WILL CANADA IMMIGRATION SUSPEND VISA PROCESSING DURING PANDEMIC?

So far the answer is no. Canada Immigration is still processing applications despite closure of their physical offices.

However, south of the border is a different story. On June 22, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation barring many categories of foreign workers and curbing immigration visas through to Dec 31 2020, to protect U.S. workers reeling from job losses amid the coronavirus pandemic. The measures will apply only to new applicants seeking to come to the United States.

Many companies in the technology sector, landscaping services and the forestry industry will suffer greatly. It excludes agricultural laborers, health-care professionals supporting the pandemic response and food-service employees. The freeze announced Monday will apply to the H1-B visa category for highly skilled workers, the H-4 visa for their spouses and the L visas companies use to transfer international employees into the United States.