March 16, 2023 – As part of its Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canada opened a new operations centre in its Manila embassy with 37 new employees.
Canadian Filipino Member of Parliament Rechie Valdez represented Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser on March 3 in announcing the opening of the visa processing centreat the Embassy of Canada in Manila.
Valdez noted, “Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy is crucial in addressing the impact of the region on Canadians, including the Filipino community. The opening of the new application processing centre in Manila is a strategic investment that will benefit Filipinos by providing more efficient processing of visas and supporting Canada’s planned increases to immigration levels.”
Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy promises to “bolster visa-processing capacities…with new resources to accommodate the high volume of temporary resident visa applications.” The new centre aims to accommodate the high volume of visa applications, improve client service and help boost immigration application processing within Canada’s network.
“Canada is set to welcome a record number of newcomers in the years ahead to fuel our economic growth,” said Fraser in a media release. “(The new centre) will give us an advantage in the global race for talent, and support key sectors and industries…as we continue to promote greater diversity among those looking to visit, study, work and live in Canada.”
The Government of Canada is investing $74.6 million over five years to boost visa application processing capacity in the Indo-Pacific region. Its Immigration Levels Plan has set targets of 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and half a million in 2025.
About the Author
Rachel Ramos-Reid started writing for magazines and newspapers when she was still a junior at the University of the Philippines’ Communication degree program majoring in Journalism. She continued to write in a public relations/corporate communications capacity in various private and government offices until moving out of the country in 1997 to work as Programme Officer for the arts and culture branch of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO-SPAFA) in Bangkok, Thailand. At the end of her term, Rachel found herself immigrating to Canada in the year 2000 and again searching for new beginnings. Currently she is the Executive Assistant to a small rural college on Vancouver Island.
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