Mexico

[bttmntl]

Depressing CBC story on the status of this.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/08/20/pol-foreign-service-bad-faith-complaint-hearing.html

 

[costacro]

Awww Wow I really hope my husband doesn't have to redo the medicals they are good till november so I hope something happens till then. I haven't seen him in 4 months now driving me nuts :'( Have you not seen him since last year??

Yeah i hope so for you. Although my husband was lucky to have completed his meds the first time since we heard that sometimes there are "mistakes" with medicals when you go to the doctors and you have to pay. Its all a big money pit. My daughter and I were with my huband for 6 months in his country and we came back in march. Hoping the process was going to be faster now its been 6 months since we seen him and im stuck here now since i dont get much vacation at work and i need to work to support all of us.


And they keep sendig the link to the cic site where it says Strike Action. Basically saying the strike is the reason were moving as fast as snails

 

[Nell1236]

My husband's medical certificate is going to expire at the end of this month. If we have to redo it, of course there will be yet another delay, not to mention the cost of going to Mexico City and the cost of the medical.

But why would we have to redo them when the delay caused by the foreign service workers themselves?

Any opinions?

 

[costacro]

My husband's medical certificate is going to expire at the end of this month. If we have to redo it, of course there will be yet another delay, not to mention the cost of going to Mexico City and the cost of the medical.

But why would we have to redo them when the delay caused by the foreign service workers themselves?

Any opinions?

Yeah thats why i was so pissed off because if it wasnt for the strike we wouldnt have to re do the medical of course the cost and or my husband the capital city is 7 hrs away by bus. But there is another thread on the site that talks about the fact that the meds can me internally extended if thats the only thing keeping the visa officer from issuing the visa And they have 15 months since the meds were done to do that. Regardless i wouldnt do anything until the VO asks for it

 

[Nell1236]

I'm posting this here because I think it's time we protest this kind of thing in public. This is nepotism pure and simple.

Here's the link to the article from which the note below is quoted: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/many-international-students-still-waiting-for-visas-to-study-in-canada/article13947335/'/

"....worried she might not make it to McGill in time, and considered the American University in Cairo as a backup plan. Luckily, her father had a contact in Cairo’s Canadian embassy whom he pressed for help, securing her a visa just last week."

Hello, we'd like to jump the queue too! Where do we apply for this special treatment? Apparently not available in Mexico.

 

[nanediniz]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/09/13/pol-public-foreign-service-workers.html

http://www.embassynews.ca/news/2013/09/13/labour-board-denies-striking-diplomat-unions-call-for-arbitration/44455

 

[mark_kar]

Hello All

My wife and I were at the Canadian Embassy here in Mexico City Sept 12.

We were there to protest. We were standing outside the Embassy gate. I was handing out flyers to those entering and leaving and my wife was holding a poster saying "CANADA IMMIGRATION TEARS FAMILIES APART"

Here is some inside information we were able to extract from Mexican embassy workers-

Permanent Visa are essentially on hold. PAFSO members show up and do nothing or very little as part of thier work to rule campaign. Because most of the Mexican nationals working there are not properly trained to work on PR Visa, very little or nothing is being done . The bulk of PR Visa processing are done by the PAFSO members who are probably drinking coffee all day.

This explains the reason why many of you heard nothing in two months or more. I my case, my wifes file has been sitting dormant since April due (I suspect) to the deliberate delay tactics by the union.

Immigration Canada knew this strike was coming. Here was their strategy

LETS PUSH OUT TEMP VISAs AS FAST AS WE CAN. LETS IGNORE PERMANENT RESIDENCE VISA

So Temp Visa are marginally affected because Mexican Nations working there continue to process them while PR
Visa has essentially stopped.

By reading your posts, I can see many of you are frustrated. I am beyond angry.

I am planning to visit the embassy in about a week or so. I plan to launch another protest.

I also plan to notify the press.


I will give the details on a later post shortly.

