Canadian foreign service officers are striking, causing delays and a backlog for visa applications around the globe. For the first time in its 46-year history, the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) — which represents 1,350 non-executive Canadian diplomats — has been in a legal strike position since April. Among many other roles, these officers are responsible for processing Canadian visa applications, including those of students, from all over the world.

U of T Monitoring Situation

Both the University of Toronto’s Enrolment Services and the Centre for International Experience (CIE) have been monitoring this strike as it develops. All international students have been contacted with details of the strike, and have been urged to apply as early as possible for their study permits and any other relevant visas. Richard Levin, executive director of Enrolment Services and University Registrar, stated that he is “certainly aware of [the strike] and [his office] is monitoring it daily,” stressing that international students should not panic. Richard Levin is the brother of Professor Benjamin Levin.

Richard Levin explains that, “the first thing [Enrolment Services] did was get in touch with all international students to ensure they were applying for the study permits as soon as possible. If students have applied proactively things should be fine. We plan to follow up and monitor the situation as it progresses…” When questioned about the university’s plan for the future, Levin said “it is a bit premature to talk about specific contingency plans at this point.”

The administration has been working with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) — advocating on behalf of students and the education sector as a whole — to press the government to find a solution, so that universities will not be affected too severely by the breakdown in negotiations.

Applying for visas is always a nerve-wracking experience, as Holly Luffman, assistant-director of the CIE, points out. She advises that “it’s always good to plan ahead for these sorts of things, even without a strike there is always a case of people leaving it to the last minute and having problems. If there are delays, we offer help to students. If they miss the initial orientation, U of T gets acceptance out quite quickly, so that allows for students to plan in most cases.”

Registrar doesn’t think U of T will be affected in long-term 

At this point, most international students should have already begun the visa application process, except for the odd few students who were accepted late, says Levin. He stressed that each faculty will deal with any issues that arise, but that he expects very few students to be affected. For international students already in Canada who are worried about expiring visas, Luffman points out that there is some leeway when it comes to the reapplication process.

When questioned whether this strike could dissuade international students from coming to Canada and U of T in the future, Levin was confident that the university would not suffer. “U of T has a very strong brand internationally, it’s unfortunate that these sorts of events happen, but I expect that the same number of international students will be applying and coming in the future,” he said. Luffman echoed this sentiment saying that the CIE does not foresee a change in the number of international students coming this year or in the future, and will proceed with orientation week activities as planned. 

It is still too early to tell if the strike will cause any major issues in September. For now, U of T administration is on alert but remains optimistic that students will be largely unaffected. 

The strike 

The foreign service officers are demanding what they call “equal pay for equal work.” They claim that they are inadequately paid when compared to workers with similar positions in other federal departments. The officers have been without a contract since mid-2011, and were in negotiations with the Treasury Board of Canada until January of 2013, when those negotiations ceased.

The Government of Canada has argued that foreign service officers get special “perks,” like dry-cleaning and international schools for their children, and are therefore compensated fairly. PAFSO counters this argument by explaining that these “perks” also apply to any other government officer who is working overseas, and therefore should not be taken into account when dealing with bargaining for salaries. PAFSO has acknowledged the difficulties the strike has caused for many people assuring that “once the government allows us back to work, the workload will be tackled with the same professionalism and dedication that has been demonstrated by those same officers on countless occasions.”  One of the main goals of the strike is to show the Canadian government the importance of foreign service officers by disturbing government proceedings. There is pressure on the Treasury Board to find a solution, as the backlog of workers grows by 5 per cent every week, and picketing workers cause international embarrassment.

Students should take into account that processing times vary from country to country and can be from 2-25 weeks, depending on where students are coming from, says Luffman, adding that students can always check the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website to stay up-to-date on said times.

Students must now also take into account that the strike can unexpectedly increase all  processing times by weeks. As the CIC’s website warns, “anyone applying for a visa should anticipate delays and submit their application as far in advance as possible.” The CIC also assures that  “contingency plans are in place,” indicating that even if the strike were to escalate, service would not completely shut down. However, the priority would be on “urgent humanitarian applications,” and not study permits.

 

Have you been affected by the strike? Share your story in the comments.