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There is a Great forum post in family sponsorship about the anxieties of the immigration process and the personal feelings everyone goes through during the waiting game.
Check it out:
http://www.loonlounge.com/community/forum/thread/8899/

New Democrat MP Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina) inquired in a House of Commons committee meeting today about the nearly 50 per cent refusal rate for spousal applications from places such as China, western Africa and Hong Kong.

She was told that the government's immigration ministry believes that these marriages are fake - and potentially an effort backed by organized crime. The question is: is this solely a concern in immigration from countries with visible minorities?

"Globally we do have a problem of marriages of convenience, commercialized, fake marriages to get into Canada," (immigration minister) Kenney said.

But where is the substantiation? Is there the same focus and refusal rate for, say, eastern European spousal applications? Applications from Italy? From the US? Or is this just an easy excuse for a ministry under pressure to keep immigration numbers down in 2010?

Read the article in the Star here - http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/733123--rise-in-fake-marriages-causes-concern-in-immigration-dept

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Things change. Relationships end. But when it comes to immigration sponsorship, since 2004, a sponsor's responsibility can go on and on. The deal is: when you sponsor someone to immigrate to Canada, you sign a document that says if they have to go on public assistance for any reason, then YOU have to pay the government back for it. No matter what the situation may be. Since 2004, no one has been eased of this responsibility - not for any reason.

Today, Ontario's Court of Appeals said, wait a minute - there needs to be some discretion here. The government owes it to it's citizen's to look at situations on a case by case basis.

"The federal and provincial governments had argued that sponsorship was a contract the sponsor should be fully aware of and there was no discretion to forgive the debt, regardless of marriage breakdown, unemployment or illness." Of course they did.

The court didn't buy it. Three cheers for a court that realizes life throws curves at people. That things are rarely black and white, and that real justice is a very individual matter.

Read the full article here - http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/724917--court-opens-door-to-immigrant-debt-relief?bn=1
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Immigration Minister Kenney announced his 2010 immigration plan to Parliament on Friday and the plan is for a less compassionate, less family oriented and Quebec-centric focus in the coming year.

Of the 240-260,000 new immigrants expected in the coming year, the largest single number, over 100K, is for the skilled worker class, and of those, the largest percentage is being targeted for Quebec.

It's interesting that while at one time, one of the prime focuses of Canada's immigration policy was the reunification of families, nowadays you can't event find a single statement to that effect on the CIC site - and the Minister's announcement to the press ignored the issue entirely. His focus, like the rest of the Tories, is on the economy.

The cold fact is that last year, while 43,360 skilled workers came to Canada accompanied by 60,376 spouses and children, in the family class, only 47,451 spouses and children got in. And the plan for next year is only 42,000 (the lowest number since before 2003.

2010 is not the year to be in love with a Canadian.

Follow The Expatriate Mind at http://expatriatemind.blogspot.com/

I read an interesting article from the Kingston Whig-Standard today about a couple whose sponsorship application was denied, because they met the definition for a common-law partnership under provincial legislation, but not federal immigration regulations.

The article can be found here:
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1731248/

Basically, the couple has a child together, which under provincial law would make them a common-law couple, but they had not lived together for 12 consecutive months at the time they applied, which, under CIC rules, means that they did not qualify for a sponsorship application as common-law partners. If they had lived together for two more months, CIC would have considered them common-law.

Since their application was Inland, they cannot appeal the decision and are now moving to Australia, where the principal applicant is from. Their only choice if they want to live together in Canada is to start from scratch with an Outland application.

Before you submit your application, check to make sure that you qualify under the conditions that the CIC sets out, which may or may not be the same conditions that your province sets out, or the country or jurisdiction where you were married sets out.

Let's say you want to sponsor your same-sex partner as a spouse. You must make sure that your same-sex-marriage was legally recognized when and where it occurred as well as in Canada.

