There are a couple of reasons why we do it the way we do. One is that the act requires applicants, except in certain very strict categories, to apply outside of Canada.
The second reason is that we have, if I may say so, a very efficient operation here. We have officers with a combined experience of more than 300 years. Where we are--quote--“in competition” with our inland colleagues, we process applications more quickly and more efficiently than they do.
To give you an example, if you have a spouse in Canada and you wish to have that spouse achieve immigration status, you have a choice of applying through the office in Vegreville, Alberta, or through the consulate in Buffalo. We are consistently and significantly faster in our processing than the Canadian office.