Last week, foreign service officers serving both inside and outside agreed to go on strike in protest of what they believe is unequal pay across government departments. This strike is the first of its kind since the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) was created 46 years ago. PAFSO claims that officers are paid less than government colleagues from different departments, despite performing similar or identical work.

Many of the PAFSO officers participating in the strike work for Canadian Visa Offices around the world. Because of this, offices experiencing strikes may experience delays in application processing. Current processing times posted on Canadavisa and the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website do not take into account additional delays that may be incurred due to the strike.

CIC has assured applicants that contingency plans are already in place to assure that Visa Offices remain open and that at least a minimum level of service will be provided, with a priority placed on urgent humanitarian cases.