Update about the PAFSO strike:
Please check this news released on June 30, 2013.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Diplomats+strike+causing+visa+backlog+that+hurting+tourism/8595300/story.html
Quoting from the news:
Tim Edwards, president of PAFSO, said the backlog has increased and will continue to mount if the strike drags over the summer. He said there has been a nearly 25-per-cent decrease in the issuance of visas in June and the backlog at the 53 processing centres has grown about five per cent."
In an email, Citizenship and Immigration said the department is monitoring the situation and all visa offices are open with services still provided by management, locally engaged staff and foreign service officers who can't strike.
To speed up processing, the department urged students, visitors or workers seeking temporary visas to apply online or at a visa application centre.
These centres are run by private operators who will review the paperwork to save time but must send applications to a visa office for any decisions. There are now 70 of these application centres in 49 countries with plans for 130 in 95 countries by next year.