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Should I attend Interview

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newboy

Guest
Hello I am a PR of Canada and I have sponsored my wife and child from Guyana. My wife has an interview date for this mth and I am not sure if I should accompany her and the baby or not. I know I dont technically have to attend, but I just want to know if it makes a difference. Would it help making it easy for my wife to get through or would add douths to the interviewer why i did not attend.
Any ideas or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Alvin
 

mitamata

Hero Member
Nov 21, 2008
740
11
Category........
Visa Office......
Vienna
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
16-02-2009
AOR Received.
27-03-2009
Med's Done....
03-12-2008
Passport Req..
29-04-2009
VISA ISSUED...
06-05-2009
LANDED..........
27-07-2009
More often than not (that's the impression I got anyway), the applicant attends the interview without the sponsor. Usually for practical reasons - the sponsor is far away and it would cost too much. So if you didn't go with your wife, I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue, especially if it's because you are in Canada. As a PR, you should maintain residence in Canada to sponsor someone.

Sponsors who do come with the applicant are more often than not ignored though. Even if you go with her, you will not be allowed to attend the interview - you will be left outside the room where the interview will take place. And you probably will not get to answer any questions yourself.
If there is doubt about whether or not the relationship is genuine, the doubt is usually on the applicant, not the sponsor so it's the applicant that has to defend themselves. While you showing up might confirm to the IO that you are committed to this relationship, it's likely that the doubt was never on that.

I think the biggest benefit of you going would be the emotional support for your wife. The interview is a very stressful experience, no matter the circumstances and can help to have someone there to lend their shoulder. So if you can without much difficulty, I would go with her.
On the other hand, if I had to attend an interview, I wouldn't expect my husband to come - I would rather the $1000+ that he would have to spend to get there was spent more efficiently.

If you don't go though, be sure to be available by the phone during the interview. Not sure about your wife's visa office, but some others have called the sponsor by phone during the interview to answer some questions and it's better to be available than not. Your wife can tell them you wanted to come but could not, but you are available to talk to if needed.
 

canadianwoman

VIP Member
Nov 6, 2009
6,211
291
Category........
Visa Office......
Accra, Ghana
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
30-01-2008
Interview........
05-05-2009
If you're in Canada, you are not expected to attend the interview, and the visa officer won't hold it against you if you're not there.
In my case, I was visiting my husband when he was called for an interview, so I went with him to the embassy. I had to wait outside, but after about two hours, the visa officer called me in and interviewed me too (my husband had to wait outside.) His application was rejected because the visa officer didn't believe it was a genuine relationship. My lawyer told me it would probably have been better if I had stayed at the hotel - she said it is highly unlikely they would have called me, and if they only interview one spouse, there is no chance of contradictions.
 
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toby

Champion Member
Sep 29, 2009
1,671
105
Category........
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Hong Kong
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Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
November 2009
Med's Done....
October 2009 and 15 April 2011
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4 April 2011
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4 April 2011
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7 July 2011
LANDED..........
15 July 2011
Canadianwoman:

How did things eventually work out? Did your spouse finally get the visa?
 

Ha Nguyen

Star Member
Nov 9, 2009
75
0
Edmonton
Visa Office......
Hong Kong
Job Offer........
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App. Filed.......
Sep 2011
Doc's Request.
Nov 2016
AOR Received.
Feb 2017
File Transfer...
Mar-2017
Hi Mitamata,

My case, they said that "Your sponsor MAY also attend". What do they mean? We think that if he goes with me to the interview, it would be better to prove your relationship is genuine. I dont know how they dont let my husband inside the interview room with me?
He has to flight from Edmonton to New York and I have to flight from California to there in winter time. He worries that I will get lost and he wants to take care of me.
Do you have any good advices for me? Or should he go to New York with me and stay in hotel? does it make sense?

Thanks,
H
 

Suin

VIP Member
Sep 14, 2008
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Ontario, Canada
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may doesn't mean must. I think it's better for a spouse to stay in hotel or outside of visa office, just in case - as they say, it's better safe than sorry.
 

Ha Nguyen

Star Member
Nov 9, 2009
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Edmonton
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Hong Kong
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Sep 2011
Doc's Request.
Nov 2016
AOR Received.
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Mar-2017
Hi Suin, I think it's a good idea for the sponsor not to show up at the interview.
I dont think it's a problem with them. But if my sponsor stay in hotel, should we let them know about that?
 

