Foreign Service Officer Strike Ends

Soon, employers can anticipate a return to normal processing for Canadian visas. Yesterday, the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) and the Treasury Board announced that they have reached a tentative agreement after a four-month-long strike. Once the new contract is officially ratified by the members of the labor union in the next few days, all foreign service officers will return to work. The new contract includes pay raises for workers, and lasts through June 30, 2014.

The strike, which included work stoppage at Canada’s 15 busiest foreign missions, has caused significant backlogs in offshore immigration processing. Clients should expect continued delays while the backlog is processed.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Canada. For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@bal.com.

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