The federal government is working to create a global network of visa processing offices, many of which are now privately run—a move that critics say raises concerns over information security, privacy and oversight, the Embassy reported
The government is set to almost double the number of countries in which it outsources the operation of visa application centres, from 20 to 35. During Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Latin America earlier this month, he announced the opening of one in Costa Rica, and three in Brazil.
These are in addition to six more scheduled to open this month and seven next month, all in South and Central America. They add to those already running everywhere from Mexico to Moldova, Kenya to Kazakhstan.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada says it wants to continue to expand its use of these centres globally, although a spokesperson says no final decisions have been made yet. Some centres could also collect and transmit biometric information, such as fingerprints, in the future.
Canadian missions abroad process applications for temporary visas to Canada. But since 2000, they have been striking agreements with third parties to outsource more and more of these activities.
Most service providers are businesses. They include a Canadian subsidiary of Computer Sciences Corporation, a Fortune 500 American information technology company that will run the new visa application centres in 15 Latin American countries, and the India-based VFS Global. Embassy tried to reach someone with VFS Global but did not receive a response. A CSC spokesperson referred comment to CIC.
On top of the Canadian government’s processing fee, application centre operators charge a service fee to each applicant for accepting their application and supporting documents such as passports, making sure it’s complete, tracking it, sending it to a Canadian embassy or consulate and returning documents after a government visa officer has decided whether to accept or deny the application.
CIC approves fees as part of a formal agreement it signs with each service provider. They differ depending on the country. The base fee is about $14 CAD in India and $36 in China.
Countries such as the United States, UK and Australia also outsource visa application processing.
NDP immigration critic Don Davies said there are certain government functions that it must do itself, such as adjudicating income tax returns and visa processing. Every deviation from that direct relationship between the government and its client, he argued, raises the potential for risk in dealing with sensitive information such as bank records.
Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland said he’s concerned that contractors or subcontractors in other countries might flout legislated privacy safeguards that the private and public sectors in Canada must both follow.
Monitoring should be done by third parties, he also argued, not “the foxes guarding the foxes.” And there should be accessible means of recourse for users if something goes wrong.
Anne-Marie Hayden, a spokesperson for the federal privacy commissioner’s office, outlined similar concerns. She also said there are plans for some visa application centres to collect and transit biometric information, such as fingerprints, which is especially sensitive personal information. CIC should work to mitigate and manage such “privacy challenges and risks,” she said.