Fast-Track Visa Plan Leaked

Fast-Track Visa Plan Leaked

By ELIZABETH THOMPSON
NATIONAL BUREAU
SUN MEDIA
March 3, 2009

OTTAWA — The immigration department is working on a plan to fast-track some business travellers to Canada, allowing them to obtain visas much faster than other visitors, Sun Media has learned.

Under the plan, employees of established companies that have operations in Canada could be able to get visas in as little as a day or two.

“As we recognize that business is important to the economy of Canada, we're looking at streamlining the process for business visitors, where we can use the key links between companies that we know exist and are already well-known to the mission, to streamline those processes,” assistant deputy minister Claudette Deschenes told members of Parliament's immigration committee last week.

Deschenes's testimony took place in an “informal” meeting of the immigration committee that took place last Tuesday without public notice. However, a transcript of the meeting prepared for MPs was leaked to Sun Media.\\