Effective: Immediately
Who is Impacted: All Foreign Workers, Business Visitors and their Employers
What Has Changed
Please note that effective March 31, 2015, Visa Post-specific Canadian immigration information is no longer found (or will no longer be updated) at each Visa Post’s own web site. A Visa Post includes any Embassy, High Commission, or Consulate that processes Canadian immigration applications outside Canada. Different Visa Posts sometimes have different procedures, including the need for different kinds of identification documents, work history documents, or otherwise, based on local issues in the countries they serve. Until March 31, 2015, research for any specific Visa Post-specific or country-specific requirements or forms were found at a web site maintained at each individual Visa Post’s web site.
Moving forward, all Visa Post-specific information will now be found at www.canada.ca (also accessible through http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp).
Please note as well that though this alert focuses on business categories, this change will also impact ‘ordinary’ visitors and students.
What You Should Do
The change seems cosmetic from the user’s vantage point (though it may improve functionality). However, the real issue here, and the reason for this release of ImmPulse™ is to apprise readers that they should no longer rely on information found at a Visa Posts’ specific web sites. Even if information is on the Visa Post’s site, and even if it seems on point, it will soon be outdated, and can no longer be considered reliable. In view of the rapidly and ever-changing requirements of Canadian immigration applications, care should be taken to ensure that any application is made using the most reliable, up-to-date forms and information, and a review of the www.canada.ca before each application is made is the only way to be sure that your information is as current and accurate as possible.
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.