They actually said yes and the centers are happening which feels unreal because I honestly spent so many nights staring at my screen wondering if anyone was even listening. It is such a relief for all those families who were stuck worrying about travel logistics. I am going to keep …
June 13, 2016
Final supporters
The Honourable John McCallum, P.C., M.P.
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1
RE: Opening Visa Application Centres in Iran
Dear Minister:
Iranians who apply for a temporary residence visa need to give biometrics within 30 days of submitting their applications. Visa Application Centres (VAC) or Visa Support Centres normally conduct biometric tests. Because there aren’t any VACs in Iran, most of the Iranians have to travel abroad to give their biometrics. Such travels are problematic for the applicants, especially those of older age or those suffering from certain diseases that limit their mobility. It can also cause hardship for Canadian citizens whose families want to travel to Canada from Iran. Consequently, we request opening five VACs in Iran to address these issues and make the visa application process more convenient for the applicants.
Background
Since 11th of December 2013, citizens of Iran who plan to travel to Canada need to give biometrics within 30 days of submitting an application for a temporary residence visa, study permit, or work permit. The government of Canada has outsourced this task to VFS Global, which opens and manages Visa Application Centres or Visa Support Centres for this purpose. VACs also,
- answer questions in local languages and make sure that applications are complete,
- transmit application documents and passports to the visa office securely,
- return passport and decision documents securely,
- offer a tracking service,
- schedule interviews and provide application photographs and photocopies for a fee, and
- provide access to a computer to apply online.
As a result, applicants of this type of visas have to go to a VAC to give their biometrics or take advantage of the services mentioned above.
Issues
Since there is no VAC in Iran, the Iranian citizens who want to give their biometrics have to travel to a country where there is a VAC. Unfortunately, the current situation causes trouble for the applicants, namely:
- Since the Ankara Visa Office processes the majority of the Iranian applications, the primary VACs for the Iranians are the ones located in Turkey. According to travel advisories by the Government of Canada, travellers may face many problems such as terrorism, kidnapping, petty crime, muggings, physical and verbal harassment, and road unsafety in Turkey. Needless to say that closeness to the Syrian border could also be a potential threat to the lives of travellers. Moreover, on April 9, 2016, the U.S. embassy in Ankara sent a security message to U.S. citizens, indicating “there are credible threats to tourist areas, in particular to public squares and docks in Istanbul and Antalya.”
- The elderly and handicapped may not be able to travel outside of Iran alone. Therefore, the companionship of another family member may become necessary which incurs extra costs and inconvenience. For instance, the companion might have to use his or her limited annual leave, or suspend his or her business for this purpose.
- In some cases, Canadian citizens have to face hardship. If the parent of a Canadian citizen decides to travel to Canada, the said Canadian citizen might have to go all the way to Iran just to assist and accompany his or her elderly parent(s) to the VAC located outside of Iran. Clearly, this may expose the said Canadian citizen to the dangers he or she might face in Turkey or elsewhere.
- There are citizens of other countries who reside in Iran. These citizens may require a visa to travel to another country for the purpose of giving their biometric at a VAC.
- If the visa is issued, the applicants have to travel a second time to collect their visas. Some applicants leave their passports to strangers for the purpose of collecting the visas. This common approach is not safe and may compromise the Canadian visa counterfoils.
A large group of Iranian-Canadians and Iranian nationals (i.e. students and workers) live in Canada. Consequently, a great number of Iranian nationals request temporary visas to Canada every day. The current arrangements negatively affect both groups directly or indirectly.
The lack of VACs is disrespectful to a community that has been a significant minority in Canada in the past few years.
Request
Opening multiple VACs in Iran can make the whole visa application process more convenient and less costly or dangerous for Iranian citizens or citizens of other countries who reside in Iran.
Furthermore, there are already VACs established in Iran by VFS Global in partnership with the UK Visa & Immigration. Clearly, these centres can be expanded or rearranged for the purpose of providing services to people seeking temporary visas to Canada.
We request VACs for the following major cities in Iran:
- Tehran
- Isfahan
- Tabriz
- Mashhad
- Shiraz
In the light of the issues above, we, the undersigned, strongly urge the opening of Visa Application Centres in Iran.
