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Spousal sponsorship

M

magpie

Guest
Here is something I faxed to CIC Minister Jason Kenney. I think the process is in need of either more staff or improving how the Family Applications are handled.



September 1, 2011



The Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1



Re: Immigration Policies on Spousal Applications and Procedures


Sir,

First of all allow me to say that I understand that by complaining about the immigration policy, can and will cause further delays in my application to sponsor and my wife's application for Permanent Residence Status, this I have been informed of by a member of your immigration office in Ottawa.

I have read several times on how the Government of Canada has made changes to help facilitate the speedy process to reunify the Family. I have not seen any of it in my case. When my wife and I started this process we worked under certain rules and instructions that when the day came for me to mail the documents in, I went back on the CIC website and found that a change in policy or rules had been noted. I believe the date was Mid June. This was regarding the Police Certificate requirements. In my instructions it had indicated that we must wait for a letter and form to submit to the Local Police for the certificate. I was already in Canada and by these changes in rulings has caused a two-week delay in filing.

When I was with my wife and completing the application the instructions also said that we must also wait for the request from the Visa Office before having the medical certificate. Again when I went on the website it had indicated that the Medical should be submitted with the application. We were fortunate that we had time to do all this before I returned to Canada to file the documents. It was also indicated that we must use the DMP that has been allowed by Citizen and Immigration. It was interesting that people in the northern, western and southern ------- had DMP's less than three hours away where we had to travel by train to ---- which is 10 hours and then stay in a hotel as my wife, my 5-year-old son and I were so tired from the trip. Then we pay American prices for this examination in an American Facility where we could have had all this done in ----------- at 1/3 to ½ the cost by a qualified doctor. This indicates that our Government does not trust the doctors of ---------- doctors to be qualified or that all doctors are corrupt. I say shame on this.

I complain because of the inconvenience and hardship your policies create on a 5-year-old child and the parents to jump through hoops and this would appear to be of some form of entertainment to the people involved in the process of approving or disallowing the applicant. The immigration process of obtaining documents is expensive enough than to add the high cost of a medical and the additional expenses that are incurred to complete such process. If I am not mistaken but with the immigration fees and the expenses of getting document, translations, notarizing and copying of said documents have cost us close to 5,000.00 dollars. For some people this would be a great burden and there has to be a better way. And why the translations when the staff of the VO in a particular country speak and read the language.

Your instructions also say that we must remain in Canada during the process of sponsorship and later I am informed by my MP that since I was born in Canada I could have made application for sponsorship from the -------- all the while being with my wife and son. Again I say shame on you. I have been away from her three months when this time could have been spent working and developing a stronger relationship.

There is a 5-year-old boy who has never really known a father and the father he did have broken promises or hardly ever showed up to spend time with him. The long period of time I spent with him, he has seen me more than his real father. When he has a nightmare, he cries for his papa, ME, and I am not there. Now he asks his mamma when is papa coming home. I will return on September 14, 2011 so that this problem with the boy can be dealt with. This to me is being cruel when a child is involved and your policies need to reflex the facts that there could be younger children in this immigration process.

Finally I wish to complain about the way our applications are being handled. We send in our documents via Priority Post so that we can track our files, and that is that. We do not receive any letter that our file has been received, nor can we see on your online system that it has. We sit and wait the days indicated on the site to hear word if approval has been granted or not. When I sent in our application, the site indicated that there was a 40 process time.

Well your site now says 60 and increasing an average of three days increases each time the website is updated. According to that it would mean that by the time your people get my application the wait time will have climbed to 72 days. That is 72 days to wait before your call centre will allow us to ask if our file has been received and if they are working on it. And if they indicate that it has not been received then we start the process all over again with the wait, the medical and the police certificate because they would be due to expire. Thus, the expense doubles.

Why have the selection on your website when checking application status, Receipt Number (IMM 5401) when you can't even use it and anything gets posted regarding your file until after the sponsorship process has been completed. Why do some applications have a place for an email address and some don't. Mine didn't so I sit and wait for a letter when other get emails a week sooner. I see that the policies of Immigration Canada put unnecessary stress on the applicants and that the process is not fair to all and needs to be looked at further if it is your wish as indicated in past posts on the internet to help to reunify the family regarding immigration to Canada. Refugees get better service, faster service, and more latitude to enter the country.

Now in conclusion, since I have written this letter, as informed by certain people, I can expect my application to take even longer as now you will be ruffled up and demand a fine tooth comb to find things wrong to reject it. Yes this is what I expect but I believe also in my right to complain, to my Government, which we as Canadians elected, to what I feel is a form of unfairness in its policies.

I am not a very happy Canadian.
 

Latvian

Star Member
Oct 26, 2010
100
1
Halifax, NS, Canada
Visa Office......
Vegreville
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
01-10-2010
I am with you Magpie, feel for you! Being almost thru with CIC (just waiting for PR card to arrive, which apparently will take longer than promised 6 weeks) I still remember all the wait and frustration I went through. My impression of CIC has always been as un-accountable organization, which plays by it's own rules and announces new ones when you're already in the game, so to say.

I wish you best of luck and patience, and thank you for the letter, which I believe expresses the way many people here feel about CIC.

Take care!
 

glak1234

Star Member
Apr 8, 2011
119
4
Category........
Visa Office......
Vienna, Austria
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
magpie said:
I am not a very happy Canadian.
Kudos on the letter, please let us know if you recieve a reply..
 
