Inland Application 2011

[QE2Guy01]

Hello Computergeek,

Thank you for your reply, I hope that all is well with regard to your application. I was going to contact my MP, I reside in SW Calgary Center, however believe it or not there is no MP for our area at present as the seat has been empty since June. Oddly enough as it happens Mr. Kenney is the MP for Calgary SE and Mr. Harper is the MP for Calgary SW. I wrote to Mr. Kenney and did not receive a reply. I rang his office and was told by one of his assistants that "Canada is under attack from dishonest people from Eastern Europe who will romance and marry Canadian citizens just to get into our country and take advantage of all it has to offer", and, "because I happened to marry someone from Eastern Europe it is most likely that our application requires closer scrutiny and therefore we will just have to wait it out and make the best of it". Does this seem more than just a bit racist to you?, it certainly does to me. I am not going to spend money I do not have on a lawyer but I am going to take my story to the Calgary Herald and to the CBC, it may not solve anything but I would certainly take great pleasure in embarrassing CIC by way of showing people just how inept, incompetant and unfair the department can be. My spouse is a professional telecommunications engineer, highly skilled, well educated and speaks, reads and writes in 5 languages, 2 of those being English and French. My spouse wants very much to work, contribute to Canadian society and get on with having a life here with me. I say again that this is CRAP!!!

 

[computergeek]

Hello Computergeek,

Thank you for your reply, I hope that all is well with regard to your application. I was going to contact my MP, I reside in SW Calgary Center, however believe it or not there is no MP for our area at present as the seat has been empty since June. Oddly enough as it happens Mr. Kenney is the MP for Calgary SE and Mr. Harper is the MP for Calgary SW. I wrote to Mr. Kenney and did not receive a reply. I rang his office and was told by one of his assistants that "Canada is under attack from dishonest people from Eastern Europe who will romance and marry Canadian citizens just to get into our country and take advantage of all it has to offer", and, "because I happened to marry someone from Eastern Europe it is most likely that our application requires closer scrutiny and therefore we will just have to wait it out and make the best of it". Does this seem more than just a bit racist to you?, it certainly does to me. I am not going to spend money I do not have on a lawyer but I am going to take my story to the Calgary Herald and to the CBC, it may not solve anything but I would certainly take great pleasure in embarrassing CIC by way of showing people just how inept, incompetant and unfair the department can be. My spouse is a professional telecommunications engineer, highly skilled, well educated and speaks, reads and writes in 5 languages, 2 of those being English and French. My spouse wants very much to work, contribute to Canadian society and get on with having a life here with me. I say again that this is CRAP!!!

I agree with you - there is rampant discrimination in CIC policy. It's so endemic to their systems that I don't think they even see it - and the MP's quotation you gave is exactly how they rationalize it. Indeed, I posted something to this effect in my blog and stirred up quite a bit of trouble for myself in the process.

Racists don't see themselves as racist. They think they have rational basis for their opinions and beliefs, but they are just a thin veil over their discrimination. I'm very sorry you've been caught up in it.

I hope you are successful with the press, but I'm afraid it won't go very far. I've read so many articles on what a mess immigration is in Canada that it's enough to make my head swim. Worst are the comments from any article sympathetic to immigrants, where we're told (by the anonymous posters) that immigrants are lazy, just want to exploit the system, etc.

I think immigration is one of the worst, most dehumanizing systems I've ever seen that are allowed to exist in "progressive democratic nations". I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do. Ultimately, I hope you can move forward with your life and you and your spouse find personal happiness.

 

[QE2Guy01]

I agree with you 100 per cent Computergeek thank you for sharing your story with me and for your support. May I ask what it was that you had posted that caused such a fuss and why it resulted in your finding yourself in trouble?. At present I regret that I can only see one possibly outcome to this affair and that it will cause great pain and discomfort for myself and my spouse, however at best I will realise another one of my dreams to work and reside in Germany...( And Misters Harper and Kenney can get stuffed!!)

