Citizenship test: Collective action required, or expect endless delays, years. Example of the effective lobbyng of people awaiting spousal sponsorship

[AshesNdust]

"Shop for citizenship"????Lol, is this the country's attitude towards ppl who legally came here, who legally studied here, who legally working here, who legally paying tax here, who legally applying for citizenship? So ironically, nobody criticizes the illegal immigrants, and yet after all this, those legal immigrants who follow the law all the time have become the target?

As an essential worker, I still need to go to work at 6 am tomorrow. Yes, even in the "deadly pandemic", which you call it! We just don't get it, if the frontline workers and essential workers continue working at the workplace, students dare to come back to study and take the exam in school or online without worrying about potential cheating. Why couldn't some government employees continue working in the workplace? Yes, there may be some risk, but no one stops you to take all the safety measures! The last thing you want to argue is that you guys deem government employee's health more important than anyone else in this country. We really hope this is not your mindset, otherwise, we will be very very disappointed after all these years. "Pandemic" is not the excuse to stop the citizenship test now, there are many many other alternatives to help people to safely take the exams now, period!

I believe he’s referring to the people who have no intention on actually living here or paying taxes. There are a small percentage of people who do this, very small. It happens with visa holders as well:

https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/douglas-todd-nine-million-people-have-scooped-up-canadas-10-year-visas-some-abuse-them

Unfortunately, this very small group makes it harder for the rest of us. It create a lot of the paperwork and hoops we have to jump through.

 

[ott-613]

"Shop for citizenship"????Lol, is this the country's attitude towards ppl who legally came here, who legally studied here, who legally working here, who legally paying tax here, who legally applying for citizenship? So ironically, nobody criticizes the illegal immigrants, and yet after all this, those legal immigrants who follow the law all the time have become the target?

As an essential worker, I still need to go to work at 6 am tomorrow. Yes, even in the "deadly pandemic", which you call it! We just don't get it, if the frontline workers and essential workers continue working at the workplace, students dare to come back to study and take the exam in school or online without worrying about potential cheating. Why couldn't some government employees continue working in the workplace? Yes, there may be some risk, but no one stops you to take all the safety measures! The last thing you want to argue is that you guys deem government employee's health more important than anyone else in this country. We really hope this is not your mindset, otherwise, we will be very very disappointed after all these years. "Pandemic" is not the excuse to stop the citizenship test now, there are many many other alternatives to help people to safely take the exams now, period!

You have not read posts Shared by by people today asking help here in the forum , they applied for the citizenship and leaving to live somewhere else. And then Stating that they spent 3 years of their life here.... my point is majority of us want to live and die here because we love this country and we seeking an opportunity , some people dont care about anything but passport, and hence they are giving bad image for majority of immigrants.

Please get the full picture. My opinion is reaction to posts from some posts today. who just not ethical in my view. Not you.

Finally, I want to thank you for your service as you are an essential worker.

 

[ott-613]

We are in middle of pandemic, waiting for years, yet see almost daily posts from people who plan to apply and leave immediately. “ with exception to worker with government “

there must be a priority, i think if anyone plan to leave , they should not be prioretized before people who are living here.

 

[smash1984]

there must be a priority, i think if anyone plan to leave , they should not be prioretized before people who are living here.

I am not so sure about this.

At least in my field (currently pursuing a PhD) most of the jobs are in the US. In fact most of the people who have graduated from my department since its inception have ended up working in the US (despite many of them saying that they would have preferred Canada but the opportunities were not available to them here).

 

[LudoZ]

We are in middle of pandemic, waiting for years, yet see almost daily posts from people who plan to apply and leave immediately. “ with exception to worker with government “

there must be a priority, i think if anyone plan to leave , they should not be prioretized before people who are living here.

Planning to leave does not necessarily mean leaving forever without ever coming back. I'd rather leave Canada now in order to be closer to my family during the pandemic, and be able to come back later.

 

[ott-613]

I guess you guys are right, every case is different. Let us wish the best for all of us.

 

[ott-613]

I am not so sure about this.