For more information, you can check out what the CIC says here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse-apply-who.asp/

A common question when it comes to sponsoring your spouse or common-law partner is whether your application is an Inland application or an Outland application, so for my first blog, I’ll talk about that.

If the person you are sponsoring lives with you in Canada, you apply under the Inland process (“Spouse or Common-Law Partner In Canada Class”). The application is sent to the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta in this case.

The processing times for Inland applications can take quite some time, because since your spouse is already with you in Canada, it isn’t given priority processing. For example, right now, the CIC website says that processing of spousal sponsorship cases at Vegreville is 6-7 months (processing times are always changing, so it’s important to check the CIC website often). Here’s the page where I found the information:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/process-in.asp#sponsorship/

And that’s just for the first stage, after which the application is sent to visa office outside of Canada for more processing!

If the person you are sponsoring leaves Canada during the Inland process, they may not be let back into the country until after their permanent residence visa is issued, so you always have to be careful about that.

The CIC website also says that there is no right of appeal in Inland sponsorship cases.

If the person you are sponsoring lives outside Canada, you apply under the Outland process, and you must send your application to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Processing times in Mississauga are much faster for spousal sponsorship cases. Right now, the CIC website says that the first stage of spousal sponsorship cases takes 43 days, which is considerably shorter than the 6-7 months it takes in Vegreville!

If your spouse wants to visit you during the Outland process, they can visit you as a temporary visitor (you have to check if they need a visitor visa, etc), as long as they can show that their visit is only temporary.

For example, when I was sponsoring my partner (Outland), he came to visit me for three weeks while we were waiting for our application to be approved. He showed his return ticket to London and a letter from his boss showing he had a job to go back to as proof that he would leave the country.

For the second stage of the application, spousal sponsorship cases are usually processed faster than most types of applications. If you want to check processing times for the second stage of a spousal sponsorship application, here’s the page:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/international/05-fc-spouses.asp/

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any questions in the comments!

I see questions similar to this posed all the time, both on the forums here and also from my clients where I work as an employment counsellor. What do Canadian employers ask for? What qualifications do I need to work in my field in Canada? How can I find out what to put on my resume? How do I know what skills are valued?

Well, actually, there are ways to find out. There are lots of online resources you can use to become a true expert in your occupation IN CANADA. Remember, you’re already an expert in your occupation, because you’re practising it. You have experience in the field. You know far more about your occupation than someone like me does. What you might lack is the ability to express this knowledge in English, or in language Canadian employers want to hear. But that’s the easy part. You’ve already done the hard part, which is getting qualified and experienced!

So how do you find out what employers want?

First of all, find your occupation on the NOC list. That means going here (http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/OccupationIndex.aspx) and searching until you find the occupation that best describes what you do. Let’s say you’re a software developer. That’s NOC 2174 (http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/Profile.aspx?val=2&val1=2174). Now, read the description: this uses key technical skills required for the role, and also tells you what education and potentially licensing is required to work in the field.

Some of the responsibilities software developers perform are the following:
• Write, modify, integrate and test software code
• Maintain existing computer programs by making modifications as required
• Identify and communicate technical problems, processes and solutions
• Prepare reports, manuals and other documentation on the status, operation and maintenance of software

Now, that’s quite generic, but there are some important words in there, particularly the action verbs such as: write, integrate, test, identify, prepare. Stages in the software development process are also referred to. Using this language will help you to start thinking about what you do in terms of describing your skills - and this will help you to develop a resume and cover letter that tells an employer you know the language for your occupation.

But, as I said, this is fairly generic. What SPECIFIC skills do employers want? Here’s where you go to another great resource: job postings. You’re not going to apply for a job right now, though. You’re just trying to find out what particular skills and qualifications employers look for. So go to your favourite job-search website - I recommend Monster - and search for your job title. You could look anywhere in Canada, or in your preferred province. Skim the job postings until you find a few that seem to be jobs you could do - for example, if your software development experience has all been in financial services, you’re better off concentrating on those kind of postings than postings for computer-game development.

