Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada expanding Sydney office to reunite families and improve processing

March 5, 2021—Sydney, N.S.—In an effort to process more applications and reunite families faster, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is expanding its Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia. This includes the addition of new office space and the hiring of 62 new employees.

The new space and additional staff will be primarily dedicated to family class overseas applications. These added resources will help IRCC process more applications and shorten processing times that have been extended during the pandemic.

Due to restrictions related to COVID-19, the Case Processing Centre in Sydney is currently limited to 30% occupancy. The opening of the new office space will significantly increase this capacity and will allow more employees who are currently working remotely to return to the office.

The 1-year lease for the additional space offers IRCC the flexibility to re-evaluate its needs in the years to come.

IRCC will always protect the health and safety of staff while serving Canadians and those who wish to come here.

Quotes

“Expanding the Case Processing Center in Sydney will help us reunite families and process more applications, while creating good local jobs for Cape Bretoners. Most notably, the extra space and increased capacity will speed up processing times and help us return to the 1-year standard for spousal applications. I’m proud of the work of our Sydney office, which will continue to play a vital role in our efforts to strengthen Canada through immigration.”

– The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

“Expanding the Sydney Case Processing Centre will create meaningful employment for 62 people here in Sydney–Victoria, while helping our region continue to grow and prosper through immigration. I’m excited to see the difference it will make in our community.”

– Jaime Battiste, Member of Parliament for Sydney–Victoria

“Cape Bretoners play a vital role in our immigration system. Public servants at our local Case Processing Centre work hard every day to welcome new Canadians, many of whom now call Cape Breton home. This announcement will help us build on that proud tradition, increasing our capacity so we can welcome even more new Canadians.”

– Mike Kelloway, Member of Parliament for Cape Breton–Canso