Immigration Minister John McCallum

[Officer]

It is time for every spousal sponsor in Canada to raise their voice together:

To lower processing time at the VO offices,
Bring transparency to application files,
Treat every applicant equally,

Every news stating that immigration minister and his entire crews are focused on refugees, which is understandable but if they are shifting entire efforts towards refugees,
Then the processing time for spousal sponsorship will get worse day by day, if we do not wake up now, then soon extra days and months will add to your files.

There are pending taxpayer spousal cases for years that no one cares. we do not want to see these mistreatments for spousal sponsorship...

Regards,
Officer

 

[Beaverdiva]

I have every sympathy for genuine refugees but I am really concerned about the knock-on effect this may have for all of us applying.

I dread our applications being left on the back-burner if the refugee crisis takes precedent over reunification of families applying via Family Class.

I've seen e-petitions on Facebook for a variety of causes..... not sure if this would be a way forward?? just a thought....

 

[mpottier]

Totally Agree. Canada's processing times are embarrassing and soul crushing. Especially for spousal, which there is no reason for except mismanagement, and marriage fraud is essentially non-existent with other developed nations. To give you an idea of how abysmal our system is especially for in-land sponsorship take a look at the competition:

Processing times (Inland)
Canada: 27 months
USA: 11 months
Australia: 6 months
New Zealand: 3 months
UK: 3 weeks (24 hours if you purchase express service)
South Korea: 1 day

Obviously every country has different requirements and hindrances, but processing times are not one of them. Most people don't mind doing extra paper work or providing additional documentation/fees if it means they can start living their life.

 

[Hashipk]

Totally Agree. Canada's processing times are embarrassing and soul crushing. Especially for spousal, which there is no reason for except mismanagement, and marriage fraud is essentially non-existent with other developed nations. To give you an idea of how abysmal our system is especially for in-land sponsorship take a look at the competition:

Processing times (Inland)
Canada: 27 months
USA: 11 months
Australia: 6 months
New Zealand: 3 months
UK: 3 weeks (24 hours if you purchase express service)
South Korea: 1 day

Obviously every country has different requirements and hindrances, but processing times are not one of them. Most people don't mind doing extra paper work or providing additional documentation/fees if it means they can start living their life.

its duty of every sponser to write their local MPs for this.

 

[chhapa]

John should pay attention to spouse visa simultaneously.
there is petition on change.org to speed up spouse immigration in Canada.

 

[anxious2015]

I agree with Hashpik. We all need to contact our MPs. I already did a few weeks ago and was informed they don't know what will happen until they are back in office. I will follow up again soon.

 

[Ponga]

The Inland sponsorship is the Achilles heel of CIC. Their attitude is that the applicant and sponsor are already together in Canada, so what's the hurry?

I expect that most, if not all, resources that are `working' on Inland applications will be shifted to the unrealistic task that has been promised by this new government.

How did they come up with that 25k number by Dec 31st in the first place?

 

[km9203]

This is a tricky topic. Of course I feel sorry for the refugees but at the same time I am going to be selfish and say that I don't want my application (inland) to be pushed even further back. It's already 27 months processing, I would be devastated if it went up by much more. If it did, I may withdraw and apply outland.

 

[Masriixo]

From what I understand, please do not quote me on this but

Each visa office has different officers on different cases. No officers are being transferred to refugee files, but instead they are hiring/ bringing in more immigration officers to work on refugee cases.

In regards to the 25,000 refugees before January, this is a whole different department all together. High risk refugees (elders, widowers, orphans, broken families) are put on top of the file.

Either way, try not to worry but if you are, please by any means advise your MP and he will clarify.

 

[Galano1213]

In regards to the 25,000 refugees before January I think the number is not only unrealistic but a disaster waiting to happen. Where will they live what will they do for money what about health care. The answer we the tax payers will pay for all this for a very very very long time.

 

[Ponga]

IMO, they have broken the cardinal rule of customer service (which is really what the Canadian taxpayers are, their customers) by `Over Promising' something that they will `Under Deliver'.

Not to mention all of the anxious/excited Syrians expecting to be in Canada to celebrate on NYE.

Unless they plan to simply round them up and dump them onto military bases, just to fulfill their campaign promise, while they figure out how to `process' them, I don't see how they can't shift resources (like those working on the Inland applications) to get the work done. After all, the Inland applicant is already here with their loved one, so what's the hurry. What's another [several month] delay, right?

 

[krishnalynn]

As much as it sucks waiting for my application to process, I'm just trying to remember how incredibly lucky I am to be in Canada (waiting...and waiting...and struggling money-wise) with my spouse instead of being worried for my life in a war-torn country. Maybe that can help to think about if this issue keeps you up at night or is too stressful. It's all over the news which doesn't help. It's really hard to believe they'll somehow have the money and manpower to accomplish all of this and not completely bring all other forms of immigration to a grinding halt.

 

[WeeHippieElf]

As much as it sucks waiting for my application to process, I'm just trying to remember how incredibly lucky I am to be in Canada (waiting...and waiting...and struggling money-wise) with my spouse instead of being worried for my life in a war-torn country.

+1 exactly this. i want my husband here more than i've ever wanted anything in my life - but if it's a choice between me being with my husband and another person being, ya know, alive.. it's not a hard choice. and if i have to pay extra taxes to help them, that's a responsibility i will happily undertake as the cost of being lucky enough to be Canadian. and i hope that, if the tables ever turn and we find ourselves needing assistance from other countries, the people of those countries would be just as welcoming as i hope we are to these refugees.

 

[km9203]

As much as it sucks waiting for my application to process, I'm just trying to remember how incredibly lucky I am to be in Canada (waiting...and waiting...and struggling money-wise) with my spouse instead of being worried for my life in a war-torn country. Maybe that can help to think about if this issue keeps you up at night or is too stressful. It's all over the news which doesn't help. It's really hard to believe they'll somehow have the money and manpower to accomplish all of this and not completely bring all other forms of immigration to a grinding halt.

Partner and I had a discussion earlier and we think Canadian family applications should be put first regardless.

Also a colleague of his at work is sponsoring a Syrian couple to come over and they're not likely to be able to come to Canada until end of Spring/Summer 2016 due to all the paperwork etc.

According to CIC website, processing time for refugees applying through Turkey (where a lot of Syrians are) is 45 months if package is complete. How on earth will they be here by December.

 

[Officer]

Everyone in this forum is proudly Canadian and good hearted people, furthermore I am also glad to be among people like you guys, who thinks to give a hand to a needy.

But that does not mean, we should pass years of our life waiting for our spouses, which every minute of it, can not be retrievable. there are spouses who are waiting past four years to start their life.

By all means, Canada must welcome refugees but how is this justifying to decrease refugees processing time and increase spousal sponsorship, CIC has limited resources and funds for 2015, shifting of the resources from one side to another, will cost processing time for every sponsor spouse who wants to start their life as a family.

the conclusion is that if refugees are given importance then spousal sponsorship must be considered too, but no one is talking and if we do not show leadership then I welcome everyone to a waiting game...