Thanks Mark Kar

 

[agarand8]

Wow. That is so depressing. I think your statement that you made in your post a few weeks ago is probably right in that they have Mexicans working in there right now. It doesnt make sense with a strike situation to process only temporarys, it would hurt the government more to leave the temps, particularly temp workers visas. It doesnt hurt anyone to process the permanent resident visas! What the hell? But if these are mexican nationals working on govt orders then it does make sense that they would fast track the temps. Unfortunately. I think they should go back to work, the strikers, because they would have more of an effect to be at work and refusing to process temp visas.

The situation does not look good anyways. Hopefully they can resolve it quickly. I will send my application to mississauga in a few weeks and so the application can be expected to be sent to Mexico sometime in November.

Can anyone tell me how it affects the processing times if I am a canadian citizen living exclusively outside of Canada. I moved to Costa Rica 5 months ago to get married and finally be with my husband after 2 years of long distance and I am planning to stay here with him until his residency is approved but I had a friend told me that it will take them significantly longer to process the application because we are currently together. Is this true?

 

[nanediniz]

I doesn't make a difference if you're living inside or outside Canada. But at the end of the process they'll ask you for proof you're returning.
Processing times will be the same.

 

[agarand8]

I doesn't make a difference if you're living inside or outside Canada. But at the end of the process they'll ask you for proof you're returning.
Processing times will be the same.

Thanks nanediniz, kind of what I thought. Proof that I am returning is no problemo, already have it and will submit it with the initial application.

 

[bttmntl]

Hello All

My wife and I were at the Canadian Embassy here in Mexico City Sept 12.

We were there to protest. We were standing outside the Embassy gate. I was handing out flyers to those entering and leaving and my wife was holding a poster saying "CANADA IMMIGRATION TEARS FAMILIES APART"

Here is some inside information we were able to extract from Mexican embassy workers-

Permanent Visa are essentially on hold. PAFSO members show up and do nothing or very little as part of thier work to rule campaign. Because most of the Mexican nationals working there are not properly trained to work on PR Visa, very little or nothing is being done . The bulk of PR Visa processing are done by the PAFSO members who are probably drinking coffee all day.

This explains the reason why many of you heard nothing in two months or more. I my case, my wifes file has been sitting dormant since April due (I suspect) to the deliberate delay tactics by the union.

Immigration Canada knew this strike was coming. Here was their strategy

LETS PUSH OUT TEMP VISAs AS FAST AS WE CAN. LETS IGNORE PERMANENT RESIDENCE VISA

So Temp Visa are marginally affected because Mexican Nations working there continue to process them while PR
Visa has essentially stopped.

By reading your posts, I can see many of you are frustrated. I am beyond angry.

I am planning to visit the embassy in about a week or so. I plan to launch another protest.

I also plan to notify the press.


I will give the details on a later post shortly.

Thanks Mark Kar

Where did you get your information? Did the workers explicitly tell you they haven't been doing anything? Because I've seen PR processing activity since the strike started... in fact, 2 months ago we were asked for another document. So it seems really slow, but not completely stopped.

 

[Nell1236]

To Mark-kar - I'm curious, did you actually see any Canadians/non-Mexicans go into the building? As I said before, the only people my husband saw when he was inside the Embassy for four (!) hours were Mexicans. It's a strange setup there.

The whole business of shifting their focus to temporary visas (for tourists, students and business people) is maddening. And thank you for making the effort to do what you did. I'd go further and say they tear lives apart; I know they have wasted 4 of ours.

To bttmntl: all you have to do is call the Embassy, or get your MP to call, and you'll be told they aren't working on the PR visas, because of the strike. That's what they said over a month ago. It may be that the odd thing was sent out if it had already been decided, or if the paperwork was ready on an AOR as in our case in June, but it appears that no new decisions are being made, sadly.