Suin

VIP Member
Sep 14, 2008
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Ontario, Canada
Category........
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CIC Etobocoke, H&C Grounds
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Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
24-03-2014
File Transfer...
31-07-2014
Med's Request
09-12-2014
LANDED..........
24-02-2015, PR Card Received: 02-04-2015
I cannot advise to be untruthful with them, just say nothing if they do not ask. they didn't mention that the sponsor's presence is necessary at the interview, so they might ask nothing about him.
 

gts02

Member
Jan 5, 2010
12
1
Category........
Visa Office......
Tokyo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
My partner had her interview yesterday. I happened to be in Japan for the Christmas holidays and I went along with her for support. It turned out that it was good that I went because after they interview her they called me in to ask questions as well. The VO was really nice about the whole thing and was glad that I went too because it cleared a lot of unanswered questions that my partner couldn't answer. It turned out really well and we are just waiting on the Police Clearance (which we won't have until the 14th of this month).

Hope this can help!! :)
 

homesoon

Star Member
Nov 27, 2009
185
4
Toronto
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Hi everyone, alright.. so we just had our interview booked. I'm in Canada and my husband is not. the letter clearly stated that the interview is for him only.
I asked my lawyer and he said that if at all possible, I should attend. Even if they don't allow me in the room - if anything goes wrong and they deny our case, the fact that I attended and wouldn't be heard would help a lot during the appeal. So it's more of a 'looking-forward' thing.

Just a different approach...

homesoon
 

Ha Nguyen

Star Member
Nov 9, 2009
75
0
Edmonton
Visa Office......
Hong Kong
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
Sep 2011
Doc's Request.
Nov 2016
AOR Received.
Feb 2017
File Transfer...
Mar-2017
gts02 said:
My partner had her interview yesterday. I happened to be in Japan for the Christmas holidays and I went along with her for support. It turned out that it was good that I went because after they interview her they called me in to ask questions as well. The VO was really nice about the whole thing and was glad that I went too because it cleared a lot of unanswered questions that my partner couldn't answer. It turned out really well and we are just waiting on the Police Clearance (which we won't have until the 14th of this month).

Hope this can help!! :)
Hi,
Thank you for your valuable information. As me and my husband are worried about the attending of the sponsor to the interview.
We are going to have interview in Feb, could you pls share with me about what they ask both of you about?
how long did it take for the interview? Can you tell me something more about your case?

thank you
 

gts02

Member
Jan 5, 2010
12
1
Category........
Visa Office......
Tokyo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Ha Nguyen said:
Hi,
Thank you for your valuable information. As me and my husband are worried about the attending of the sponsor to the interview.
We are going to have interview in Feb, could you pls share with me about what they ask both of you about?
how long did it take for the interview? Can you tell me something more about your case?

thank you
We applied under Conjugal Relationship. My partner is Brasilian who lives in Japan. We have been together for 3 years and I have come to Japan to visit her and her son every 4 to 6 months. We have been both previously married and divorced. We both speak the same language.
They wanted to know why we never married. That's was the biggest purpose of the interview. We explained why. They asked her questions about my job (wages, what my position is, job discription), my family (my parents, my children, what happened to my previous marriage). How the relationship developed. Basically normal things that any couple should know about eachother. We went into the interview not knowing what to expect and it went well because we know eachother very well and my partner and I converse twice a day on MSN or by phone. If your relationship is genuine and you know your partner well enough you should be OK. But there could also be something more specific in your case too. Everybodies case is different depending on the circumstances.
I only went with her to the interview to give her moral support. I never thought that they were going to call me in after her interview and interview me. I was caught off guard. They interviewed us seperately. They provided her with a Japanese interpreter.
She was in the interview for about an hour and I was for about half hour. The Visa Officer conducting the interview made the interview very confortable for both of us.
Hope this can help!! :)
 
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Ha Nguyen

Star Member
Nov 9, 2009
75
0
Edmonton
Visa Office......
Hong Kong
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
Sep 2011
Doc's Request.
Nov 2016
AOR Received.
Feb 2017
File Transfer...
Mar-2017
Thanks so much. we are getting ready for it now.
 

canadianwoman

VIP Member
Nov 6, 2009
6,211
291
Category........
Visa Office......
Accra, Ghana
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
30-01-2008
Interview........
05-05-2009
toby said:
Canadianwoman:

How did things eventually work out? Did your spouse finally get the visa?
No. He was rejected and we are appealing, but appeals take a long time.
I think the interview is just like every other aspect of the immigration application process: in some cases, going to the interview with your spouse will turn out to be a good thing, and in other cases it won't. So much depends on the visa officer. Going at least shows you were with your spouse, which in case of an appeal would be good, so I say go to the interview with your spouse.