Overcrowding at Canadian Visa section: Applicants come with pastors, friends – IOM

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The Administrators of the Canadian Visa Application Centre at Abelemkpe in Accra have explained the crowd outside its premises.

They claim some applicants come with family members, friends, and even pastors.

The center frequently encounters long lines and people waiting outside, often exposed to the sun.

The National Officer of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)-Canadian Visa Application Center, Kojo Wilmot in an interview on Citi FM on Thursday, February 22, acknowledged the concerns about overcrowding.

He said they are working around the clock to improve services.

“We have received a lot of complaints and we keep improving our services. On numerous occasions, the person who made the booking and secured a date will now come with an entourage and when they come, they all want to enter the application center this, in numerous circumstances, results in overcrowding you see because the security person will only allow the person who made the booking to come in for the biometric.

“Secondly, there are people who get an appointment time and then decide to show up early and once your time is not up, we would insist that you wait for your time to be granted entry.

“We advise that there is no need to come to the center with a pastor to help you submit your application or undertake the biometric because, at the end of the day, we have no say in the decision that is taken,” he said.