Thanks to all who signed my petition,I managed to receive a response from the Premier of Alberta & Minister of Labour responsible for IQAS. Hopefully IQAS will change their ways.
The Honourable Rachel Notley, Premier of Alberta, has forwarded a copy of your January 16, 2019 email regarding the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) processing times. As Minister of Labour, responsible for IQAS, I am pleased to respond.
I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns regarding IQAS with me.
IQAS has been experiencing a very high volume of applications, which affects processing times. IQAS currently processes an application in approximately 20 weeks, once all required documents including transcripts and payments have been received.
It is important to note that applying for an assessment is a multi-step process and not all required documents are received at the same time. Since applications volumes are very high, it currently takes approximately ten weeks for IQAS to process mail and send an email confirming receipt of documents.
Applicants are advised on the website and in correspondence that processing time can only begin once all required documents have been received. We have recently updated our web content to include a fuller explanation of what affects processing times and the approximate amount of time it is taking applications to be processed. Please visit our website at
www.alberta.ca/iqas-immigration-apply.aspx for the most up-to-date information.
The processing time for some applications may be longer than 20 weeks, depending on the amount of research needed to assess all credentials and additional steps needed to authenticate those credentials. IQAS is hiring additional staff to process the increased volume of applications and will continue to work on improving efficiency and streamlining processes to address ongoing increases in demand.
Processing times vary among organizations that provide assessments to support applications to immigrate to Canada, ranging from four to 20 weeks. These differences are influenced by factors unique to each organization. Applicants have options to apply to different organizations based on various factors they consider most important, including costs and processing times. To learn more about the services, fees and processing times of other designated organizations, please visitwww.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=684&top=29.
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Thank you again for taking the time to write and share your views with me. Your feedback is much appreciated. Please be assured that our government is listening to public concerns and working hard to continuously improve all programs and services.
Sincerely,
Christina Gray
Minister of Labour
Responsible for Democratic Renewal
cc: Honourable Rachel Notley
Premier of Alberta
... Unpredictable.
