Update on visa processing

So Narasimha arrived in Canada ok - last night at about 10:30. This morning he had his appointment at 8:30, and called me shortly after and said that something had gone wrong, and that they hadn't stamped his passport (or given his visa, or whatever) and that they said he would have to come back NEXT Friday to get it, because that's when it would be done. Apparently N's appointment time came this morning, and he had everything he was supposed to have, and the guy who was doing his "interview" said, well, you didn't call us back when we called, and we need this other information. Side Note: They did call our house, about 1.5 weeks ago, and Narasimha did call them back, about a week ago and told them everything they needed to know (another 1-900 number that I have come to love so much with these people). Narasimha told him this, and the guy said that apparently the system hadn't been updated yet, so they didn't have the info they needed. So the visa wouldn't get done this week, and since next week is Christmas, the offices are closed for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. So the earliest he said it would get done would be next Friday. Merry Christmas from Ottawa apparently. So Narasimha left - he can't really say anything to these people because then they can just say, well, you don't like it, then go back to your home country without any visa at all. This has happened to people Narasimha knows. So, Narasimha left, and called the CEO of his hospital, and the CEO called the state senator or someone. Then, a while after I talked to Narasimha, someone from the Embassy in Ottawa called Narasimha's cell phone, which I have, and said that they had called Washington DC about this problem, and that Narasimha could try to pick up the visa on this Friday afternoon, but of course, there were no guarantees. So Narasimha will almost certainly miss his flight home tomorrow evening, and of course, being the weekend before Christmas, there are not many flights left to choose from pretty much until Christmas is over. And, even if he does get his visa Friday, it doesn't look like he'll know that he's getting it until they put it in his hand, which makes planning ahead slightly difficult. On top of all this, he only anticipated being there 2 nights, so he only took a carry-on bag, because he was afraid if he checked his luggage, they would lose it, and he wouldn't get his suit in time for his interview this AM. So he has enough clothes for 2 days. After much of this drama had played out, we were talking to Narasimha's brother on the phone, who happens to be an immigration attorney in the US. He said the reason for the delay is because the government is switching over to a new "easier" system for all this, and they made the switch about a week ago, and by the looks of it, it's not going well (shocking, I know). So, summary: Narasimha is stuck in Canada, and very well could be over Christmas, and no one will tell him what's going on, and the government is (obviously) not ready to fix what they screwed up. I am trying not to get mad, but it's tough. Not for me - I can go to my family's and hang out. Narasimha is going to be in that hotel room for possibly 10+ days, and over Christmas. I expected that this would be annoying - immigration stuff always is - but in this case, the government has definitely exceeded my expectations, and unfortunately not in a good way.