I completely agree that your money has been taken and you were not given back what you were promised.
See that application fee which was taken from you on the name of processing the application - since no processing ever took place, that money has to be refunded to you in full asap. That is your right. Canadian Govt. must be forced to return that money back.
Secondly, applicants who waited a decade, paused their lives back at home only in the hopes that their application was being processed - they need to be compensated beyond just the application fee.
Though, to those applicants who are currently employed in your respective countries, i'd say that you are better off. Perhaps you may choose not to believe me. But trying to make a decent living here in Canada, is just a dream. I am in Canada since 2009 - leaving my 50,000Saudi Riyal job in Saudi Arabia - Every day, I doubt my whole decision to move to canada. I came here, did my post graduation and got work - only to get laid off from work due to economic instability. Since then, i'm out of work for the past 6 months or so.
In the Indian, Pakistani, Philipino and Latin communities, there are many who never got even one job. They had to literally change their profession - become a handy man, gardener, taxi driver or try selling houses. Since the economy is down, house sales are down too now.
Its been tough. I know, back home we complain about utility bills. Hmm....dont even ask me about the utility bills here, phone bills, car insurance, house mortgage (rentals for 2 bed rooms around 1400) and other living expenses. Truth is, if you have family of 2-4 persons, its only better to move to Canada if you can get a job with $80,000 annual pay. If not, then its better to stay back in home country. Otherwise, you will be living in Canada, yes....but you will be living miserably. You wont have any life here. You will be living in worst part of the city, your children won't have the quality of life you dreamed of and both husband and wife will be working so many hours that you will literally not see your children.
Canadian immigration - is a kind of a beautiful trap where once you go in, its pretty hard to come back. Whatever i have already spent, in settling in Canada, its difficult to sell everything and then go back again to home country. Just impossible.
Thinking with hindsight, i could have done lot better staying back in middle east and then just returning to my home country. I would have done lot better, instead of just being job less here. I would be lot happier with my family back home, then living here meeting no one for months and months. Just trying to make ends meet.
I wont say that every one has same fate. There are some who are doing awesome, have great life and are living their dreams. But I'm talking about the majority of the immigrants. They are neck deep in bank loans on their houses and cars and they have no way of getting out of it.
In either case - for the applicants whose lives and years have been stolen from them - please make yourself heard. Try to write to few of these places - i wonder if they might hear or do something about it:
Jason Kenney :Minister @ cic.gc.ca
CIC-Media-Relations @ cic.gc.ca
harsha @ resist.ca (ms. harsha walia - a prominent immigrant activist from Vancouver BC always fighting for the rights of immigrants)
Perhaps others can provide emails of prominent journalist who might want to shed a light and we can get some media focus on this issue. Also, there is a huge number of applicants turned down in India, Pakistan and Phillipines. We can ask our local news channels to start some debate over how Canada can simply ruin lives of so many people over a period of decade without any compensation. Let's call the Canadian Consul Officers in our home countries on TV - let's ask them how dare they show us false dreams, take our money and then literally make us slave in Canada. You have destroyed many lives.
If only I could have realized that this Canadian dream is all fake and just a trap to convert me into a life-long debt paying slave.
for the Canadian government as they would not have to return this fees 