Submitted passport to VAC Manila then lockdown happened

[Burawski]

Hi guys, I am in Canada right now with a student visa. My wife just got approved of having an open work permit and my daughter's visitor visa. They submitted their passport before the lockdown happened. Now its with the VAC, unfortunately they are closed due the lockdown. This will be a stupid question but I am desperate. Is there any way for their passport to be processed? Can I contact somebody or somewhere about the situation? Anybody else in the same predicament? I asked this question because they are exempted from the travel ban. I wanted them out of the Philppines before things gets worse. Thank you.

 

[scylla]

Hi guys, I am in Canada right now with a student visa. My wife just got approved of having an open work permit and my daughter's visitor visa. They submitted their passport before the lockdown happened. Now its with the VAC, unfortunately they are closed due the lockdown. This will be a stupid question but I am desperate. Is there any way for their passport to be processed? Can I contact somebody or somewhere about the situation? Anybody else in the same predicament? I asked this question because they are exempted from the travel ban. I wanted them out of the Philppines before things gets worse. Thank you.

See the instructions at the top of this page. Try submitting a web form and see if that gets you anywhere.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/contact-ircc/offices/international-visa-offices.html

Note that your wife is exempt from the travel ban as a work permit holder however your child is not. Having said that, if you can get their visas and passports, it's probably worth it to see if they will let your child board a plane.

Good luck.

 

[Burawski]

See the instructions at the top of this page. Try submitting a web form and see if that gets you anywhere.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/contact-ircc/offices/international-visa-offices.html

Note that your wife is exempt from the travel ban as a work permit holder however your child is not. Having said that, if you can get their visas and passports, it's probably worth it to see if they will let your child board a plane.

Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. They got their passports already and it was issued March 17. Now the thing is we are actually under an agency that processed their application. I tried to call them first and they told us that they are not exempt because mainly it is for "sponsorship" program which we were not under. However when I read this line on the website.

Family reunification

The Orders also exempt foreign nationals whose travel to Canada is authorized in writing by an officer designated under subsection A6(1) or by a Global Affairs Canada (GAC) consular officer for the purpose of reuniting immediate family members.

The expanded definition of immediate family member described above continues to apply.

In order for a foreign national to be eligible under this exemption, there must be two or more foreign nationals who are immediate family members of each other, and authorizing one or more of them to enter Canada must allow them to be reunited.

While the foreign national’s immediate family member must be a resident in Canada, that family member does not have to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

This means that a foreign national with an immediate family member residing in Canada as a worker, visitor, student or protected person would be included in this exemption.

An adult child of a person residing in Canada may be eligible under this exemption. This is because, while the child is not an immediate family member of the parent under the definition above, the parent is an immediate family member of the child.

The objective of this exemption is to facilitate reuniting immediate family members who have been separated as a result of these travel restrictions. Migration officers and case processing officers are to assess the circumstances surrounding the foreign national’s travel prior to authorizing in writing that the foreign national is exempt under this provision. As noted above, the officer must be satisfied that the foreign national is not travelling for an optional or discretionary purpose.

I did not read anything about sponsorship. Now my interpretation might be wrong. I would like to get some input on this. Thanks!

 

[scylla]

Thanks for the reply. They got their passports already and it was issued March 17. Now the thing is we are actually under an agency that processed their application. I tried to call them first and they told us that they are not exempt because mainly it is for "sponsorship" program which we were not under. However when I read this line on the website.



I did not read anything about sponsorship. Now my interpretation might be wrong. I would like to get some input on this. Thanks!

Yes - we are all extremely familiar with the statement you quoted. Ultimately all that matters is how the rule is being applied. Based on the latest experiences on this forum, your wife and child most likely will not be allowed to board the plane since their travel won't be classified as essential. But they can certainly try.

The last sentence in the statement you quoted is the problematic one:

"As noted above, the officer must be satisfied that the foreign national is not travelling for an optional or discretionary purpose."

Based on experiences others have had on this forum, there's a high chance your wife's and daughter's travel will be classifed as optional / discretionary. But again, they can certainly try and it's possible they may get lucky.