February 26, 2018
By Hugo O'Doherty
By November 2019, there will be at least 149 Canadian Visa Application Centres locations in 99 countries, allowing more than 96 percent of applicants to apply for a Canadian visa in their country of residence.
As of November 17, 2017, there were 137 Visa Application Centres in 95 countries.
These commitments from Canada’s department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) come with the announcement that VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd. is the of the winning supplier for the Visa Application Centre contract. A subsidiary of VFS Cayman Limited, VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd is the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, currently serving 58 client governments.
Canada uses a network of Visa Application Centres around the world. Each year, hundreds of thousands of individuals submit their applications and, if required, provide biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) to come to Canada. By ensuring that applications are complete, VACs help avoid unnecessary delays or refusal due to incomplete applications.
Since 2000, VACs have helped provide administrative support to visa applicants before, during, and after their application is assessed at a Canadian visa office.
Visa Application Centres are managed by third-party service providers authorized to provide specific services to visa applicants under the terms of a formal contract with IRCC.
Under the terms of the new contract, the extended VAC network in Asia will open on November 2, 2018. Similarly, on November 2, 2019, the extended VAC network in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East will begin opening.
“We are very pleased to announce the winning supplier of the Visa Application Centre contract,” said Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Ahmed Hussen.
“More than ever, people around the world are interested in applying to come to visit, work, or study in Canada. Canada competes with other countries for students, workers and visitors, who inject billions of dollars into Canada’s economy. VAC services, with competitive fees, help facilitate people’s travel, and ensure Canada remains an attractive destination.”
Whether or not an individual needs a visa to come to Canada, for example as a visitor, worker, or student, depends on his or her country of citizenship. Individuals from visa-required countries need to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV), whereas individuals from visa-exempt countries typically need an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) before coming to Canada by air travel.
Visa Application Centres complete list
City | Country | Website | Biometrics | Updates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abidjan | Ivory Coast | Ivory Coast VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Abuja | Nigeria | Nigeria VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Accra | Ghana | Ghana VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | Ethiopia VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Ahmedabad | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Al Khobar | Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Algiers | Algeria | Algeria VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Almaty | Kazakhstan | Kazakhstan VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Amman | Jordan | Jordan VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Ankara | Turkey | Turkey VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Antananarivo | Madagascar | Madagascar VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Asuncion | Paraguay | Paraguay VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Athens | Greece | Greece VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Auckland | New Zealand | New Zealand VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Baku | Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Bali | Indonesia | Indonesia VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Bamako | Mali | Mali VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Bangalore | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Bangkok | Thailand | Thailand VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services |
Beijing | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Beirut | Lebanon | Lebanon VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Belgrade | Serbia | Serbia VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Berlin | Germany | Germany VACs | By appointment or walk in | October 25, 2018: Opening date |
Bishkek | Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyzstan VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Bogota | Colombia | Colombia VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Bridgetown | Barbados | Barbados VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Brasilia | Brazil | Brazil VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Bucharest | Romania | Romania VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Buenos Aires | Argentina | Argentina VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Cairo | Egypt | Egypt VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Cali | Colombia | Colombia VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Cape Town | South Africa | South Africa VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Caracas | Venezuela | Venezuela VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Cebu | Philippines | Philippines VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Chandigarh | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Chengdu | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Chennai | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Chisinau | Moldova | Moldova VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Chittagong | Bangladesh | Bangladesh VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Chongqing | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Colombo | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Conakry | Guinea | Guinea VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Dakar | Senegal | Senegal VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | Tanzania VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Dhaka | Bangladesh | Bangladesh VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Doha | Qatar | Qatar VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Dubai | United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Dublin (Now open) | Ireland | Ireland VAC | By appointment or walk in | March 1, 2019: Opening date |
Dushanbe | Tajikistan | Tajikistan VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Düsseldorf | Germany | Germany VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Erbil | Iraq | Iraq VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Georgetown | Guyana | Guyana VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Guangzhou | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Guatemala City | Guatemala | Guatemala VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Hangzhou | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Hanoi | Vietnam | Vietnam VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Harare | Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Ho Chi Minh | Vietnam | Vietnam VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Hong Kong | Hong Kong SAR | Hong Kong VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Hyderabad | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Islamabad | Pakistan | Pakistan VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Istanbul | Turkey | Turkey VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Jakarta | Indonesia | Indonesia VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Jalandhar | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Jeddah | Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Jinan | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Kampala | Uganda | Uganda VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Karachi | Pakistan | Pakistan VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Kathmandu | Nepal | Nepal VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Kigali | Rwanda | Rwanda VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Kingston | Jamaica | Jamaica VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Kinshasa | Democratic Rep. of Congo | Democratic Rep. of Congo VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Kolkata | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | Malaysia VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Kunming | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Kuwait City | Kuwait | Kuwait VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Kyiv | Ukraine | Ukraine VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
