Canada’s postal service is on strike. Find out how this affects you.

The Canada Post Corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers failed to reach a deal on negotiating a new collective agreement. As a result, the postal workers began a strike effective 11:59 PM EDT Thursday, June 2, 2011.

This will affect you if:

Submitting an application for temporary residence or extending your status

If you are already in Canada and wish to apply for a Study Permit, a Work Permit, an Off-Campus Work Permit or a Post-Graduation Work Permit, or you wish to Extend Your Stay as a Visitor, you are strongly encouraged to submit your application online. Find out how to complete an online application.

Submitting a new application (permanent residence or citizenship) or missing documents

All application forms and guides can be downloaded and most forms will need to be couriered to us.

If you choose to use a courier, please make sure to submit your completed application to the address provided in the application package, ensuring that you include the fee receipt and all the necessary documents.

Ensure you provide an e-mail address when you fill out your application form so that Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) may communicate with you by e-mail.

Your status is about to expire during the strike

If your temporary resident status (e.g., as a worker, student or visitor) is about to expire, you should ensure that your application to extend your status is received by CIC before your status expires as shown on your immigration document. If you do this, your period of authorized stay as a temporary resident will be extended by law until a decision is made and you are notified. In this case, you are considered to have implied status as a temporary resident during that time, as long as you stay in Canada.

Note: “Implied status” only applies if your conditions do not change. For example, if you apply to renew your study permit and the permit expires before you receive an answer, you can continue to study in Canada until you receive a decision. If you hold a work permit, you may continue working under the same conditions as your previous work permit while on implied status if you have applied to extend your stay in Canada as a worker.

As a temporary measure, if your status is about to expire during the postal strike and you cannot use online applications or courier services to extend your status as a temporary resident, CIC will grant you an implied status for the length of the strike. In that case, you will be given a one-month grace period after the strike to submit an application to extend your status without having to restore your status.

You have lost your status

You may apply to restore your status only if you have not been out of status for more than 90 days.

After you apply to restore your status, you may stay in Canada until a decision is made on your application, but you are not allowed to work or study until your status has been restored. There is no guarantee that your application will be approved.

Applications to restore status must be made from within Canada – restoration cannot be granted at ports of entry. If you leave Canada, you will be deemed to be seeking a new entry on your return and will not be eligible for status restoration.

You have already sent your application but it might not have arrived before the strike

If you have submitted an application and you are concerned that it might not be received because of the postal strike, you should keep all of your receipts, which will be an indication that your application is in process. If the application is urgent and it meets CIC’s criteria for urgent processing, you are advised to re-send your application via courier and request a refund on your original payment after the strike is over.

Processing times and application status

Please note that the estimated application processing times in Canada available on the website may be longer than expected given the interruption in mail services. You may be able to view your application status online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please be aware that our automated voice response system at the CIC National Call Centre may also be able to provide you with information about the status of your application.

Fee payment

For your application to be considered complete, you must include the correct fee payment. Due to the postal strike, you are encouraged to pay the fees online. This service is available for most immigration and citizenship applications.

You may also pay fees at a Canadian financial institution. If you cannot or do not want to pay online, you must get an original receipt of payment form IMM 5401 so that you can pay at a financial institution (such as a bank or Western Union). You must include a copy of this receipt when you apply. Normally, the HPM receipt (IMM 5401) is ordered online or through the CIC Call Centre and mailed to the applicant. However, due to the postal strike, if you want to pay the fees at a Canadian financial institution, you may go to your local CIC office and request the IMM 5401 in person. You may consult the CIC website for information on offices open to the public and their operating hours.

Please note that application fees will not be accepted at local offices.

Incorrect or missing fee payments or incomplete applications may result in additional delays in processing your application.

If you are applying from overseas and you have not already sent your application, you can send it by courier or wait until the end of the postal strike.