ARCHIVED – Operational Bulletin 417 - April 29, 2012

Closure of the visa office in Tehran (Iran) and Transfer of its business lines to the Regional Program Centre in Ankara (Turkey)

This Operational Bulletin has expired.

Summary

The purpose of this Operational Bulletin (OB) is to provide information regarding the closure of the Tehran (Iran) visa office and the transfer of its business lines to Ankara (Turkey).

Background

Effective immediately, the Visa and Immigration Section of the Canadian Embassy in Iran, Tehran, is closed.

Responsibility for Tehran’s lines of business has been transferred to Ankara. These lines of business include temporary resident (TR) applications (visitor visa, study permit, work permit), permanent resident (PR) determinations, finalizing or passport handling for PR applications being processed in other visa offices. This transfer will consolidate all overseas visa processing for Iran to Ankara.

Instructions

NOTE: Applicants are not required to include their passport with their application. The visa office in Ankara will contact the applicant if their visa is ready to be issued and make the necessary arrangements to facilitate this process in person.

Applications in-Process

TR applications currently in process in Tehran will be transferred to Ankara. This includes any supporting documentation. Documents do not need to be re-sent to Ankara. Once an application is finalized and a visa is ready to be issued, the visa office in Ankara will contact the applicant if their visa is ready to be issued and make the necessary arrangements to facilitate this process in person.

Closed applications

Finalized applications will be transferred to Ankara.

Permanent Resident Processing

New Applications

New Federal Skilled Worker, Quebec Skilled Worker, Canada Experience Class, Provincial Nominee Program and Investor Program applications should continue to first be submitted to the Centralized Intake Office, Sydney (CIO-S). New Family Class applications should also continue to first be submitted to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (CPC-M).

Appeals of Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) applications

File requests and returns should be directed to Ankara. If the PRTD file was refused in Tehran, the file will have been transferred to Ankara and the applicant can appeal the decision directly with the visa office in Ankara.

Activities on behalf of other visa offices

Tehran was finalizing certain PR applications, accepting documents, handling passports for visa issuance, and refunding fees to clients (Canadian financial instruments are not negotiable in Iran due to economic sanctions). These activities will no longer be performed as the visa office in Tehran is closed. Ankara is now responsible for all business lines previously handled by Tehran.

External Client Enquiries

During the transition period, all efforts will be made to minimize processing delays. We ask that applicants and their representatives avoid contacting the Ankara visa offices during this time. Applicants will be contacted by the visa office in Ankara in due course.

Expiry of Directives

These directives will remain in force until further notice. Further instructions will be communicated as required.