Canada takes special measures for visa Applicants based in China, Iran & South Korea affected by Coronavirus

It is no denying that the coronavirus outbreak has caused several disruptions and travel restrictions worldwide. Immigration is one of them. Considering the panic and anxiety spreading in the visa applicants from China, Iran, and South Korea, the Canadian immigration department is taking special measures to help the applicants. Applicants who are nationals of these three countries and have applied for a Canadian immigration visa, but are not able to fulfill certain necessary requirements due to troubles beyond their control, will get more time to provide the required details. As per the IRCC, these special measures will be applicable to the following types of visa applicants:

Nationals of China, Iran, and South Korea only

Applicants who are stuck in China, Iran, and South Korea
Those who are severely affected by travel restrictions and service disruptions due to COVID-19.

The IRCC webpage says, “disruptions” can be related to the following:

Service disorder;
Confined access to government offices
Visa application office closures; and
Limited access to clinics for the immigration medical exam.

Additionally, the webpage says that the IRCC will not refuse any application “due to a lack of documentation”. And, the incomplete applications for a visitor visa, work visa, study visa or Canadian permanent residence visa will also be accepted by the government. As per the instruction letter, it is directed that biometrics need to be completed within 30 days. However, due to service disruptions, IRCC will give an additional 90 days to finish all the required steps including biometrics. The Immigration Ministry has also indicated to help the affected citizenship applicants, permanent resident applicants, work permit or study permit applicants.

Citizenship Applicants:

Applicants who have applied for Canadian citizenship may have one of the following appointments:

knowledge test;
interview;
retest;
hearing; or
taking the Oath of Citizenship

Those applicants who doubt that they might miss an important appointment of their citizenship process must contact IRCC as soon as possible and fill the online form. If you have missed an appointment, you must contact the IRCC within 30 days and explain the reason for your absence. If you fill the form, you will get extra time to process your necessary requirements. However, applicants applying for citizenship must note that they are not exempted from the condition to be physically present in Canada. As per the procedure, it is imperative that the applicant needs to be living in the country for a minimum of three years immediately after the commencement of their application for citizenship. If a candidate spends extra days in any other country due to the coronavirus outbreak, it will be counted as his/her failure to be present in the county for the required period of time.

Candidates who have applied for Permanent Residence:

The Immigration Ministry has asked Candidates who have received an Invitation to Apply for Canada PR through the Express Entry System to submit their application within 60 days. Apart from this, the IRCC will take in the insufficient applications given that a candidate proves that he/she was unable to send the required documents due to COVID-19 disruptions. And, a letter must be sent to the IRCC explaining the reasons for not completing the application.

What if you have got Canada PR but facing travel restrictions?

There are candidates who have been approved for Canada permanent residence but are not able to travel to the country. Such candidates must fill the IRCC’s web form and explain their situation to the ministry. And whenever it becomes possible for them to travel, they should inform IRCC with the help of an online form. They will get further instructions related to the re-processing of the permanent residency application.

What about immigrants – temporary workers, visitors, and students who are unable to exit Canada?

Foreign nationals whose stay visa in Canada has expired need not worry. They can create an application online that will extend their stay in the country. If the study permit or work permit of the students or temporary workers respectively is expired, they can change their status to “visitors”. If eligible, some candidates can extend their study or work permit visa. If study, work or visitor permit is expired and more than 90 days have passed, candidates can apply for a temporary resident visa.

Urgent Applications:

China: Those candidates who need to come to Canada on an urgent basis regarding their visa applications (study, work, or permanent residence) can contact the Beijing office at [email protected] Iran: Candidates applying from Iran can submit the online IRCC form or if they are facing an emergency situation, they can contact at [email protected] South Korea: Candidates who need to visit Canada urgently can contact the visa office based in Manila, Philippines – [email protected]

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