Canadian visa section in Abu Dhabi closed today
Visa processing centres in 15 cities affected by breakdown in talks
By Staff
Published Sunday, July 28, 2013
The Canadian Embassy visa section in Abu Dhabi will be closed (today) Monday, due to talks breaking down between workers and the Canadian federal government over wages.
Those planning to apply for their Canadian visas in the capital tomorrow will have to alter their schedules, as Abu Dhabi is one of the 15 cities affected by the global foreign-service officers’ strike.
In addition to Abu Dhabi, Canadian embassies in New Delhi, London, Paris and Beijing are also amongst the major cities that will pull the shutters on the visa-processing centres.
The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi handles applications from the UAE, along with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Yemen.
Applicants would have to wait until Wednesday to visit, as the immigration section is closed to the public every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, in addition to the weekends.
Talks between the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) and the Treasury Board president Tony Clement broke down on Friday, resulting in the union withdrawing services from 15 centres, as opposed to the earlier three it had announced.
The union is demanding equal pay with counterparts in other federal departments, who they state, make nearly $14,000 more while performing similar tasks.
Clement, meanwhile, blames the union for unreasonable comparisons.
Tourism groups are estimating the diplomats strike cost to reach in millions, as summer being a peak time for holidays and students applying for their visas for the fall semester.