And then make a list of the requirements that come up again and again. You’ll want to save that list, by the way, so keep it on your computer. You’ll see the same words, the same hard skills, the same specific training or software expertise in many different postings. If something appears in only one job posting out of 20, chances are it’s not a skill that’s in great demand in your field. If it appears in 15 out of 20, chances are that it is in high demand. If there is a key skill or experience that comes up again and again and you don’t have it, then you might want to look into getting training or experience in that area.

Now you know what Canadian employers want in your field, and you know the language they use to describe it - which means that you can sell yourself to employers by being very specific in talking about YOUR skills, YOUR experience and the valuable qualities YOU bring to them - and using their own language to do it in, in your resume, in your cover-letter, perhaps in your professional blog which you use for self-marketing purposes, and in an interview.

Any questions? Please ask and I will be very happy to try to explain further!

I understand politics and I know how difficult processes can be. It is always a good thing to be informed before progressing with any life change, but what if you cannot get the info or learn that what you do know is remarkably false or misleading? If there is one thing I have learned, it is that we cannot assume anything or be led to believe another. Case in point, my own.
I travelled to Cote d'Ivoire to marry the woman I wanted to share the rest of my life with. I made arrangements to be there for a month and felt that I knew the basics of what I should have known beforehand. It was not an issue that my French was poor; my bride to be spoke English very well. It was not an issue of being a victim of the dreaded 'marriage of convenience'; I know and work with members of her family. It was not an issue that we couldn't travel the country; family had already made arrangements for my arrival and touring needs. What was an issue, however, was what our Canadian government lead me to believe through years of indoctrination.
Here in Canada, you cannot work for the government unless you speak French and English. That is just the way things are done here. By believing that, I assumed that to work for the Canadian government abroad would require the same rules. With that in mind, I expected that if I needed service from our embassy in Abidjan, it wouldn't matter that my French was poor. Do not the majority of Canadians only speak English? Harkened by this, I did what was suggested to me through our government's websites.
Upon arrival, I went to the Canadian embassy in Abidjan and signed in; complete with the address I would be staying at and a phone number for them to contact me. They knew how to get in touch with me if necessary and I was given their numbers as well. They knew I was travelling there to get married and even congratulated us. The local hired to sit behind the glass enclosed desk was quite pleasant and I left there feeling quite secure.
Needless to say, we were married at a reputable place; honestly. The man who performed the ceremony knew my wife's family, had worked with the Canadian embassy on a number of projects and was even close to various politicians. He could see no difficulties on our horizon and even suggested steps for us to take for the sponsorship process. We felt empowered by his knowledge and did as he said. The first step was to take our legal marriage documents to the embassy and have our wedding documented there. Naturally, we did this.
Even though it was behind a glass window, we received an interview that day. Having not seen a single white woman there up until then, I was very happy at that moment. However, she would not speak to me; just my wife. I knew then that the woman did not speak English and I found it odd that an embassy employee in such a position would not speak our primary language. Still, she photocopied our documents, congratulated us, explained where in the embassy we had to go next and with smiles, we were given the sponsorship application(s). I will add that it was there that I saw the second white woman in Abidjan. My wife being my wife, she did all of the talking and I just stood there and smiled.
We did have everything in our favour. Every required document that the embassy needed was in place. The medical exam was done by a required doctor; a criminal record check was completed; vaccinations were taken with papers from the clinic; history of employment records were there; we had passport photos and the passport itself; bank statements were included and most important of all, the legal marriage papers. If we had any questions, we were given a number to call.
Once we had completed everything, we were given an appointment to submit them. That turned out to only be the time and day of the week that the embassy accepted applications. I stood there in silence as the woman looked everything over, nodded that all was good and told my wife that they would call to give us appointment for the interview. So far so good I assumed and was lead to believe. But something still bothered me and at the time, I ignored it. You see, my wife had applied for a visitor's visa a year earlier and was denied. I saw the stamp on her passport, but I didn't know what to think of it at the time. I think it came back to haunt us.
