Vienna Mission
Final Audit Report

6.0 APPENDIX B

Description of Regional Immigration Fee Payment Procedures

Austria (Vienna)

Immigration cost recovery fees are payable in cash (Austrian schillings or Canadian dollars), as well as by certified cheque or bank draft in Canadian dollars payable to the “Receiver General for Canada.” In Austria, the use of certified cheques or bank drafts is rare and costly to the applicant. The widespread banking practice is to make payment through inter-bank transfers, but the Mission is not set up for this. Additionally, there is no payment via direct deposit.

Yugoslavia (Belgrade)

Both immigrant and non-immigrant cost recovery fees are payable at the Mission in cash (U.S. and Canadian dollars).

Czech Republic and Slovakia (Prague)

Applicants can pay their permanent residence and non-immigrant cost recovery fees at any branch of the Ceskslovenska Obchodni Banka (CSOB) in these two countries, in Canadian dollars. Payment is made into a specific account that is the responsibility of the Prague Mission.

The Vienna Mission advised that the arrangement with CSOB works very well. Czech and Slovak applicants will, on occasion, make payment to CSOB through inter-bank transfers. Then the applicant will present to the Vienna Mission the transfer receipt issued by their bank. As a result, the receptionist contacts the Prague Mission to determine whether the fees have been deposited into the Prague bank account via bank transfer.

Croatia

Applicants can pay their permanent residence and non-immigrant cost recovery fees at any branch of the Zagrebacka Banka in U.S. dollars (the operating currency of the Mission). Payment is made into a specific account that is the responsibility of the Budapest Mission.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

At the time of the audit, applicants could pay only non-immigrant cost recovery fees at the Privredna Banka, Sarajevo, in Deutsche Marks (the operating currency of the Mission). Payment is made into a specific account that is the responsibility of the Budapest Mission. Payments for the immigrant program have to be done by certified cheque or bank draft in Canadian dollars.

There had been dialogue among Vienna, Budapest and Sarajevo about extending the payment for the immigrant program through Privredna Banka. The auditors were informed that DFAIT (NHQ) had advised the Administration Section in Sarajevo that this is not permitted. This presents a problem to Bosnian residents, as the country lacks payment facilities.

Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)

Applicants submit payment to the Vienna Mission for both immigrant and non-immigrant cost recovery fees by certified cheque or bank draft in Canadian dollars drawn on Canadian banks.

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