Hello all my friends. I am sorry that I have disappeared from the forum fore some time. I have been very busy, consumed, and still in shock.
Unfortunately my ADR was not successful. I knew the moment the Minister Counsel walked in. She was immediately in a bad mood. It's unfortunate that they can play by emotions instead of facts. She asked me no questions about the genuineness of my marriage.
We were denied based on: my husband and I deciding to marry after knowing each other (they say) for 15 days (very untrue). He "does not speak English/share a common language" which is a lie because we only communicate in English and I speak fluent Spanish as my family is from Chile, that he was not working (could not work after marrying a foreigner), and that the VO did not think we have anything in common.
She did not even touch the evidences that I sent to her or even looked at them during my ADR. She did not ask me questions about my husband, our relationship, etc, other than "when did you meet, how long were you together before you proposed" and that was the only questions she asked. Her first questions were about my friend who married and sponsored a man from Cuba. My friend and her husband introduced my husband and I. He was a guest at the wedding but was not a friend, he was their driver and an acquaintance of theirs who took them all over Cuba and helped set up the wedding. She and he are no longer together. She knew this, and asked me this which was the very first question. In her mind my friends husband and my husband are friends and that it was a plan to get my husband to Canada so he could leave me. My husband has not seen or heard from that man in over 2 years. After she asked me this, the ADR was basically over. She said she had no other questions for me. I told her that the questions about my friend was not in relation to my relationship of 4 years (my friend married her husband the first year they met and not long after they were lucky and he came to Canada. He left shortly after). She did not blink an eye. Like I said, she knew the moment she walked in she was going to refuse me. I had that intuition when I woke up that morning.
Now I must wait for the full hearing. The DRO told me it will take one year. Sometime in the end of next summer. The DRO told me that if my husband and I can be as genuine in the full hearing as I was today, I should not have a problem winning with or without a lawyer. However I am/was still devastated after all the work, research and things I have done. That none of it even was considered. The documents I prepared (he said and so did she) were something better than any lawyer has prepared and sent to them. My husband and I are so over with this. We are going to continue the process but in the next few months I plan to take the steps to move to Cuba.
Thank you Arujapan for sending me a personal message. It helps to be reminded that I am not alone. That there are other people who sadly are going through the same process to be with those they love.
Best wishes to you all.