 

[Peaches14]

I don't know why an assistant in an MPs office would say such a thing. You are not the only one experiencing file transfer when you think you will be given AIP. There are likely others that don't want to discuss it. I have been trying to get others to talk about it but haven't had any success with it. You are right when you say as a Canadian Citizen you should be able to be free to make your own choices and suffer your own consequences. This is my second sponsorship and I am afraid I am going to be a victim because I made another choice to find a husband that is a citizen outside of this country even though my last husband died suddenly and we were together from the beginning to end in a solid relationship. Please don't give up, perhaps that is the battle that is needing to be won. It took seven months for the CIC to decide to transfer my husband's file to assess further just when everyone was getting their AIP and we were next in line? On Tuesday morning I will forwarding a stack of paperwork showing just how genuine this relationship is and I won't stop trying until I get a response, whether positive or negative at least I will give it a try. Then if it doesn't work I will try something else. Don't give up!

 

[canadaeh1234]

hi i need your knowledge.

i entered canada on a multiple entry visa last january and was granted 6 months. by the month of march, my boyfriend and i decided to get married so that i can stay with him. by first week of june i submitted my pr application along with my open work permit. at the end of september i have to leave canada because my mother got sick. now i am planning to go back to canada since i have a multiple entry visa. will i have problems in re entering the country? do you think i overstayed in canada? though i submitted my application before my visa expired?


please help thanks

 

[computergeek]

i entered canada on a multiple entry visa last january and was granted 6 months. by the month of march, my boyfriend and i decided to get married so that i can stay with him. by first week of june i submitted my pr application along with my open work permit. at the end of september i have to leave canada because my mother got sick. now i am planning to go back to canada since i have a multiple entry visa. will i have problems in re entering the country? do you think i overstayed in canada? though i submitted my application before my visa expired?

You should be fine. Since you left voluntarily (no removal order) there shouldn't be any flags on your file, and since you have a valid TRV you shouldn't be overly scrutinized. Of course, there's never a 100% guarantee, but in general most people in your position do not have any problems.

Good luck!

 

[computergeek]

I agree with you 100 per cent Computergeek thank you for sharing your story with me and for your support. May I ask what it was that you had posted that caused such a fuss and why it resulted in your finding yourself in trouble?. At present I regret that I can only see one possibly outcome to this affair and that it will cause great pain and discomfort for myself and my spouse, however at best I will realise another one of my dreams to work and reside in Germany...( And Misters Harper and Kenney can get stuffed!!)

In my case, I'm the foreign national. My original application was rejected on legally dubious grounds - I suspect they figured I'd just give up and go home, but somewhere along the way I married my Canadian spouse (whom I met before I'd even submitted my original application). So I filed a legal challenge and had been granted leave (which basically means that the court agreed to hear my case.) I blogged the entire thing, including my observations from reading and answering people on here. If your spouse comes from a non-visa-exempt country, you're pretty much stuffed when it comes to being allowed to spend the time together. Some folks have to live apart for 3-4 years. What I've observed is a definite pattern of profiling that to me appears to be discriminatory. At one point I blogged about that, and about the fact that it seems CIC often strives to create the penumbra of due process, but makes it essentially impossible for anyone to actually meet with success - like requiring a foreign national do something that they can only do once they've landed in Canada before they will be allowed to immigrate to Canada. That sort of Catch-22 allows one to "appear" fair but not actually "be" fair.

The attorney for CIC actually reported this (an anonymous blog on the internet) to my own attorney and the next thing I know, he's trying to withdraw as my representative. Well, it turns out that an attorney cannot actualy just "quit" on you - he needs to obtain the permission of the court or the client to do so. I refused to grant it, which ultimately led to a series of fruitful conversations (including the Justice Canada lawyer) that led to a settlement of the original legal action - by pushing the second application (spousal) to completion. From Justice Canada's perspective this was a good outcome because based upon the case law they were very likely to lose. From mine, because after 40 months of this hideous immigration process I'm ready for it to be over. And I know my second application has been pushed through. It was outland, and my passport is sitting in LA awaiting issuance of the final paperwork, well ahead of normal processing times, and well ahead of others. Even though I feel at 40+ months I've paid my dues, I still feel bad watching others languish.