But here is the crux of my letter. We never had and do not have any intentions of trying to bypass the process of her coming here. We both wanted to make that clear to the officials during the interview, and try to explain what we knew and didn't know. We hoped that she would be approved, but if not, would they at least allow her to visit Canada to see her family and mine. After all, it was something we needed to plan for. When we never received a call, I phoned the embassy to inquire if I could purchase a plane ticket for my wife.
Six hours later, my wife got a phone call and was asked to be at the embassy the following morning. I will add that they would not call me. We both dressed up for the interview, arrived to a near empty waiting room and waited eagerly for our turn. It was not what either of us expected. There was no interview. The lady behind the counter handed my wife a letter and then turned away. I saw my wife's shoulders sag and the disappointment in her eyes. She wanted to cry, but stood strong and said we should leave. I asked her what the letter said, since it was addressed to her in French and a letter was not given to me. She said that she was refused a visa to come to Canada.
Needless to say, I was not happy. This was not going the way I had expected or led to believe. I got the woman behind the counters attention and asked for an explanation. I wanted to know on what grounds they had refused my wife application. I wanted to know what steps we needed to take. I had a lot of questions and would like some answers and guidance. That was when I learned that she didn't speak English either. Now I was getting angry, but I knew that showing it wouldn't help very much. I asked to speak with someone who spoke English and the woman opened a door leading to the office area in the back. Instead of someone coming out to talk to me, she was given an envelope to give to me. After I read it, you could say that I felt slapped in the face. No answers were on that sheet, just a list of requirements needed and why someone would be refused a visa.
Naturally, the lady would not look at me, probably thinking that the so called meeting was over. But I would not be deterred. I told her in English that I wanted service in English and my wife told her the same thing in French. What did she do? She turned away from me, sat down at her desk and ignored me. I had to knock on the window to get her attention and then the door behind her opened. She passed on a sheet for me to fill out; reasons for an interview. I filled it out, handed it to her and waited for a response, but she filed the request and continued to ignore me. Someone behind that door spoke English well enough to know what was going on, but they refused me service in English as though I was a nobody. Were they too busy? Obviously not. There was no one there except staff and security and from what I had read; the embassy doesn't do a lot there anyways. And when security opened the door and looked at me, I knew it was time for me to leave.
What did I learn from all of this? Do not think that any information you receive from government websites is true. Do not think that our government acts abroad as they do back home. Do not think that because you are a Canadian citizen that your embassy officials will help you and most important of all, do not expect them to even be Canadian citizens themselves. I suspect that those working for our government in Abidjan are French nationals, acting on behalf of people they know nothing about in a language the majority of us do not speak.
I looked at the stamp on my wife's passport and noted that it was the same initials that turned her down the first time. Though it pains me still, I have the feeling that it will be the same woman that goes over our newest application now in the hands of Immigration Canada here at home. This time, we used a lawyer to put the package together. When she receives it there, what do you think she will do with it? I have a suspicion that....
If you are planning to sponsor your wife or family members, all I can say is be prepared for everything. Do not make any mistakes on your application forms; they will be refused. Do not take anything for granted or make any assumptions based on what you know at the moment. If you are lucky enough to receive mail from any Immigration official, keep it in a file for future use. They still haven't responded to my request and that was over four months ago. However, there is one more thing that you can do, even though it may not help.
Try contacting someone; in person, by phone, mail or email. You may not get a reply from the government about your concerns or problems, but at least you might get a response from someone else. I have been writing a letter documenting my experiences and have composed a list of people to send it to just in case. If it ever comes to that, I know that our experiences will be shared and used positively by others.
We need sites like this to get and share information. To the editors: you could start a whole new section and series of help related topics. For the visitors: you can share your knowledge to ensure people have the best tools available to tackle sponsorship applications. Getting it right the first time is very important, from knowing who to contact to understanding how to fill out the applications. It is in the best interests of those involved directly and indirectly.