IRCC has stated that it would immediately restart processing of TRVs and eTAs.
As of June 9, Canada will start processing online requested temporary resident visas (TRVs) and electronic travel authorisation (eTA) applications. The update was announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on June 8.
IRCC has stated that it will “to the extent possible” resume TRV processing online. Applications will be prioritized for individuals currently eligible for travel based on current travel restrictions.
Unless applicants contact IRCC via the following email, TRV applications submitted prior to travel restrictions will not be prioritized.
Such individuals need to explain how they are exempted from travel restrictions when contacting IRCC, why they are travelling to Canada for an essential purpose, and also provide acceptable documentation to IRCC.
Further, IRCC will resume, the manual processing of eTA applications “to the extent possible,” dropping out for review by immigration officers.
IRCC notes that this is intended to help it address the expected increase in applications once the travel restrictions are lifted.
IRCC will speed up the processing of eTA applications which are discontinued for manual examination as long as the applicant also meets the exemption requirements for existing travel restrictions.
Such individuals should also identify themselves and submit documentation via IRCC's web form.
IRCC had been accepting TRV and eTA applications because of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but was temporarily unable to process them. The latest announcement provides an even stronger indication that IRCC aims to normalize the processing of applications to the best of its capacity.
