Vancouver and Ottawa are the only consulates we’re aware of where it takes over a year to complete an expatriation. Elsewhere, in Canada and the world, from booking to signing the papers generally runs from under a month to 3 months.
I’ve been getting a lot of complaints about Vancouver’s lack of appointments lately (most people have long written off Ottawa for other reasons). This current uptick in complaints is not surprising. With FATCA now looming closer to reality, these one-year-plus delays to expatriate will trap thousands (possibly tens of thousands) of US persons in Canada without the critical ability to prove that they are not a US citizen.
Vancouver is currently booked through June 2013, and requests for information on how to book result in the reply that no appointments are available. And that’s only to get the first appointment. The second takes over a year after the first.
To deal with the tidal wave of CLN applications, consulates around the world, including most in Canada, are adapting to the increased workload, allocated resources, switched to 1 visit only.
Vancouver and Ottawa, however, persist with requiring 2 visits. Ottawa also routinely requires 2 to 3 hour interviews (that’s face time, not waiting time). They are unique in this, as face time at the other consulates in Canada and the world generally runs 10 to 20 minutes.
