Canada Post strike leaves foreign nationals stuck in B.C. waiting for critical documents

When Stella Xing travelled to Vancouver on Nov. 13 to renew her U.S. work visa, she expected it to be a brief visit.

Xing holds a Chinese passport and the United States requires that foreign nationals renew their work visas at a consulate or embassy outside of the country. For Xing, who works at a financial technology company in Seattle, the U.S. Consulate in Vancouver seemed like the most convenient option.

But nearly two weeks later, she remains stuck in the city, waiting for her passport to be returned with its fresh work visa approval.

"My visa got approved, and it was issued on Thursday," Xing told CBC News.

She said she had expected to have her passport back by Friday, Nov. 15, but that was the day the Canada Post strike began.

More than 55,000 postal workers across the country walked off the job more than a week ago, stating key concerns over wages, contract work, job security, benefits and working conditions.

Xing said she's feeling anxious about the situation. 

"I don't know when the strike will end."

She said the unexpected postal disruption has left her unable to return to the U.S., and that the costs of staying in B.C. are adding up. 

"I pay more than $100 US every day just for my Airbnb and my food, and also I'm paying my rent in Seattle."

Others in similar situations share Xing's frustration.

Haoyuan Cao, who works for a global tech company in Seattle, says he might even lose his job.

"It took me a long time to get this job, I worked really hard for [it]," he said. 

"U.S. tech companies tend to have very strict in-person policy and I haven't been to the office for about two weeks now, so [human resources] might give me a warning if I don't go back to the office next week."