I'm a foreign PhD graduate in the US, currently preparing to apply for a work permit for my postdoc position in Canada. For various reasons, I'd rather not return to my home country to apply, if possible. Two questions I haven't been able to get answers to:
Can I complete the entire process in online, or is your physical presence required at the consulate at any point?
If I applied online, where would my application be processed - in my home country office, in a US office, or somewhere else? The reason I'm asking is that there's a vast difference in estimated processing times between my home country and the US – 2 weeks vs. 15 weeks – so if I have no choice but returning to my home country to get my application processed faster, that's what I'll do.
1. You should be able to complete the process online. Interviews are rare.
2. It should be processed through a visa office in the US. Note that you should expect longer processing times than the 2 weeks posted since you have temporary status in the US (rather than permanent status / citizenship). I would bank on processing a couple of months and hope processing is completed sooner.
From my experience even if your home country office shows that the application process would take only 2 weeks, however, you wont get it untill 2 months are passed this is due to the security check which will take at least 5-7 weeks to be completed.
All the best.