La Paz | Bolivia | Bolivia VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Lagos | Nigeria | Nigeria VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Lahore | Pakistan | Pakistan VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Lima | Peru | Peru VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
London | United Kingdom | United Kingdom VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Los Angeles | United States | United States VAC | By appointment only | As of April 1, 2019: no longer accepts study permit applications As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Lviv | Ukraine | Ukraine VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Lyon | France | France VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Madrid | Spain | Spain VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Managua | Nicaragua | Nicaragua VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Manila | Philippines | Philippines VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Medellin | Colombia | Colombia VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Melbourne | Australia | Australia VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Mendoza | Argentina | Argentina VACs | 018: New set of | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Mexico City | Mexico | Mexico VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Montego Bay | Jamaica | Jamaica VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Montevideo | Uruguay | Uruguay VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Moscow | Russia | Russia VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Mumbai | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Muscat | Oman | Oman VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Nairobi | Kenya | Kenya VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Nanjing | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
New Delhi | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
New York | United States | United States VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Niamey | Niger | Niger VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Ouagadougou | Burkina Faso | Burkina Faso VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Panama City | Panama | Panama VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Paris | France | France VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Phnom Penh | Cambodia | Cambodia VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Podgorica | Montenegro | Montenegro VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Port Louis | Mauritius | Mauritius VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Port of Spain | Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago VACVAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Port-au-Prince (New) Opening soon | Haiti | Available November 2, 2018 | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Porto Alegre | Brazil | Brazil VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Pretoria | South Africa | South Africa VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Pristina | Kosovo | Kosovo VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Pune | India | India VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Quito | Ecuador | Ecuador VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Rabat | Morocco | Morocco VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Rangoon (Yangon) | Burma (Myanmar) | Burma (Myanmar) VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Recife | Brazil | Brazil VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Brazil VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Rome | Italy | Italy VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Saint Petersburg | Russia | Russia VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
San Francisco | United States | United States VACs | By appointment only | Only offers biometrics services — no other immigration services available. Opened temporarily in November, 2020, to address backlogs caused by COVID-19. |
San Jose | Costa Rica | Costa Rica VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
San Salvador | El Salvador | El Salvador VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Santiago | Chile | Chile VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Sao Paulo | Brazil | Brazil VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Sarajevo | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnia and Herzegovina VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Seattle | United States | United States VACs | By appointment only | Only offers biometrics services — no other immigration services available. Opened temporarily in November, 2020, to address backlogs caused by COVID-19. |
Seoul | South Korea | South Korea VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Shanghai | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Shenyang | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Singapore | Singapore | Singapore VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Skopje | Macedonia | Macedonia VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Sofia | Bulgaria | Bulgaria VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Stockholm | Sweden | Sweden VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Suva | Fiji | Fiji VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Sydney | Australia | Australia VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Sylhet | Bangladesh | Bangladesh VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Taipei | Taiwan | Taiwan VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Tbilisi | Georgia | Georgia VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Tegucigalpa | Honduras | Honduras VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* & New service provider |
Tel Aviv | Israel | IsraelVAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Tirana | Albania | Albania VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Tokyo | Japan | Japan VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Tunis | Tunisia | Tunisia VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | Mongolia VAC | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Vienna | Austria | Austria VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Vladivostok | Russia | Russia VACs | By appointment or walk in | None |
Warsaw | Poland | Poland VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Wuhan | China | China VACs | By appointment only | As of November 2, 2018: New set of services* |
Yaoundé | Cameroon | Cameroon VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
Yerevan | Armenia | Armenia VAC | By appointment or walk in | None |
If you need assistance coming to Canada, see our short list of recommended regulated immigration consultants.
February 26, 2018
By Hugo O'Doherty
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