Thank you Nanediniz & bttmntl for the links. Very depressing - PAFSO won its case with the Labour Board and now the government will appeal the decision, indirectly asserting that it has no intention of negotiating and every intention of delaying further. The Labour Board could have avoided this by forcing them back to the table, so cowardly not to have done so and it's maddening that the journalists don't touch the topic of spouses and families, or the fees.

 

[agarand8]

Thank you Nanediniz & bttmntl for the links. Very depressing - PAFSO won its case with the Labour Board and now the government will appeal the decision, indirectly asserting that it has no intention of negotiating and every intention of delaying further. The Labour Board could have avoided this by forcing them back to the table, so cowardly not to have done so and it's maddening that the journalists don't touch the topic of spouses and families, or the fees.

I completely agree! I was reading the latest article today which was talking about all of the sad people whose temporary visas are getting delayed. I don't get it... wouldn't talking about families being torn apart and such be a better story from a journalists point of view? Oh wait, I forgot, government controls media...welcome to the beginning of 1984.

 

[mark_kar]

Hello All

I answer to some of your questions

Yes PR activity has essentially stopped. I mean by this activity has slowed significantly but not stopped entirely.

Again the PAFSO members are on work to rule which means they intentionally delay or work when they feel like it so we may seem some PR processing done.

o Mark-kar - I'm curious, did you actually see any Canadians/non-Mexicans go into the building?

We did not see the Canadians enter the general public access. This access brings you to a secure area were attendants (Mexican Embassy workers) address public inquires through thick glass windows. My wife and I protested at this access gate.

PAFSO members (Canadians) work in the Offices (I think on the 6 floor). The access to these offices are through a subterranean parking garage. Most PAFSO members drive their cars (provided by your tax dollars) park and enter the offices.

I stood at parking ramp watching cars enter and leave the garage looking for Canadian embassy vehicles. We did see an embassy vehicle leave the garage so yes Canadians are leaving and entering the Embassy.

We should all be outraged!

Why are striking workers allowed to enter the Embassy? Who is running the place?

Canadians are supporting this Embassy not to mention the salaries of PAFSO members and we are being treated like garbage.

Again I appeal to all of you affected

Notify your MP and in strong terms demand that the Minister (Chris Alexander) do something
Email the CIC email and demand the Minister do something Minister@cic.gc.ca
If you are in Mexico City visit the VO office and demand a schedule as to when approx your PR will be ready. If you have
been waiting for 10 months or more you have a right to know (strike or no strike). If they refuse demand to speak to a PAFSO officer or someone in charge.

The office should be accountable to Canadians so don't be intimidated by the attendants. Tell them you want to speak to a Canadian (for heavens sake there has to be at least one Canadian Citizen in a Canadian Embassy).

This all may sound like heavy stuff but unfortunately CIC has intentionally given Canadian families last priority. Unless something is done
waiting times for family members will only increase beyond already unreasonable wait times.

I will be planning another protest shorty. I will be posting the details on another thread. If you are in Mexico City and you are affected by all this please notify me.

Thanks Mark Kar

 

[Nell1236]

PAFSO members (Canadians) work in the Offices (I think on the 6 floor). The access to these offices are through a subterranean parking garage. Most PAFSO members drive their cars (provided by your tax dollars) park and enter the offices.
[....]

Why are striking workers allowed to enter the Embassy? Who is running the place?

Canadians are supporting this Embassy not to mention the salaries of PAFSO members and we are being treated like garbage.

As I've said elsewhere, we did not see a single Canadian at the Mexican Embassy, my husband was kept waiting from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and I was in the waiting are you mentioned from 12 on. BUT I didn't know there was a different access by car (at taxpayers' expense). I'd like to see the phantoms on the 6th floor.

As to who is running the place? I can tell you that: her name is Mrs. Davila. She's been there for 20 odd years and there are many people who think it's more than time for her to be gone. The first interviewer sent my husband to be interrogated by her and she is a tough old bird.