At least in my field (currently pursuing a PhD) most of the jobs are in the US. In fact most of the people who have graduated from my department since its inception have ended up working in the US (despite many of them saying that they would have preferred Canada but the opportunities were not available to them here).

You right.. i didn’t know there is less opportunities for higher graduates here compared to the US. I wish you all the best brother.
again seems every case is different. I take back my comments earlier.

 

[JHT]

You are trying to compare Canada to North Korea? Seriously?

You do know taxes pay for fire departments, hospitals, schools, roads, sewers, wiring, transportation, etc. You don’t use those?

Indefinitely treated like a foreigner? Because Canada cares about its employees and has put tests on hold for 7 months?

And people wonder why some Canadians view immigrants as selfish and ungrateful. Stop with the hyperbole. Screaming paranoia doesn’t look good on anyone.

apparantley the moderators decieded to censor my post

I wrote that it's getting absoluely crazy In vancouver how they decided to spend 1 billion dollars on buying hotel downtown for criminals that have been camping, stealing with absoultey no consequences for their actions, so I am selfish like you say for having a problem paying taxes on my worldwide income for this.

you say its temporary, when its been 7 month that we have heard abosultely nothing from the government of Canada regarding citizenship.
so 2 yeas or more is acceptable as welll? why not?


And this is acceptable in your view, and there is nothing wrong with that, however I do have problem with this, after I have paid so much taxes on my wordwide income.

and have no sense of safety in Vancouver.

I may consider moving to a more remote area due to this, however, I am not satisfied in this regard.

 

[AshesNdust]

apparantley the moderators decieded to censor my post

I wrote that it's getting absoluely crazy In vancouver how they decided to spend 1 billion dollars on buying hotel downtown for criminals that have been camping, stealing with absoultey no consequences for their actions, so I am selfish like you say for having a problem paying taxes on my worldwide income for this.

you say its temporary, when its been 7 month that we have heard abosultely nothing from the government of Canada regarding citizenship.
so 2 yeas or more is acceptable as welll? why not?


And this is acceptable in your view, and there is nothing wrong with that, however I do have problem with this, after I have paid so much taxes on my wordwide income.

and have no sense of safety in Vancouver.

I may consider moving to a more remote area due to this, however, I am not satisfied in this regard.

I am also not happy with the money they want to spend on buying up buildings and hotels. However, while I might disagree with this approach, homeless are not necessarily criminals, but are Canadian citizens and the government does what they thinks will help Canadians. I was suppose to have my test on March 24th. If that had happened I would have been able to vote in this current election, yeah, I’m bummed out that I couldn’t.

The government has said something, but they have not given up dates. Yes, this is frustrating and I agree with contacting local MPs to try and get an official update. Getting citizenship under normal conditions in a country can be an extremely long process, some countries can take over a decade. So,I don’t feel it’s crazy that a world wide pandemic might cause a massive delay. Resources and money are going to areas that the government has decided as essential over non-essential ones which running citizenship test falls under. An immigrant who has an emergency situation can attempt to have their citizenship granted. However, that’s a very high bar. Most immigrants applying for citizenship have PR. That enables them to work, live, have access to medical help, and travel. So, the government is not viewing citizenship as something that must happen right now for the majority of immigrants seeking citizenship.

Vancouver is still one of the safest major cities I have ever lived in and is usually ranked as one of the safest in North America. If you don’t feel safe here, you are free to move out of the city to an area you feel more comfortable in. It doesn’t give you an excuse to heap insults and unproved accusations about the government and it’s employees.

 

[EUK]

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/22/its-a-racist-system-some-couples-say-canadas-visa-system-is-cruelly-extending-their-covid-19-separations.html?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=National&utm_content=crulracistsystem&fbclid=IwAR23FUUFj441fTHlw0blB1x1kDsvHXLiGQM0Rh0Y6YthkRLhiDeE2svs7qE

 

[skydiving]

Without citizenship, you can't vote; without the vote, you can't have your voice heard in this country. So what is a real priority here? Perhaps, for some officials, they prefer fewer new citizenships, cuz they get those people's tax and fees pmt anyway, but without the need to hear those ppl's voices? Hence, our voice is useless basically, it will only be ignored, no matter what we do.

