Canada latest: Canada Public Service Strike Continues as Immigration Department Prioritizes Temporary Visa Processing

Canada continues to be in the midst of a public service strike that has been ongoing for eight days now. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is demanding a wage increase of 13.5%, the continuation of work from home policies, seniority considerations in the size of the public service, and assurances that the government will not contract out public service jobs.

 

While the union has indicated a willingness to lower their wage increase demand to above 9%, the government has yet to meet their demands. The two sides are still negotiating.

 

Meanwhile, reports have emerged from Immigration News Canada confidential sources that the Immigration Department has instructed their International Network team inside Canada to prioritize temporary visa files from India, China, and the Philippines. This is to prevent backlogs from accumulating due to the strike, as these three countries typically have the highest number of applications under processing at any given time.

 

The International Network team consists of temporary short-term employed staff hired in late 2022 and early 2023 to help reduce backlogs. These contract workers mostly deal with temporary visa applications from around the world, including those for visiting, work, and study visas. They are given 80 applications each day to process.

 

However, the more complex permanent residency and citizenship applications are being handled by the permanent staff that is currently on strike.

 

As negotiations between the government and the PSAC continue, Canadians can expect updates on the strike and its impact on public services.

 

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