Dual Intent

[Boncuk]

Ys julchen you would not be held accountable for that as you are on a work visa.

But this is for the questions raised about people neglecting to state their intentions of marriage when they come for a visitor visa. Food for thought really.. you can get lucky and have an IO that overlooks it or get one cranky one or thorough enough to question why they didn't just state they were getting married.

 

[MARLENA]

I agree totally with you. We all take chances especially when it comes to meet your love one.

 

[Rasha]

For those who participated in this thread this is an interesting read

http://www.canadianimmigrant.ca/settlingincanada/immigrationlaw/article/3100

As usual B. thank you A VERY good article, an bang on in the advice .

thanks

 

[MARLENA]

Interesting story on the news today that want to share with all of you

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndRegion/2009/04/24/9227536-sun.html

 

[Leon]

There have been threads about marriage fraud before. Even though it's against the law in principle, it's very rare that anything is done about it. Cases like this where he's actually being deported are extremely rare and she is also very lucky that he hasn't claimed social assistance.

There was a long thread about this some time ago and one woman came forward and said she got a deportation order against her ex husband but not because he abandoned her but because she found out he had lied about 2 months of his work history where he had said he was in school but was really unemployed. She pushed it and managed to get a deportation order issued on those grounds, not because he left her.

There have been many cases where people have been abandoned and nothing has been done. In one case the man did not even know that his "wife" got her PR visa and came to Canada until he saw it on the online update. He later ran into her in town with another man. Some of these people have called immigration or called the police to ask if marriage fraud is not against the law in Canada or what but it's very low on their priority list. Once the sponsor has convinced immigration that it was a real marriage to get the sponsorship, it's very hard to go back and say that it wasn't.

There have also been many cases where the spouse went straight to the welfare office and claimed benefits that the sponsor had to pay back. One woman was interviewed on TV saying that her "husband" had told her as soon as he arrived in Canada as a PR that she really wasn't his type and then left. He went on welfare she had to pay and later he managed to get himself on disability that she also had to pay. She had asked what type of disability he had because she was not aware that there was anything wrong with him and the government had told her that she did not have the right to know because it was his privacy issue.

It really sucks for the people who are defrauded. In the US, they have a temporary 2 year green card for spouses and if the marriage breaks up within the 2 years, they are denied their permanent green card, even if the marriage was real at the time they got married. There are also disadvantages to a law like that because the couple may have a kid or two by the time they divorce after 2 years and then one of the parents gets deported because the marriage broke up. It also gives the sponsor power over their spouse and can make it easy for the sponsor to abuse the spouse knowing that they will be deported if they divorce. Even though there are provisions in the US law for abused spouses, that can also cause a spouse to lie about abuse from the sponsor because they want to get divorced and keep their PR at the same time. It's overall not easy to deal with.

With the current law anyway, anybody who is doing a sponsorship needs to keep in mind that it is a serious issue and definitely not to be taken lightly.

 

[MARLENA]

That is well written Leon. Thanks

 

[Boncuk]

I read about this article in the Toronto Star too, similar. I just think some people take marrying lightly. And sponsoring someone even more lightly. I have had friends who just marry people they hardly know get them into Canada and divorce after awhile because he/she was not who they portrayed themselves to be. All this does it makes it harder and harder for those that did marry sincerely and are in a commited loving relationship. I personally left all that I know in Canada to be with my husband and give our marriage a solid chance in the beginning because I could afford to do that and so could he. Some can't, so the burden is on them to prove they are not in a scam marriage and that they really are in it for the long haul. IT just sucks all around when you read about immigration fraud but this is a fact of life.
Here's a story of a friend of mine. She met a man on the internet. Pursued the online thing for several months and then decided to meet him. He couldnt get a travel visa as he had army requirements in his country so was impossible to be allowed out. So she went to go see him, he made her feel like a queen! Showered her with the affection she was craving, nights out, romance etc and didnt pay for a thing. Well back home you would be like wow that guy sounds great! But something in the back of my head said it just didn't seem real to me. But being the loving friend I am I supported her through it all. She came back and told me she was ready to marry him. So after a couple of months she went back and married him. She asked me to go with her and I didn't as I had work commitments. So they got married and he got her pregnant. She was on cloud nine. She came back home and started the sponsorship process. The whole time he was very attentive, so happy for the baby, so in love with her so he said After the 8 months of sponsorship and interview he was granted PR. He arrived to canada and she was ready to give birth within days of his arrival. He was acting very strange according to her. We thought perhaps he was having a hard time adjusting to the change of environment, perhaps he was nervous about being a father... no clue what was bothering him. So she went into labour and called her husband that she was on her way to the hospital and he didnt answer her calls. While she was delivering their baby, he was packing up his stuff with his new girlfriend! He left her a note saying thanks for the visa.. i don't want your baby, have a nice life. No word since from him.. thankfully he never did go on welfare, but what do you say to that? How does one really know if the other person seems so sincere! It's scary really. I guess my point is we all take risks in marriage whether they are canadian or not. We take a bigger risk falling in love with someone long distance. It is damn hard. For both sides really. I don't think any real reform can be done. I mean deporting people for fraud of marriage.. do you think that solves anything. And like Leon said.. it puts a power over those sponsoring that I personally wouldnt want. It's like something that can be dangled over the head of every PR that if you pull something I will get you deported. IE Mental Abuse.
I guess the onus is on us as sincere genuine married couples to prove the best we can that we are genuine.

 

[Leon]

At least I hope she is making him pay child support. Most people who are victims of marriage scams will tell you the same story. Their spouse was extremely attentive and loving to them.. until they got the visa. Otherwise they would not have married them. Making it 2 years, for a real marriage scammer, they would just keep up the act for the 2 years. It would not have helped your friend if she would have thought she was happily married and by that time maybe with 2 kids by the time he got his permanent PR and waived goodbye.

 

[MARLENA]

I saw her on the street while going to work the day before and couldn't figure out what was going on until I heard it on the news the next day. It's unfair for the rest of us to hear such a news especially when you are sponsoring your spouses. No wonder why they make it so difficult on us and they keep changing the law.

 

[Alita]

Hello there!
I meet my husband one year and a half before and we get married in Mexico 4 months ago, he came back to Canada and I stay in Mexico to arrange everything for me t go to Canada, I already have my visitor visa for 5 years for multiple visits, and I will go to Canada next week, we are so confuse about how to start the sponsorship process. :-[
I definitely don’t want to lie to the immigration officer, telling that I’m just in Canada for tourist purposes, but I’m sooooooooo afraid to say I coming to be with my husband and to start the sponsor process. They can denied me to enter if I say that isn’t? Even If I explain that I have no intentions to stay longer than the 6 months or wherever the process duration. Other thing is, I will keep my job in Mexico because I can work Online (should I mention that??), Jesus I’m so paranoid, please if somebody can give me an advice I will appreciate a LOT.

 

[frolic]

It sounds like you want to be together while you apply since you are asking about coming into Canada. So you would be applying from inside Canada it seems. Of course you have to get into Canada to do so. First thing is to not lie. If you misrepresent yourself you can cause yourself way more problems than just being denied entry once. That is probably the most important thing.

Of course someone else also said...you don't have to tell them everything unless they ask. When you came before, what questions did they ask and how did you answer? Maybe thinking about the last time you came to Canada will give you some idea of what to expect this time and reassure you.