Why is there such approval and processing variance between Visa Offices

[Rasha]

Dear Boncuk was posting about this on another site, and it does give a good topic for discussion:

Why are some visa offices so quick to process and approve individuals, while others are quite lengthy and painful? Last time I checked, the applications are the same, the requirements are the same and the country that they are all going to is the same [CANADA]. Some applicants breeze through in 3 months or less......some take more than year! What's up with that???

Something strikes me as odd and a bit backward perhaps, is that the applications in step 2 are being assessed in the applicant's home country, with that countrie's culture and ideology - but the couple is not applying to live THERE in that country, they are applying to live in CANADA, which in many cases is more western, open-minded and liberal. How just is it to apply in some circumstance, very restrictive and conservative views to a couple that is wanting to live in a country that is anything but that.... Does this bother anyone else?

What do you think?

[genio]

Rasha, I am happy for people who breeze in, in only a few months. Waiting for one year this month has been exremely hard. I recieved in formation from Bogota that it will probably still be 2-4 months for us. The lady who works part time for my M.P. , would only look at at all classes of P.R. and was adamant that time for us would be 17 months, and don't call again unless I have not heard anything in 5 more months. So, as I said, I am happy for good ,honest people who have clear sailing, but it is still hard watching people celebrate thier newly aquired Visas, and wondering, why do so many have to take 3 times longer?

[mitamata]

My guess...

The reasons for processing in the applicant's home country that I can think of off the top of my head are:
1. to relieve the burden off offices in Canada - of course, they could just hire more people in Canada, but I still think for most people, the wait times would increase
2. they can do an interview with an applicant without allowing him into Canada
3. if any coordination with the local authorities is needed (if they check a document or two), it's easier to do when the office is in that country
4. it allows an IO to specialize for one area - an IO processing applications in the Phillipines needs to know different things than an IO in, for example, Japan, not just about the culture differences, but also the legal differences, the different forms, etc
...

The reason the applicant is judged based on his culture's norms is because those are the norms he was raised with. Here's a completely ridiculous example: if a man grew up in a country where it was believed that blonde women are the spawn of the devil and nobody wanted anything to do with then and then he decided to marry a blonde Canadian woman, the IO would wonder why he would marry someone he was raised to avoid. Maybe it's just so that he can get into Canada? It's the applicant motives that are usually questioned and to determine his or her motives, one has to look at things from their point of view. That doesn't mean this man would necessarily be refused or even require an interview - maybe their application would have enough evidence to make the IO see they do have a genuine relationship.

And why some visa offices are so much slower? Maybe the cooperation with the local authorities is slower. Maybe they just have too many applications and not enough staff. Maybe they have different guideliness (check applicants from country X more thuroughly than applicants from other countries). I really don't know. They really should fix it though, nobody should have to wait a year or more to get reunited with their loved ones. It's highly unfair.

[Boncuk]

Yes Rasha.. welcome to my head! lol Seriously though.. why is that?  You can't tell me at this day and age they cant have a unified system down pat... How is it that in Egypt for instance, other countries accept Egyptians, (muslim and copt) equally and without headache and done after a couple of months.  We get people working there that have personal biased agendas, that pick and choose who they will accept and who they wont.  Yes they follow their manuals, but to the parts that are left for the judgement of the IO it certainly is jaded.  
How is it that some visa offices can handle the workload and still send out PPR and interview requests, and they applicant is still done after 3 or 4 months.  Even the US immigration system is much more efficient then ours and they have the most checks etc.  My husband has a friend who got engaged to an american, and they applied for a fiance visa at the same time as us applying and he is now there getting married and applying for his PR.  Simple.. straight forward.. ok granted we dont have the fiance visa anymore, but for routine cases, why does corresponding with other governments take so long.. for background checks.. is it not supposed to be something routine and a system in place for that?  Also with the backlog that CSIS has apparently.. are they actually trying to fix the problem or is it going to become so ridiculus that we wait much longer than we should be.. but what I don't get is how some countries get through them so fast!  UK, New Delhi, Vienna, Buffalo, etc...There has to be some sort of reform.. really.. thats all my thoughts for now.. I'm sure I will vent later lol

[rorita_76]

Rasha, I feel your anger and pain, you and Boncuk.  I agree with what mamita has said, I guess there is lot of issue that you have to take in consideration, The work load they have, the way and the fast or the slow way of getting information , the rate of fraud application, Number of application in process in that office, the way that these specific officer deal with application...there is a lot.
It isn't fair, and I agree with that, what I think is the rule: there is no rule. I used to see application, with no much proof, getting approved in 3 to 4 month, and application with load of proof, having interview, long process and maybe denial in the end. I am not saying that the IO are not fair, but there is a missing part here, on how they make their decision.
What I have notice from post over this forum, Immigration tend to do long background check for male coming from an Arabic country, and with the long and intensive background check, you need to take in consideration that CIC is dealing with other Arabic government, where they aren't so organized, and they aren't very fast in providing information, maybe because they are lazy, or maybe because they can't get the info fast, because of their messing system. In Lebanon, when we went to the civil status, I was shocked to discover , that the people file and information, where kept in CARTOON BOX, and in a very messy way...so from this you can make an idea maybe for why the background check take long time,
I hope you and Boncuk will be done soon, and you will forget all this long process.