 

[piotrqc]

Without citizenship, you can't vote; without the vote, you can't have your voice heard in this country. So what is a real priority here? Perhaps, for some officials, they prefer fewer new citizenships, cuz they get those people's tax and fees pmt anyway, but without the need to hear those ppl's voices? Hence, our voice is useless basically, it will only be ignored, no matter what we do.

Don't say that, don't be discouraged ... As I said before, things are being organized on social media. There will be a demonstration which is already scheduled in Toronto at the beginning of November ... (The organizers of the movement are still awaiting legal authorizations to confirm a demonstration in Montreal at the same time as that in Toronto: Thanks to the spousal sponsors for their inspirations and their courage!)

I am convinced that at the beginning of their fight for their causes (That they won, it must be emphasized), the spousal sponsors had to say the same things to each other, were desperate ... And also, several commentators citing several reasons varied (But the essential, and the most important that they will never dare to address, they will not have the courage, this is the ideological reason), had to try to discourage them by all means, as we 'saw in this same thread.

I want to remember the following two things:

1) The freedoms, among other things, of speech and of peaceful protest are guaranteed by Canadian charter of right and freedoms.

Source:

https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-15.html

Quote:

Fundamental Freedoms
Marginal note: Fundamental freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.

2) Canada is a democratic country with a free press. The press has an real power.

From 1 and 2, we come to the conclusion that claiming the resumption of citizenship tests is not only a right, but a duty for us.

... The union of federal employees has not hesitated to initiate a legal challenge to the changes made to the 699 code by the secretariat of the Treasury Board of Canada in court. (And that's their right, by the way, even if I don't agree with their logic, and I remain very confident about the outcome of the proceeding: Their request will be refused by the court)

... Of course, if all the cards do not succeed (Press preassures, demonstrations, etc.), it will always be possible to consider an action before the federal court (It is she who is competent for this kind of business related to the labor law and public service) ... But we must hope that it does not happen at this level: It will be very slow, tedious, and difficult.

(A class action of this magnitude requires specialized lawyers, one or more associations to endorse the case, significant resources ...).

Hopefully the press lobying and public demonstrations will be effective.

, Piotr.

 

[piotrqc]

I have a regrettable observation to share with you, friends.

For those who still doubt the existence of systematic racism, of a certain latent xenophobia in Canadian society - Believe me, sincerely, I am sorry to share this with you, it saddens me at the highest level -, and also, case that interests us, for those which doubt the predominance of the ideological implicit character (Never confessed in a clear and direct way), here is a glaring comparative example:

1) The CBC article Kathleen Harris was kind enough to write about our topic of de facto blocking citizenship processes:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid19-pandemic-immigrants-citizenship-1.5720917

2) An article, more recent, dated Friday 23 October concerning spousal sponsors and the evolution of their case. On radio Canada (CBC in French).

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1743452/couples-separes-frontiere-pandemie-espoir-decouragement

Here is my remark: The first CBC article on citizenship tests and the current de facto blocking was perfect and beneficial in more than one respect for us, to make the situation known ... But one detail must have escaped redaction: The examples given in the article are a family of Filipinos + a single Syrian person.

Result: An unbearable wave of racist and xenophobic comments. At the time of writing, there are 1178 comments, almost the majority are hostile to immigrants '' go home if you are not happy, feel happy to be there, you should shut up and be grateful, canadians first! ... and other insults and criticisms of all kinds).

I don't know if it's a coincidence or special attention on their part, but Radio-Canada (as I explained, this is the same public media group. CBC is the national broadcaster in English, Radio- Canad in French, but it is the same structure) paid more attention in the second article on the spoual sponsor.

The article speaks in particular of the case of an Australian of Caucasian type who has found his Quebecoise wife of Caucasian type as well, but also of a Franco-Ontarian (still Caucasian), and of his expectation of Tim, a Texan.

