Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - January 2013
The Canadian consulate in Detroit, Michigan has announced this month that it will no longer process temporary resident and work visas.
Though the consulate office is not closing, immigration services will no longer be offered as of this spring. Until now, the office in Detroit was responsible for processing Canadian visas for foreigners who were currently living in the U.S.
�The Harper government is continuing to cut front-line services in communities where they are needed most,� said NDP Member of Parliament Brian Masse, adding that waiting times will be adversely effected by the cuts. �Removing the services offered out of the consulate in this region particularly is short-sighted and ignores the incredible diversity in this region on both sides of the border. Residents and businesses will be negatively impacted.�
Approximately 15 to 16 staff members will be cut from the consulate, as their services will no longer be needed. Some of the affected employees are currently located in Windsor.
The cuts to Detroit�s consulate services come just months after the closure of the visa processing office in Buffalo, New York. Already many applicants have noticed delays and increased waiting times as their files have been transferred to Ottawa.
Those applications that would have gone to Detroit will now also be processed in Ottawa, though they will be submitted and returned electronically, officials say.
Source: Windsor Star
