Vienna Mission
Final Audit Report

3.2 Closure of the Belgrade Operations

In March 1999, the Canadian Embassy in Belgrade closed and all the immigration files and work moved to the Vienna Mission. At that time, Belgrade’s staff complement was five CBOs, four immigration program officers and 20 LES members. The four immigration program officers and 20 LES members were kept on strength until April 1, 2000.

To accommodate the extra work, the Vienna Mission’s resource base was augmented by three “temporary” CBOs and seven LES members. These positions are being extended until March 31, 2002. Of the active files that were transferred (approximately 3,900), about 800 are outstanding. Belgrade had a large backlog, with some cases in the independent category dating as far back as 1993-94.

For several months, the Vienna Mission effectively housed two separate operations with two separate databases. In September 1999, the two databases were merged. The Belgrade Mission reopened in October 1999. It has two CBO positions—one currently filled and the other to be filled shortly on a single assignment basis in early 2001. The Belgrade Mission processes cost recovery fees for both the non-immigrant and immigrant programs.

<< Contents| Previous | Next >>