Visa Application Centres to open around the world to assist travellers coming to Canada

IRCC NEWS RELEASE - 

February 23, 2018 – Ottawa, ON – Visa Application Centres (VAC) are a very cost-effective way for the Government of Canada to provide services to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) applicants around the world.

Canada uses a network of Visa Application Centres around the world, where each year, hundreds of thousands of people submit their applications and, if required, provide biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) to come to Canada.

Since 2000, VACs have helped provide administrative support to visa applicants before, during and after their application is assessed at a Canadian visa office.

Canada is expanding the network of Visa Application Centres over the next two years. By November 2019, there will be at least 149 VAC locations in 99 countries.

Canada has one of the most extensive VAC networks in the world—more than 96% of applicants will be able to access a Visa Application Centre in their country of residence by November 2019.