MARLENA said:
Everyone seems confused including myself.
What about at the time of entry you tell them it's your friend but he is living with you. They know when you are giving your address and the person is coming to visit you is more than friend especially when the duration of his visit is more than 3 months.
In my opinion again it depends on IO and how they analyze your answer. I mean you can be friends for so long and eventually the status of relationship changed while they are visiting. Is that wrong?Is that considered as lie, If so they should refuse everyone who intend to come and visit their friends or their close one.
Marlena, the confusion is the cruxt and purpose of my post.....I realize there is grey area here, and there is a lot open to interpretation by the I/O reviewing the case...but this term 'dual intent' and the premise behind it is quite concerning - and why lawyers exist
.
How do they (Immigration) ascertain and determine 'intent'...sometimes it is explicit, and other times it is covert.....To have someone who is more than a friend visit, and say they are a friend [in my opinion is not disclosing the truth] - however, I can understand why people have made that choice - due to certain visas no longer being available here in Canada [namely fiance visa]. But what is really needed here is Immigration Reform.
Why is it, that in the UK, you can have a spousal or fiance visa - the recepients are not granted full immigration [resident] priviledge, and have a 2 year waiting period until they can be a full resident, but they can be with their loved ones quicker (It takes less than a month to obtain such a visa)??? The applicant can only travel between their home country and the UK until the 2-year time limit has expired (I believe) AND they still have to prove the validity of their relationship (marriage cert, etc...) but they are not waiting months, if not year(s) to be together....Why can't Canada do something like that?
Anyway, not to jump on a soapbox - but there needs to be some cleanup of our system, and more streamline processes and other options put into place - that is my opinion.
As for this issue of Dual Intent and what to do or say etc...Leon and PMM in the past have made soem very good points. It's a personal choice, but you must be wise!
Marlena - friends do visit, opposite and same sex - this is life...and reasonable and expected. If the person coming is a friend, and you are honest in that, and things change - and let immigration/customs know your situation - what is the harm in that!?
Honesty is always the best policy, no one is saying lie. And if you have been granted visas, and you were never refused, then you should be thankful - especially if you have not been completely forthcoming in the real extent of ur relationship. We are all adults here, and we know what is right or wrong, or what is lie or truth.
What is not reasonable is when people abuse the system, and are deliberately dishonest in their presentation of the basis of their relationship, and then create the backlog, skepticism and issues such as we have now - which force us to be put through the wringer to 'justify our relationships' - because of the bad seeds that have gone before us, abused the system and created so much doubt. I am not saying that is you - as you did not misrepresent your spouse, and then he came and stayed to try and do an inland application - but some
before[/flash] us have. [And I do have an issue with that.]
