sum122119
Star Member
Posts: 107
Ratings: +4
Category........: FSW1
Visa Office......: Lodon Office
NOC Code......: 4131
App. Filed.......: 7 Nov 2009
Doc's Request.: 25 FEB 2010
AOR Received.: 19 Aug 2010
IELTS Request: sent with the doc result 7 bands
File Transfer...: 27 July
Med's Request: awaited
Med's Done....: awaited
Interview........: hope not to go for.
Passport Req..: awaited
VISA ISSUED...: awaited
LANDED..........: awaited
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« Reply #26067 on: October 01, 2011, 01:17:05 am » |
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hello all,
what do you think when can pre june 2010 applicant will start to see processing. I'm talkin' about reviving medicals thing. you see, its been a long that we are waiting. BTW i have seen a person Tim on linked-in who is thinkin' to file a petition. lemme show you what he says,.
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Good day,
As you expressed some interest in prodding CIC to assess your federal skilled worker application, I thought that I should bring you up to date on where matters and stand and share with you the answers I have to someone who is also interested in having his file assessed.
At this point, we have received signed retainer agreements from people with files lodged in Accra, Nairobi, New Delhi, Singapore and Manila. In addition, one consultant has advised that he expects his clients with files stalled in Damascus and Warsaw to join the litigation. If the litigation proceeds, it will only affect directly those people who are involved in the litigation and we will obtain information only pertaining to those visa posts involved in the litigation. Therefore, if your file is lodged in other visa posts, I would very much appreciate your participating because these seven visa posts are not the only ones where files are being warehoused indefinitely.
The questions another person asked and my answers are:
1 In your answer:we have two categories of litigants; viz., those who applied before 27 February 2008 and those who applied afterwards but before 26 June 2010 .Is it means the two categories of litigants will be a community? As one joint litigation or divide them into two litigations?
Answer: When I initiated a similar case in 2002, when CIC changed the law so that those who had not been assessed by 1 April 2003 would be assessed under the newer, stricter criteria, five other lawyers followed me and between us we had over 120 litigants, divided into three categories; viz., (a) those who had applied before plans for new regulations were announced, (b) those who applied after the proposed regulations were released for comments and (c) those who applied after the regulations were finalized. The Department of Justice (DoJ) moved that all 120+ cases be consolidated into one case and selected one file, Dragan, as the case under which we would proceed. I was very upset because Mr. Dragan was a category (c) applicant, and all of mine were category (a) -- as were 99 others. DoJ immediately said that it was not a trick but that we'd make arguments jointly but address each of the categories separately. In the end the Court ordered the category (a) applicants be assessed before the April 1st deadline; i.e., in six weeks; but dismissed the category (b) and (c) cases.
I expect that this time, the Court will do the same, by which I mean combine all the cases into one court case but render a decision per category, which in our case is two. (As it stands now, however, only category 1 applicants has approached me.) This time, unlike before, the category 2 applicants have an argument, as you rightly pointed out; viz., they were promised one-year processing, which promise the Minister failed to honour, and now they're in the same boat as you, floating away from shore but not as far afloat at the SAP applicants.
2 What's your litigation reasons?
Answer: There will be two different cases and, with respect to the applications (which seek assessment) the argument will be the same but the evidence different. The argument will be two-fold for the applications; viz., .
a) CIC accepted payment for a service but has failed to provide the service,
b) CIC is discriminating against the applicants by, in effect, refusing to assess their files and
c) they can't change the rules and apply them retrospectively.
With regard to (c), that was the argument in Dragan but we lost it. However, I convinced the other counsel not to appeal the decision to the Federal Court of Appeal and we convinced the Federal Court of Appeal to refuse to hear CIC's appeal. I still believe that the judge as wrong and, thus, even if we lose on (c), it may still be appealed and finally settled.
However, it does not matter whether we lose on (c) because, if we win on (a) and (b), we still win; and that's the reason for the second case, which we could not initiate in 2002 because, until last year when the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the Federal Court's rule prohibiting suits for damages unless and until the litigant prevailed in an application, we could not seek damages.
The second suit seeks damages; viz., lost wages. Because you have identified your occupations, we have an occupation to use. For most occupations, our department of labour (Service Canada) has average wages per occupation per province. Thus, we know how much you would have earned. The starting point for SAP applicants would be the date the visa post stated it anticipated finalizing your application; for category 2, it is one year after submission of their application. The ending date is whenever your visas are issued.
In this litigation, it actually does not matter whether CIC may lawfully create the discriminatory processing queue because, even if it may, it does not follow that it may never get to your files. Moreover, they promised category 2 one-year processing, enticing them to apply; and promised to assess your files on a FIFO method but have broken the contractual terms. Therefore, they owe you damages.
In other words, the state may confiscate your house (for a proper public purpose) but it has to pay you fair market value for its action. Likewise, even if CIC may lawfully change the rules, it must compensate you for your loses. The best CIC can argue in this respect is that you could have withdrawn your application once it became clear what they were doing. Okay, fine, but when did that date arise? Clearly after Bill C-50 went into effect -- meaning that at a minimum you should be paid through that date -- but, I would argue, even longer because CIC never said that they policy would result in category 1 files never being assessed. In fact, it still has not expressly stated as much. Therefore, only once it became obvious -- and CIC will have to pick that date -- would the liability end.
Now, as I said, I don't expect CIC to pay damages but, rather, if the Court rejects DoJ's bid to have the second case dismissed, I expect CIC to offer to assess your files if you agree to drop the suit seeking damages. Thus, the real issue -- and it has not been litigated to my knowledge -- is whether CIC has to pay damages for changing the rules; not whether it may lawfully change them. As I said, the state may seize your house but must pay you for having done so. Likewise, a party may break a contract but, if so, is liable for damages. You paid for an assessment within the foreseeable future; CIC took the money but has failed to honour the terms. In other words, our argument is not new but rather it's as old as the courts themselves. What is new is applying contract law to CIC.
I hope that I have adequately addressed your questions. There is no question but that my approach has never been done before. Thus, there is a risk that it will not succeed. However, if you do nothing, there is no question what the result will be. Therefore, I believe that it is worth the risk.
Finally, I should mention that I have opted to go this route, as opposed to via class-action, because, with a class action, even those who do not participate will benefit, whereas in this case, the litigants only will benefit directly from the Court's ruling. If what occurred in Dragan occurs again, a second wave of litigation will ensue -- a class-action lawsuit -- but by the time it runs its course, the litigants in my suit will already have the Canadian immigrant visas. The Dragan litigants' files were assessed within six weeks, whereas the class-action lawsuit was not settled until seven months later, after which 105,000 files were processed on a visa-post FIFO method. Therefore, I've opted for this approach so that those who are willing to stand up for their rights benefit while those who sit on their hands may wave good-bye to them when they board their flights to Canada.
Sincerely,
Tim Leahy
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guys, i would wanna see your comments on this.
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