Sincerely,
The undersigned
CC:
1. The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. (Prime Minister of Canada)
2.
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, MP (Minister
of Foreign Affairs)
References:
http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/iran/visa_application_center.html#1
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/biometrics.asp
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/vac.asp
http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/turkey
Text prepared by the Parsai Immigration Services team.
Updates
Reached 5,000 supporters
April 22, 2016
April 21, 2016
We are climbing toward five thousand signatures and honestly my head is spinning thinking about how much easier travel would be if we just had those centers in Iran. Please take a second to blast this out on every social channel you have because I really want to hit that mark before I send the next batch of emails to the Minister.
Reached 1,000 supporters
April 16, 2016
Reached 100 supporters
April 15, 2016
April 14, 2016
I just looked at the count and we are almost at a thousand which is honestly wild because of how much travel this forces on people. Please message a few people who might care about this injustice because if we hit that mark today it shows them we are not just going to drop it.
856 Comments
Please open a VAC office in Tehran. It is impossible or too hard for our parents to go to Turkey for their biometrics which is needed for their visiting visa.
Some parents are old and it is hard for them to travel to other country which they have nobody and they don't know their language. It is costly for them too.
Opening multiple VACs in Iran can make the whole visa application process more convenient and less costly or dangerous for Iranian citizens or citizens of other countries who reside in Iran.
My parents and my mother in law visited us in Canada before having this new law asking them to travel abroad just for finger printing. If they could do it in Iran, they will travel again to Canada regularly to visit us and their Canadian grand children. Thanks Regards Mehdi
Visa centers outside Iran has doubled the costs and the difficulty of getting a visa. Specially for parents who want to visit their children in Canada, biometrics outside Iran is a big challenge,
Please help these people by opening the office for them.
Please help to open the office .
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
They actually said yes and the centers are happening which feels unreal because I honestly spent so many nights staring at my screen wondering if anyone was even listening. It is such a relief for all those families who were stuck worrying about travel logistics. I am going to keep …
June 13, 2016
Final supporters
The Honourable John McCallum, P.C., M.P.
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1
RE: Opening Visa Application Centres in Iran
Dear Minister:
Iranians who apply for a temporary residence visa need to give biometrics within 30 days of submitting their applications. Visa Application Centres (VAC) or Visa Support Centres normally conduct biometric tests. Because there aren’t any VACs in Iran, most of the Iranians have to travel abroad to give their biometrics. Such travels are problematic for the applicants, especially those of older age or those suffering from certain diseases that limit their mobility. It can also cause hardship for Canadian citizens whose families want to travel to Canada from Iran. Consequently, we request opening five VACs in Iran to address these issues and make the visa application process more convenient for the applicants.
Background
Since 11th of December 2013, citizens of Iran who plan to travel to Canada need to give biometrics within 30 days of submitting an application for a temporary residence visa, study permit, or work permit. The government of Canada has outsourced this task to VFS Global, which opens and manages Visa Application Centres or Visa Support Centres for this purpose. VACs also,
- answer questions in local languages and make sure that applications are complete,
- transmit application documents and passports to the visa office securely,
- return passport and decision documents securely,
- offer a tracking service,
- schedule interviews and provide application photographs and photocopies for a fee, and
- provide access to a computer to apply online.
As a result, applicants of this type of visas have to go to a VAC to give their biometrics or take advantage of the services mentioned above.
Issues
Since there is no VAC in Iran, the Iranian citizens who want to give their biometrics have to travel to a country where there is a VAC. Unfortunately, the current situation causes trouble for the applicants, namely:
- Since the Ankara Visa Office processes the majority of the Iranian applications, the primary VACs for the Iranians are the ones located in Turkey. According to travel advisories by the Government of Canada, travellers may face many problems such as terrorism, kidnapping, petty crime, muggings, physical and verbal harassment, and road unsafety in Turkey. Needless to say that closeness to the Syrian border could also be a potential threat to the lives of travellers. Moreover, on April 9, 2016, the U.S. embassy in Ankara sent a security message to U.S. citizens, indicating “there are credible threats to tourist areas, in particular to public squares and docks in Istanbul and Antalya.”