M

magpie

Guest
I received an acknowledgment by phone and was informed that this matter does not involve Mr. Kenney's office and the letter will be forward to CIC for investigation. This could take a month or more to get a response. I outright said to this gentleman of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration's office, if this office is not responsible or involved in these matters then why is he the minister of this Governmental department. I told him also that this matter involved him very directly and the letter was addressed to him personally. I got no further response so I just made sure to say that maybe this needed to go to press and the oposition party member who handles this. I am tired of these games and seeing a waste of our tax dollars going to people who won't do their job.
 
M

magpie

Guest
Contacted my MP's office and was informed that they had been processing my file since August 11, 2011. My MP contact also informed me that she will call again next Tuesday after she contacts them again. She will also request the Acknowledgement Letter that should have been sent out at time of receipt of application but they do not seem to do it. I have also been directed to forward the above letter to the Honourable Don Davies who is the the NDP member who is the oposition to Mr. Kenney. I have just faxed such to his office so now waiting for response from his office.

I was also informed that they will send my file to the VO on September 11, 2011
 

Rouge

Star Member
Sep 1, 2011
96
0
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo ---> NY Visa office 29/2/2012
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
File Transfer...
NY Visa office 29/2/2012
Passport Req..
19-03-2012
VISA ISSUED...
29-03-2012
Good day,
I was wondering if anyone can tell me how can I find out if my application is in process? I sent it 2 weeks ago to Mississauga. Does it take 2 months before I hear anything from them?
Thanks and great post above
 

CharlieD10

VIP Member
Sep 5, 2010
5,849
185
123
Northern Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
KGN
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
15-02-2011
File Transfer...
09-05-2011
Med's Done....
17-01-2011, 08-03-2012
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
30-3-2012
VISA ISSUED...
13-04-2012
LANDED..........
06-06-2012
The current wait time for sponsor approval by CPC-M is 60 days. If you sent your application Aug 15, you should not expect a reply before Oct 15.
 

Rouge

Star Member
Sep 1, 2011
96
0
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo ---> NY Visa office 29/2/2012
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
File Transfer...
NY Visa office 29/2/2012
Passport Req..
19-03-2012
VISA ISSUED...
29-03-2012
Thanks CharlieD10,
So what should I expect from them telling the application is in process? a letter, phone call or email?
 
M

magpie

Guest
They will not tell you anything until your sponsorship process has been completed and that would be in 60 days now according to the site.

You will not even be able to check with the online status. If they said that your application is in process after the sponsorship part then your file is at the VO and you can wait some more until all the sites are updated and/or you receive a letter
 

CharlieD10

VIP Member
Sep 5, 2010
5,849
185
123
Northern Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
KGN
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
15-02-2011
File Transfer...
09-05-2011
Med's Done....
17-01-2011, 08-03-2012
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
30-3-2012
VISA ISSUED...
13-04-2012
LANDED..........
06-06-2012
They may reply to sponsors with either a letter or an email or both (it has happened for some persons). This will advise you if you have been approved and what your responsibilities are as a sponsor.
 

rjessome

VIP Member
Feb 24, 2009
4,354
212
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
magpie said:
I received an acknowledgment by phone and was informed that this matter does not involve Mr. Kenney's office and the letter will be forward to CIC for investigation. This could take a month or more to get a response. I outright said to this gentleman of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration's office, if this office is not responsible or involved in these matters then why is he the minister of this Governmental department. I told him also that this matter involved him very directly and the letter was addressed to him personally. I got no further response so I just made sure to say that maybe this needed to go to press and the oposition party member who handles this. I am tired of these games and seeing a waste of our tax dollars going to people who won't do their job.
I'm curious. Which visa office will be processing your application?
 

Rouge

Star Member
Sep 1, 2011
96
0
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo ---> NY Visa office 29/2/2012
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
File Transfer...
NY Visa office 29/2/2012
Passport Req..
19-03-2012
VISA ISSUED...
29-03-2012
Hello
I had a question about criminal history. I live in usa and I have all requirement papers they ask for. I broke a glass door like 10 years ago and was detain by police for a few hours after the neighbors called the police thinking I was a robber. ( I kicked it cause I was frustrated that I had forgotten my keys). I settle out of court after I paid the building management. However, on my FBI record it states : Destruction of property
finding: Nolle prosequi

Would this make me inadmissible to Canada and I would have to appeal with an application with National Parole Board in Canada?

Thanks
 

CharlieD10

VIP Member
Sep 5, 2010
5,849
185
123
Northern Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
KGN
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
15-02-2011
File Transfer...
09-05-2011
Med's Done....
17-01-2011, 08-03-2012
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
30-3-2012
VISA ISSUED...
13-04-2012
LANDED..........
06-06-2012
"Nolle prosequi" means the authorities declined to prosecute you on the charge. As you settled out of court, and were neither charged nor convicted, I am not sure this would make you criminally inadmissible.
 

Uli

Newbie
Jul 31, 2010
8
0
Hey everybody!

We sent our documents(inland) on June 30th, 2011. On July 14th they started to process my wife's application. She did her medical check in March 2011, i.e. 4 months before we sent application. So how do I make sure that the results WILL be sent to the immigration office and are not lost somewhere? Should we do medical again and send them again to make sure or what?

Thanks so much.