Why VFS clarification brings some relief to India’s Canada visa applicants

This was under instructions of the Canadian government’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) department.

The VFS statement further says that Canada visa applicants will still receive administrative support and submit biometrics at their centres. How has this statement been perceived by study abroad experts and what does it mean for travellers? We explain.

Why did VFS provide this clarification about the operations of its centres?

There was some panic following the Friday announcement among Canada visa seekers, especially students, who make up a significant portion of the applicant pool – over 2 lakh Indian students head to Canada for educational purposes annually.

VFS Global is one of the largest visa outsourcing and technology services companies, responsible for managing visa applications for several governments worldwide, including Canada. Therefore, when VFS clarified that its centres would continue to function as usual immediately after Canada’s halting of in-person visas, experts interpreted this as an assurance that the visa application process would proceed without interruption.

It implies that Canada has not completely shut down its visa processing system in India but has only suspended in-person services at three centres and that such services are available at the Canada High Commission office in Delhi.

What types of visa processing does VFS primarily handle?

VFS, through Canada Visa Application Centers, is authorised to accept applications for all temporary resident categories – including visitor visas, study visas, and work permits, as well as travel document applications from Canadian permanent residents in India.

Their responsibilities include scheduling appointments, collecting visa applications, enrolling biometrics, and returning passports in sealed decision envelopes to applicants.

It’s important to note that while VFS Global provides services to ensure that visa applications are correctly filled and submitted, the decision to issue or refuse a visa is solely made by immigration officers of IRCC, in accordance with Canada’s immigration visa policies and guidelines.

Why is this clarification of note for India’s Canada visa seekers, especially students?

Experts said that this clarification brings relief to a large number of Canada visa seekers, especially those in temporary resident categories, as their numbers are substantial.

In the first two quarters of 2023, IRCC approved a total of 987,877 visitor visas, out of which 299,062 (around 30 per cent) were from India. Additionally, during the first half of 2023, Canada welcomed 434,899 international students, of which 175,021 (40 per cent) were from India.

According to Immigration News Canada, between January 2023 and June 2023, 84,425 permanent residents from India also arrived in Canada. It’s worth noting that VFS primarily handles temporary resident applications, not permanent residency applications or Canadian consular services.