Result: So far there have been a total of 2 comments. Not the slightest hint of racism or hatred in ...

Curious, right? ... Not really.


All this to say one thing: All the arguments that we can give you are not always honest. It is very likely that they are fueled by ideology. So we should not pay attention to it, and cling to the things that make this country a beautiful country: Freedom of speech, freedom to demonstrate, the rule of law, and freedom (and force) of the press.

Let them talk.

On the other hand, if we let passivity take over, these same people hostile to immigrants and their ideology and mentality will take over, and our wait will take years and years, and no one is going to care, if we don't do the right thing ourselves.

, Piotr.

 

[skydiving]

Thank you so much for the encouragement! We r all hoping to finish this very last step, the whole legal immigration process is never an easy path for any of us. And they would never understand that unless they experience that by themselves. Hopefully, it won't be too late for us to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have a regrettable observation to share with you, friends.

For those who still doubt the existence of systematic racism, of a certain latent xenophobia in Canadian society - Believe me, sincerely, I am sorry to share this with you, it saddens me at the highest level -, and also, case that interests us, for those which doubt the predominance of the ideological implicit character (Never confessed in a clear and direct way), here is a glaring comparative example:

1) The CBC article Kathleen Harris was kind enough to write about our topic of de facto blocking citizenship processes:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid19-pandemic-immigrants-citizenship-1.5720917

2) An article, more recent, dated Friday 23 October concerning spousal sponsors and the evolution of their case. On radio Canada (CBC in French).

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1743452/couples-separes-frontiere-pandemie-espoir-decouragement

Here is my remark: The first CBC article on citizenship tests and the current de facto blocking was perfect and beneficial in more than one respect for us, to make the situation known ... But one detail must have escaped redaction: The examples given in the article are a family of Filipinos + a single Syrian person.

Result: An unbearable wave of racist and xenophobic comments. At the time of writing, there are 1178 comments, almost the majority are hostile to immigrants '' go home if you are not happy, feel happy to be there, you should shut up and be grateful, canadians first! ... and other insults and criticisms of all kinds).

I don't know if it's a coincidence or special attention on their part, but Radio-Canada (as I explained, this is the same public media group. CBC is the national broadcaster in English, Radio- Canad in French, but it is the same structure) paid more attention in the second article on the spoual sponsor.

The article speaks in particular of the case of an Australian of Caucasian type who has found his Quebecoise wife of Caucasian type as well, but also of a Franco-Ontarian (still Caucasian), and of his expectation of Tim, a Texan.

Result: So far there have been a total of 2 comments. Not the slightest hint of racism or hatred in ...

Curious, right? ... Not really.


All this to say one thing: All the arguments that we can give you are not always honest. It is very likely that they are fueled by ideology. So we should not pay attention to it, and cling to the things that make this country a beautiful country: Freedom of speech, freedom to demonstrate, the rule of law, and freedom (and force) of the press.

Let them talk.

On the other hand, if we let passivity take over, these same people hostile to immigrants and their ideology and mentality will take over, and our wait will take years and years, and no one is going to care, if we don't do the right thing ourselves.

, Piotr.

 

[limits]

I have a regrettable observation to share with you, friends.

For those who still doubt the existence of systematic racism, of a certain latent xenophobia in Canadian society - Believe me, sincerely, I am sorry to share this with you, it saddens me at the highest level -, and also, case that interests us, for those which doubt the predominance of the ideological implicit character (Never confessed in a clear and direct way), here is a glaring comparative example:

You'd be surprised at how many doubt its existence INCLUDING minorities, they completely bought into the narrative of diverse multicultural Canada LOL. Many caucasians are ignorant of it too but you can't blame em cuz they never face it themselves, so naturally they feel no on else faces it either. You gotta give it to the western media though (which is what the whole world follows), for propagating the lie of all-inclusive multicultural accepting nations, they have greatly benefited from it, both on the international stage and in terms of skilled migrants. On the other side of the coin, though, many people migrating here are better off IN SPITE of the racism so they are coming to US/Canada completely aware of the drawbacks.