Justin Q. Meng

Review of Consulate General of Canada in...

I filed my visitor visa online application nearly ...

I filed my visitor visa online application nearly FOUR months (113 days) ago and was confirmed right away the application was complete. I haven't heard anything from them since. The average processing time for this type of visa at this consulate is 42 days. They never replied to my case-specific enquiry and my complaint also went unnoticed. There is utterly no way of getting in touch with them. This is the most dysfunctional consulate I have ever dealt with. It is in fact even worse than immigration services in some war-torn countries. It's not worth the try.

I am no longer interested in visiting a country that is so irresponsive to visitors/guests and so inept in handling regular services. I could keep trying, but I won't. I feel extremely uncomfortable sending them my passport, even if my case does finally get processed, for you never know how long it takes for the passport to be mailed back, which may affect my international travel plans.

For people who are considering applying to Canadian visitor visas, here are some tips. (1) If you are planning sight-seeing in Canada, look for alternatives--for instance, the US has plenty to offer as far as sight-seeing goes. Or if you have immigration plans (not to Canada) in the future, you can first become a resident or citizen of a country that Canada doesn't require visas. (2) If you have to go to Canada, let's say, attending weddings or seeing friends, be patient, I mean really patient, and be psychologically prepared. (3) Plan far far ahead, say 6 months at least. (4) Don't take the average processing time seriously (as my case testifies). (5) Try not to fly airlines that have stopovers in Canada, as this requires a transit visa, whose processing may take just as long as a visitor visa. Finally, good luck!