Ottawa Moves To Curb Marriages of Convenience

[Stumpedmom]

Hey, I must have not read the article well either cuz I thought it meant the SPONSOR could not re-sponsor! Thanks for clearing that up Charlie! I was about to let my friend know that her situation might be in jeopardy. Will this apply to inland applications?

This will apply to all PR applications, now because when you do an inland application, you have to live together throughout the process, so that time may count towards the times required for a conditional visa...

 

[Mrslwsn]

I see! Well it doesnt apply to me (inland) but I guess thats good news for my friend.

 

[Indigo]

I would like to share with you a 45 minute documentary about immigration fraud:
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/video.html?ID=1646528337
Keep in mind that the couples who are followed in this documentary could very well be genuine, it wouldn't be fair to judge them based on the fact they took part in this documentary.

The stories of people who have been deceived are very real and heartbreaking though. Take the artist and her "husband". The wedding video looks sweet. I would have thought they were genuine based on that. And yet this guy runs off within 3 weeks and somehow manages to rape the system.
Some of these people have "spouses" who run off immediately upon landing and go on welfare. The sponsor has to pay it all back. They become emotionally and financially bankrupt.

Based on this, I'd say a conditional PR would be a barrier to weed out more ill-intended people. It would probably come with a new set of problems, but it might be better what they have now. What they have now does nothing to protect Canadians who make a mistake blinded by love, and to boot it gives genuine spousal immigrants a bad name.

 

[Stumpedmom]

I would like to share with you a 45 minute documentary about immigration fraud:
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyeshowcase/video.html?ID=1646528337
Keep in mind that the couples who are followed in this documentary could very well be genuine, it wouldn't be fair to judge them based on the fact they took part in this documentary.

The stories of people who have been deceived are very real and heartbreaking though. Take the artist and her "husband". The wedding video looks sweet. I would have thought they were genuine based on that. And yet this guy runs off within 3 weeks and somehow manages to rape the system.
Some of these people have "spouses" who run off immediately upon landing and go on welfare. The sponsor has to pay it all back. They become emotionally and financially bankrupt.

Based on this, I'd say a conditional PR would be a barrier to weed out more ill-intended people. It would probably come with a new set of problems, but it might be better what they have now. What they have now does nothing to protect Canadians who make a mistake blinded by love, and to boot it gives genuine spousal immigrants a bad name.

And because of people like that, is why a lot of us agree with the conditional visa, because as of right now, you can show up as a PR and you have all the rights...and its hard to deport without all the appeals which in any court takes years....

This video has been floating around here for a while, and actually has a story of a legit marriage that includes one of our forum members in it....

 

[Indigo]

And because of people like that, is why a lot of us agree with the conditional visa, because as of right now, you can show up as a PR and you have all the rights...and its hard to deport without all the appeals which in any court takes years....

This video has been floating around here for a while, and actually has a story of a legit marriage that includes one of our forum members in it....

My guess is it is Roxanne and/or Abdel. But whoever it was, I admire their courage to agree to be filmed for this documentary, and I hope nobody judged them because they appeared in a documentary that essentially brings up the topic of marriage fraud.

What I don't understand is this: a sponsored spouse is not allowed to go on welfare for the first 3 years. Then how come they even get approved for welfare? And how come nobody even tells the sponsor, who is financially responsible for this mistake? I always thought "not allowed to go on welfare" would mean I would get denied if I applied for welfare. That would be fair, since I have no right for welfare.

 

[Stumpedmom]

The sponsored spouse can go on welfare, but the spouse doing the sponsoring can not be on welfare when approved to sponsor....

They can not tell you because of all of the privacy laws in Canada...it would be breaching the privacy act if they contacted the sponsor about the PA receiving welfare...

Nobody in Ontario anyways...can be denied welfare...even when they get charged with fraud....it is a "right to life" issue...there was a woman a few years ago who got cut off for fraud and died because she had no money to pay for food, and starved to death...after that, they changed the rules...it sux for the rest of us who have to scrape by in order to live and avoid welfare...

 

[Indigo]

Sigh, I'm just glad I'm not a politician...

 

[ccbrasil]

Unfortunately is not fair, and no system is perfect.

I am lucky to have been born in Canada, but my mother met a guy when she was visiting me once time and they started seeing eachother. She went back to our home country and he wanted to persue the relatinship, so this guy, who played the nice guy, even went to my home country to visit, meet the family, etc. He proposed to my mom, and then when my mom and sisters got here, he became abusing, and my mom was terrified of leaving him because he kept saying how he was going to call immigration to tell them she was a fraud, and that they would send her back.

She endured it for 1.5 years, and finally made the choice to leave him, but she has gone through hell and back with both the government and this guy. A lot of people didnt believe her because she didnt have "visible" wounds, and to have a law saying she would have to stay no matter what makes us both sick. I know they say that if the relationship is abusive they would make an exception, but how do you prove that when is verbal, emotional and financial abuse. There are many ways to be abusive and controlling, and is hard to say that theyll be able to control all cases.

On the same token I am sick about all the fake marriages.

I am now married and sponsoring my husband who I met almost 4 years ago, and the process is extremely difficult, long, confusing, but worthwhile because I am going to spend the rest of my life with the person I love, and for people to mess with that makes me furious.

I just hope the government gets it right, and doesn't ignore the people for the economy.