Enhancing parliamentary cooperation essential for strengthening Pak-Canada relations

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf has expressed gratitude to Parliament and Government of Canada for acceding his demand of relocating Canadian Visa processing Centre from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad. He also expressed his hope that Parliaments of both countries would continue to make efforts for enhancing mutual ties between both countries. He expressed these views in a letter written to Speaker of House of Commons Mr. Anthony Rota today. 

It is pertinent to mention that Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Raja Pervez Ashraf undertook an official visit to Canada in August 2022 for a Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Halifax. On the margins of the Conference, the Speaker Pervez Ashraf held bilateral meetings with the Speakers of the House of Commons and Senate of Canada to discuss the possible avenues for advancing cooperation between the two sides. 

During the meetings, the Speaker of Pakistan urged his Canadian counterparts to relocate their Visa Application Centres (VACs) in Pakistan from Abu Dhabi as it would not only facilitate the Pakistani diaspora in Canada and Pakistani citizens visiting Canada, but also tremendously reduce the visa processing duration. The Canadian Presiding Officers assured the Speaker of Pakistan that they would take up the matter with their government and play their due role in making the arrangement possible. 

As a result of the successful parliamentary diplomacy by the Speaker and delegation of Pakistan, the Canadian government has now decided to move its Visa Application Centre to Pakistan. The relocation of the visa office to Islamabad will not only enable Canadian in Immigration officials to ascertain the credentials of applications within Pakistan but also reduce the processing time of the visa applications.