I just read far too many horror stories on these boards to believe that there aren't some serious issues with CIC (as an institution). I've had the honour of speaking with one visa officer directly on the telephone and she seemed to be a very nice person and I suspect most of the people working inside CIC are good people, but they are bound into a system that dehumanizes those who must endure it.

The worst was some poor soul who had been waiting six years for second stage to be finished - and CIC's response was that this was "normal processing time".

For most people, they seem to see immigration as "those people coming to take OUR jobs away". Its an overly simplistic way of viewing things and it represents xenophobic thinking. Yet, these are the people who vote and put anti-immigration governments in power (with majority governments, no less!) It is very discouraging at times. I contribute substantially to the economy here, bringing my own customers and revenue with me and paying substantial amounts of tax to help support Canadian society, but those things do not appear to be valued either.

Well, off my soapbox now.

Hope you can forget about this for a day or two and have a great thanksgiving!

 

[Peaches14]

Well done CG. It is why you are so highly respected on this forum. It is good to hear from a fighter.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[QE2Guy01]

Thank you Computergeek and Peaches14 for your support and encouragement today, it is very much appreciated. We have a fair bit it common so it seems. I wish you both a pleasant evening...

 

[Wicket08]

Hey Computergeek,

i posted this a while back and nobody has given me an anwer.. well.. there was one

Do u mind giving me an opinion/idea how should I do this? thanks

I will have my landing interview on November 8. I have to go back home to the Philippines by November 25 coz my father is seriously ill and as sad as it is he said he is just waiting for me to come home. How long does an expedited PR card take if I show them the proof of travel and all that stuff. I can still apply for a travelling document when I get to the Philippines if I don`t get my PR card right away, right? what's the best thing to do in this situation? I was thinking of booking the tickets soon and when interview comes, I will let them know my situation.

 

[Wicket08]

Hey Wicket08, how is it going?
I have a quick question, whats the date on your second stage letter? because mine has Sep, 25th but I still haven't received my landing interview letter from local office!

the thing is almost every time I go to the local office its empty I don't know whats holding them back, for whatever reason they are very slow doing things.

second stage letter was sept 8 and appointment letter was sept 10.

 

[wolanila]

Happy thanks giving everyone. GO RIDERS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[computergeek]

I will have my landing interview on November 8. I have to go back home to the Philippines by November 25 coz my father is seriously ill and as sad as it is he said he is just waiting for me to come home. How long does an expedited PR card take if I show them the proof of travel and all that stuff. I can still apply for a travelling document when I get to the Philippines if I don`t get my PR card right away, right? what's the best thing to do in this situation? I was thinking of booking the tickets soon and when interview comes, I will let them know my situation.

It's currently taking about two months to issue the PR card. The best option would be for you to request expedited service but if you don't have the PR card by the time you leave, have someone here in Canada send it to you. While you could ask for a PRTD, the processing time for those is as long if not longer than the PR card itself from what I've seen. The risk here is that you won't be able to travel home until you get that PR card.

I've never tried rush service and I haven't read many success stories about it (which is why I didn't answer the first time you asked).

 

[gjfst]

Hey Computergeek,

i posted this a while back and nobody has given me an anwer.. well.. there was one

Do u mind giving me an opinion/idea how should I do this? thanks

I will have my landing interview on November 8. I have to go back home to the Philippines by November 25 coz my father is seriously ill and as sad as it is he said he is just waiting for me to come home. How long does an expedited PR card take if I show them the proof of travel and all that stuff. I can still apply for a travelling document when I get to the Philippines if I don`t get my PR card right away, right? what's the best thing to do in this situation? I was thinking of booking the tickets soon and when interview comes, I will let them know my situation.

Hi

This might help you a little!
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/faq/pr-card/index.asp
Read the following section and the one below it!


"I urgently need to leave Canada. How can I get a permanent resident card quickly?,,

John

 

[Wicket08]

thanks for all your answer you guys!!! Happy Thanksgiving!