Antigua: Courier warns of frustration over Canada visas

An Antiguan courier company says it cannot be blamed for the long wait times experienced by people who’ve applied for Canadian visas.

Several residents, including students, have complained that’s its taking months to have their passports returned and some believe it’s the fault of the courier services.

Managing director of Wings Courier Services, Robert Warner, said visa applications are sent off usually within one or two days after all relevant documents and information are received by the client.

“Clients would generally come in or call ahead to receive that listing (a shortlist of what the embassy requires) so they can prepare themselves ahead of coming into the office to have their application done,” he said.

“On arrival here now we generally would have a printout of their actual documentation that we ask them to do a prep – a draft of what we are going to complete – and then once that is done we usually have it done, usually within 24 to 48 hours after; put online so it [the application] is submitted on the embassy website and then we wait for a response from the embassy.”

Warner stressed that varying reasons would depend on the length of time a travel document is returned to his office.

The company says it does everything that is humanly possible is done to get documents back in the shortest possible time.

Loss of patience

The managing director revealed that after Canada made the announcement of its new visa requirements for Antiguans and Barbudans, he travelled to Trinidad during that first two weeks to see how best he could assist in expediting the process.

He said clients were lined up outside their office while several more packed the office concerned about getting their visas.

Some clients have been patient and understanding, but others apparently get frustrated and behave badly, demanding that something else is done in order to expedite the process.

However, once the documents are sent off it is no longer in the hands of Wings.

Canadian officials have said it would take 12 working days to process the application, but this is also dependent on input from their immigration services department.