[genio]

 The word " un-fair" aroze. I have not wanted to say anything because the last thing in the world I want is anything to make my waiting any longer than necessary. I wrote somewhere on here, we were married last July 2,2008. To add to what I have gone through, I did talk to someone with immigration before I went to get married. He thought I may be able to go, get married, and bring her back. Therefore, in my ignorance, I told her, and she quit her job of 22 years thinking she would come with me back to Canada. Luckily, I phoned another person in immigartion. He informed me that would probably not work. I notified my wifeto-be. Of course she had lost her job. She got re-hired and is only working part time. I am not blaming anyone for all this , as I should have looked into the whole process first, but I just phoned someone in immigration and took his word. Now as to all this time, I filed everything end of last July. I have no idea why all the time needed in a country like Colombia. They have huge drug problems, but other wise are very modern, culturally very western. My wife has a brother who is a gov't crime scene investigator. Seriously, from an educated ,very stable family, I don't buy into it taking so long for background checks etc. The basic facts point to the obvious. Canada practices BIG time favoritism and no one wants to address it.

[PMM]

Hi

The word " un-fair" aroze. I have not wanted to say anything because the last thing in the world I want is anything to make my waiting any longer than necessary. I wrote somewhere on here, we were married last July 2,2008. To add to what I have gone through, I did talk to someone with immigration before I went to get married. He thought I may be able to go, get married, and bring her back. Therefore, in my ignorance, I told her, and she quit her job of 22 years thinking she would come with me back to Canada. Luckily, I phoned another person in immigartion. He informed me that would probably not work. I notified my wifeto-be. Of course she had lost her job. She got re-hired and is only working part time. I am not blaming anyone for all this , as I should have looked into the whole process first, but I just phoned someone in immigration and took his word. Now as to all this time, I filed everything end of last July. I have no idea why all the time needed in a country like Colombia. They have huge drug problems, but other wise are very modern, culturally very western. My wife has a brother who is a gov't crime scene investigator. Seriously, from an educated ,very stable family, I don't buy into it taking so long for background checks etc. The basic facts point to the obvious. Canada practices BIG time favoritism and no one wants to address it.

1.  Bogota CHC has 4 people working in Immigration, for Columbia and Ecuador who can make decisions.  Manila has 15 with responsibility for the Philippines and SP island.

PMM

[Rasha]

PMM - thanks for that information, but it does beg the question, how are these staffing numbers decided?

Egypt for example, has a large number of applications being processed for all types of immigration - do you happen to know how many I/O's are currently stationed at that visa office [CAIRO]. Thanks.

[PMM]

Hi

PMM - thanks for that information, but it does beg the question, how are these staffing numbers decided?

Egypt for example, has a large number of applications being processed for all types of immigration - do you happen to know how many I/O's are currently stationed at that visa office [CAIRO]. Thanks.

5 listed

PMM

[Rasha]

Hi

PMM - thanks for that information, but it does beg the question, how are these staffing numbers decided?

Egypt for example, has a large number of applications being processed for all types of immigration - do you happen to know how many I/O's are currently stationed at that visa office [CAIRO]. Thanks.

5 listed

PMM

Thanks again PMM

I wanted to share this link as it cuts to the heart of our conversation as well. David Cohen, immigration attorney, wrote about this on his Blog. Ironically, this was written two years ago, and there still needs to be reform:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/06/right-to-sponsor.html

[mitamata]

1.  Bogota CHC has 4 people working in Immigration, for Columbia and Ecuador who can make decisions.  Manila has 15 with responsibility for the Philippines and SP island.

PMM

Just wondering... where did you get this information? Is it publicly available? If yes, where? I'm a big fan of facts and figures

[robertbola]

I'm a fan of figures and facts too :-)...I'm wodering how many applications the new york and buffalo consulate deal with annually.

[PMM]

Hi

1.  Bogota CHC has 4 people working in Immigration, for Columbia and Ecuador who can make decisions.  Manila has 15 with responsibility for the Philippines and SP island.

PMM

Just wondering... where did you get this information? Is it publicly available? If yes, where? I'm a big fan of facts and figures

1.   You go to http://w01.international.gc.ca/cra-rce/Index.aspx?l=e  plug in the office city, it listed all the CB officers as well as some of the Designated IOs (usually locals)

PMM

[MARLENA]

What do they call IO in Cairo. According to the list I see Attaché and the number is 4 rather than 5.

[MARLENA]

For instance Damascus have First secretary immigration and Second secretary immigration, are they all considered IO's.