ARCHIVED – Operational Bulletin 427 - May 29, 2012

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

Restructuring of the North American Processing Network and Closure of the Visa Office at the Canadian Consulate General in Buffalo – Temporary Residence Program

This Operational Bulletin has expired.

Summary

The purpose of this Operational Bulletin is to provide information regarding the restructuring of the North American processing network, including the closure of the Buffalo visa office.

Background

Effective immediately, the North American processing network has been restructured to modernize and streamline processing of temporary resident applications abroad. As part of the restructure, the visa section of the Canadian Consulate General in Buffalo has been closed to the public and the temporary resident workload at all visa offices in the United States (U.S.) has been re-aligned. 

Instructions

Temporary Resident Processing

New Temporary Resident Visa Applications

New temporary resident visa applications from persons residing in the U.S. may be submitted to the visa offices in either: New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Seattle, or Washington, D.C.

New Study or Work Permit Applications
Persons residing in… Applications should be submitted to…

The U.S. - East of the Mississippi River
Puerto Rico
Bermuda
St. Pierre et Miquelon

Visa Office in New York

The U.S. - West of the Mississippi River

Visa Office in Los Angeles

Please note that the Visa Exempt Study Permit Abroad (VESPA) program remains unchanged and continues to be available to U.S. citizens seeking study in Canada (see further details at the following link).

Visitor Visa, Study and Work Permit Applications in-Process

Visitor visa, study and work permit applications currently in-process in Buffalo will continue to be processed and finalized at that office.

Change of Temporary Resident Status for those Residing in Canada

Applications to change temporary resident status for those who currently reside in Canada, which are currently in-process in Buffalo, will continue to be processed and finalized at that office.

New applications to change temporary resident status for those who reside in Canada should be sent to the visa offices in either: New York or Los Angeles.

Temporary Resident Permit (TRP), Rehabilitation and Authority to Return to Canada (ARC) Applications

New Applications

Applications for only a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP), Rehabilitation or an Authority to Return to Canada (ARC) should be submitted to the visa offices New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Seattle or Washington, D.C.

For example, if you are a U.S. citizen who does not need a study or work permit and who has a conviction for Driving Under the Influence (DUI), you should apply for a TRP at a visa office well in advance of planned travel to Canada.

Visa offices in the U.S. will continue to process TRP, Rehabilitation and ARC applications as necessary when an inadmissibility is identified during the processing of a visitor visa, study permit or work permit application.

Applications in-Process

TRP, Rehabilitation and ARC applications currently in-process at U.S. visa offices other than Buffalo will be completed in those offices.

TRP, Rehabilitation and ARC applications currently in-process in Buffalo will be transferred to the visa office in Washington, D.C. for processing.

Applicants who were requested by the visa office in Buffalo to submit further documentation in support of their application and have not yet sent the documents in, should submit them directly to the visa office in Washington, D.C.

Applicants who have already sent in the requested supporting documentation to the visa office in Buffalo do not need to re-submit the documents as they will be transferred with the file to Washington, D.C.

Overview of the U.S. Network

The following is an overview of the re-structured U.S. visa office network. Applications for the temporary resident lines of business should be directed to visa offices as follows:

New York Los Angeles Washington D.C. Detroit Seattle
  • Visitor Visa
  • Study Permit (U.S. Residents East of the Mississippi and Residents of Puerto Rico, Bermuda and St. Pierre et Miquelon)
  • Work Permit (U.S. Residents East of the Mississippi and Residents of Puerto Rico, Bermuda and St. Pierre et Miquelon)
  • Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
  • Rehabilitation
  • Authority to Return to Canada (ARC)
  • Visitor Visa
  • Study Permit (U.S. Residents West of the Mississippi)
  • Work Permit (U.S. Residents West of the Mississippi)
  • Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
  • Rehabilitation
  • Authority to Return to Canada (ARC)
  • Visitor Visa
  • Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
  • Rehabilitation
  • Authority to Return to Canada (ARC)
  • Visitor Visa
  • Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
  • Rehabilitation
  • Authority to Return to Canada (ARC)
  • Visitor Visa
  • Temporary Resident Permit (TRP)
  • Rehabilitation
  • Authority to Return to Canada (ARC)

Returning Permanent Residents

Returning permanent residents without a valid Permanent Resident card currently located in the U.S. are encouraged to submit the Applications for a Travel Document (Permanent Resident Abroad) to any of the following visa offices in the U.S.: Los Angeles, Seattle, Detroit, New York, or Washington, D.C.

All Applications for a Travel Document (Permanent Resident Abroad) in-process at visa offices other than Buffalo will be completed in those offices.

All Applications for a Travel Document (Permanent Resident Abroad) in-process in Buffalo will be transferred to one of the visa offices identified above. Applicants will be contacted by the new processing mission in due course.

Transition Period

The visa office in Buffalo will be closed to the public on May 29, 2012. This office will continue to accept applications which were postmarked on or before May 30, 2012. These applications will be transferred to the appropriate visa office for processing.

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 visa office during this time. Applicants will be contacted by the visa office as soon as processing of their application is complete.

Please direct inquiries to the appropriate visa office, or, if you are in Canada, to the CIC Call Centre.

Web Sites

Expiry of Directives

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

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