- The elderly and handicapped may not be able to travel outside of Iran alone. Therefore, the companionship of another family member may become necessary which incurs extra costs and inconvenience. For instance, the companion might have to use his or her limited annual leave, or suspend his or her business for this purpose.
- In some cases, Canadian citizens have to face hardship. If the parent of a Canadian citizen decides to travel to Canada, the said Canadian citizen might have to go all the way to Iran just to assist and accompany his or her elderly parent(s) to the VAC located outside of Iran. Clearly, this may expose the said Canadian citizen to the dangers he or she might face in Turkey or elsewhere.
- There are citizens of other countries who reside in Iran. These citizens may require a visa to travel to another country for the purpose of giving their biometric at a VAC.
- If the visa is issued, the applicants have to travel a second time to collect their visas. Some applicants leave their passports to strangers for the purpose of collecting the visas. This common approach is not safe and may compromise the Canadian visa counterfoils.
A large group of Iranian-Canadians and Iranian nationals (i.e. students and workers) live in Canada. Consequently, a great number of Iranian nationals request temporary visas to Canada every day. The current arrangements negatively affect both groups directly or indirectly.
The lack of VACs is disrespectful to a community that has been a significant minority in Canada in the past few years.
Request
Opening multiple VACs in Iran can make the whole visa application process more convenient and less costly or dangerous for Iranian citizens or citizens of other countries who reside in Iran.
Furthermore, there are already VACs established in Iran by VFS Global in partnership with the UK Visa & Immigration. Clearly, these centres can be expanded or rearranged for the purpose of providing services to people seeking temporary visas to Canada.
We request VACs for the following major cities in Iran:
- Tehran
- Isfahan
- Tabriz
- Mashhad
- Shiraz
In the light of the issues above, we, the undersigned, strongly urge the opening of Visa Application Centres in Iran.
Sincerely,
The undersigned
CC:
1. The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. (Prime Minister of Canada)
2.
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, MP (Minister
of Foreign Affairs)
References:
http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/iran/visa_application_center.html#1
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/biometrics.asp
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/vac.asp
http://travel.gc.ca/destinations/turkey
Text prepared by the Parsai Immigration Services team.
Updates
Reached 5,000 supporters
April 22, 2016
April 21, 2016
We are climbing toward five thousand signatures and honestly my head is spinning thinking about how much easier travel would be if we just had those centers in Iran. Please take a second to blast this out on every social channel you have because I really want to hit that mark before I send the next batch of emails to the Minister.
Reached 1,000 supporters
April 16, 2016
Reached 100 supporters
April 15, 2016
April 14, 2016
I just looked at the count and we are almost at a thousand which is honestly wild because of how much travel this forces on people. Please message a few people who might care about this injustice because if we hit that mark today it shows them we are not just going to drop it.
856 Comments
Hi, it would be a great comfort and peace of mind for grand parents applying for visa to visit their children and grandchildren. I really appreciate if the government of Canada decides to open visa office section in the embassy of Canada. Thank you.
Please open a VAC office in Tehran. It is impossible or too hard for our parents to go to Turkey for their biometrics which is needed for their visiting visa.
Some parents are old and it is hard for them to travel to other country which they have nobody and they don't know their language. It is costly for them too.
Opening multiple VACs in Iran can make the whole visa application process more convenient and less costly or dangerous for Iranian citizens or citizens of other countries who reside in Iran.
My parents and my mother in law visited us in Canada before having this new law asking them to travel abroad just for finger printing. If they could do it in Iran, they will travel again to Canada regularly to visit us and their Canadian grand children. Thanks Regards Mehdi
Visa centers outside Iran has doubled the costs and the difficulty of getting a visa. Specially for parents who want to visit their children in Canada, biometrics outside Iran is a big challenge,
Please help these people by opening the office for them.
Please help to open the office .
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
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Hi, it would be a great comfort and peace of mind for grand parents applying for visa to visit their children and grandchildren. I really appreciate if the government of Canada decides to open visa office section in the embassy of Canada. Thank you.