Evidence of meeting #16 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was global.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:55 a.m.
Regional, Group Chief Operating Officer- APAC, CIS, Europe and Sub Saharan Africa, VFS Global
The answer is yes. The U.S. mission in China has a different operating model—
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
9:55 a.m.
Regional, Group Chief Operating Officer- APAC, CIS, Europe and Sub Saharan Africa, VFS Global
I'm sorry, Madam Chair.
In response to your question, VFS does operate for the U.S. government in China where VFS is a subcontractor. However, there is no visa application centre. It's a very separate process for Chinese nationals applying to the U.S.
Thank you.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
That's important because why, then, do they not do the same thing that VFS is doing through its subcontractor in Beijing?
9:55 a.m.
Head of Business Development, VFS Global
I will answer that question, if I may, Madam Chair.
9:55 a.m.
Head of Business Development, VFS Global
This actually just underlines a different working method that the U.S. government has in many other countries. It doesn't follow the same approach as most of our client governments. Very often they will accept applications directly at the diplomatic mission rather than using visa application centres.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Department officials were asked this question about knowing about subcontractors in 2013, about VFS in China and if they had any subcontractors. At that time, they said no. According to your testimony today, where you've given three different dates between the both of you, what's the right answer? Did they know in 2013 when they gave testimony here in this committee, or is it one of the answers that one of you gave today?
9:55 a.m.
Head of Business Development, VFS Global
—are we talking about the U.S. government here, or the Canadian government?
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Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
The Canadian government and the subcontract that you have with the other company.
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Head of Business Development, VFS Global
The Canadian government has always been aware of our operating procedures in China for Canadian government operations.
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Conservative
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Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
I'm sorry for interrupting. Your time is up, Mr. Hallan.
We will have to now move to our last member for today's panel.
Mr. Dhaliwal, you have three minutes for your round of questioning. You may please proceed.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the presenters.
Mr. Vyas and Mr. Dix, you mentioned that VFS Global and BSFSC came into a relationship in 2008 when there was a Conservative government and the Prime Minister was Mr. Harper at that time, and now it's a Liberal government.
Can you tell me when it came into effect when Mr. Harper was in power, or today, who makes those decisions on the information that you collect?
9:55 a.m.
Head of Business Development, VFS Global
I'll take that question if I may, Madam Chairman.
Mr. Dhaliwal, forgive me, I am not the greatest expert as far as dates relating to Canadian prime ministers are concerned, but also I think I should say on this point that it's not really for me to answer for the Canadian government on how they make their own internal approval decisions.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
When you take the applications, who makes the decision? Is it the BSFSC, VFS Global or IRCC officers who make those decisions?
9:55 a.m.
Head of Business Development, VFS Global
I'm sorry, I misunderstood your question, Mr. Dhaliwal. It is IRCC that makes these decisions. VFS Global purely performs administrative tasks. The decision-making tasks of the visa application are always the responsibility of the client government, in this case IRCC, and those decisions are made by authorized personnel who have access to the visa application material that is stored on those servers in Canada.
9:55 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Since its inception in 2008, have you had any security or privacy issues reported to IRCC in those years of your contract? Have there been any individuals negatively impacted by the potential information leak?
10 a.m.
Head of Business Development, VFS Global
Mr. Dhaliwal, I can say for sure that we have had no cybersecurity-related issues in China for IRCC since 2008. In fact, we've had no cybersecurity-related issues in China for any client government since we started work there in 2004.
10 a.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC
Are the information systems that you use in Hong Kong or in China similar to the ones that you use across the globe?
10 a.m.
Head of Business Development, VFS Global
The systems are absolutely identical. The information is sent encrypted direct to those servers in Canada—
10 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
I'm sorry for interrupting, Mr. Dix, the time is up.
Thank you to both the witnesses.