Government of Canada announces VAC service changes in Asia, Asia Pacific and the Americas

Visa Application Centres in Asia, Asia Pacific and the Americas will require Canadian visa applicants to schedule an appointment to submit biometrics and pay extra fees for application submissions starting November 2, 2018.

Visa Application Centres (VACs) around the world are contracted by the Canadian government to provide individuals with visa application support and fingerprints and photograph collection (biometrics) services.

On November 1, the contracts currently set in place with VACs in Asia, Asia Pacific and the Americas will expire resulting in the termination of walk-in services and the implementation of additional fees for application services. Additional fees will vary based on location.

The following services will be provided as a package at all VACs until November 2:

submitting paper applications
sending applicant's documents (such as a passport) and returning them to the applicant
collecting biometrics (fingerprints and photograph) by appointment and/or walk-in

Some VACs in the three regions will also be moving and the VACs located in Perth, Australia, and Surabaya, Indonesia, will be closing permanently on November 30, 2018.

Applicants are advised to check their local VAC's website regularly to stay up-to-date on service changes, the Government of Canada says.

Changes to VACs in in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East are set to take effect starting November 2, 2019.

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