails daily from all over the world about immigration - a good number about processing times.
However we if highlight our issues with the
Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, then we can perhaps make it an agenda item for their next meetings
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CIMM/Meetings
The MP members of this committee are the ones who put pressure and question the immigration minister. And he answers (responds) to them.
Their contact page is here
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CIMM/Contact
If we are writing a message if should be carefully crafted, reasonable, evidence based, and solutions oriented. These guys (IRCC, MPs, The Standing Committee) receive loads of complaints daily - but not enough propositions.
But if we can brainstorm, we can come up with highlight operational inefficiencies in IRCC, make a case for expediency on our applications, and propose some simple solutions.
Among other things we can highlight:
SUV Work permit application process
- The
official application process for SUV applicants is out of date, doesn't work and there is a lot of confusion for candidates
- The actual application (IMM something I forget) for SUV has confusing/conflicting field selections
- The Come to Canada tool doesn't work for SUV work permit applicants
Proposed solution
- Despite out of date application documentation, SUV applicants have found ways of applying using the Come to Canada tool. We can suggest IRCC either adopt the workarounds we have devised - by simply updating the SUV work permit application process page. We can send them the procedure we used to get the right forms on the online application tools.
I think this is a very simple solution.
Or IRCC can fix the online application tool for SUV work permit applicants. (a long term more robust solution)
SUV Stream specific communication
- Since the pandemic, IRCC has communicated to other immigrations categories what they should expect about their application processing during the pandemic. Other immigration categories have had an idea of the approach IRCC is taking towards their immigration streams during the pandemic.
On other hand, for StartUp Business Applicants - there has not been a single program-wide communication from IRCC about how they will responding or handling our applications.
Of all the issues and problems IRCC has encountered during the pandemic - I think this lack of communication is the worst - because uncertainty for businesses/startups is one of worst headaches for founders.
Proposed solution
- IRCC should issue a SUV wide communication to current and future StartUp Visa business applicants on what they should expect during this pandemic. Whether it is negative or positive news.
I think this is a very simple solution.
Long processing times
- Understandably, the pandemic has caused long processing times for all immigration categories. However I think IRCC hasn't paid attention or even acknowledged the devastating effects of long processing times and uncertainty to startup businesses. Uncertainty and long processing times could potentially destroy the SUV immigration program if IRCC continues to ignore this stream.
Proposed solution
- I'm not sure about the internal operational mechanics for IRCC. But based on what I have read online and assumptions about processing capacity:
However if:
* There are about ~1500 SUV applicants every year;
* And the salary one IRCC officer is $70,000;
* And a program dedicated officer can finalize about 10-20 applications a week (2-4 daily, 5 days a week)
Then it is possible for us to raise $70,000 to help IRCC hire a dedicated staff member to potentially finalize 10-20 applications every week, and clear 520 - 1040 applications in the SUV backload
- Alternatively IRCC can just prioritize our applications.
There are other issues and solutions we can suggest to IRCC about the way it responds to crises (Ukraine etc). Because they seems to always push our applications further back in the queue whenever there is a world crisis.
Let me know what you guys think
