Hello everyone
My Ecuadorian wife and I are in the process of preparing the sponsorship and application forms to bring her here. The basic 2 forms are simple enough to follow, but the special forms for Latin America are a bit confusing. Apparently, though they are "Canadian forms", they were written in Spanish and then translated to English after, and in some places it really shows. Anyway, we have gleaned a lot of information throughout our ordeals (both as relates to sponsorship and as relates to prior visa attempts), so if anyone has questions relating to Latin America, we might be able to assist. There are some aspects still puzzling us, though, and maybe someone here can help us...
1. The forms say that any documents that are required that are in Spanish must also include a translation into English. That is easy enough to understand, but it doesn't say whether the translations have to be done by a certified translator, and, if so, from which country, Canada or Ecuador. I spoke to a guy at the 1-800 call center for Immigration Canada, and he said that it is "probably" (I hate that word) sufficient to get a translation done that is not by a certified translator. In other words, he said he thought it would be ok if I got a friend who speaks English/Spanish to make a translated document, and then include an affidavit from him/her saying that it is an accurate translation into English, that he is not related to either of us, etc. That would be great, because certified translators are expensive, and we have quite a few documents that need to be translated. BUT... I never really trust those call center guys because a lot of them are idiots and just tell you anything to get you off the phone. I have tried asking specialty immigration lawyers, and they don't know. I have asked the immigration assistants at my MP's office and they don't know. I asked the Canadian Embassy in Ecuador and they don't know. For some reason, the applications regarding Ecuadorians aren't even processed there--they go to Bogota, Colombia. I was advised to call the Canadian Embassy there for this information, but they never answer the phone and the one time they did, the person barely spoke English. Isn't that wonderful for a Canadian Embassy!? Anyway, I digress. I would like to trust the information I received, but am not sure I can. Finally, I see in the forms, that the Police Clearance document must also be translated into English, but in this case, it actually does say that the translation must be certified. Is it safe to assume that because this is the only one that says that, that the others can just be uncertified translations? Or maybe it is just more sloppy English in these Latin American special forms. If anyone actually knows, that would be great.
2. Where photocopies of documents are required (e.g., passport), is black & white sufficient or does it have to be colour? Stupidly, the forms don't actually answer that question.
3. In the sponsorship application, I am required to include some tax documents issued by Revenue Canada or whatever it is called now. The documents have to be for the most recent tax year. Well, that would be 2009, because I haven't done my 2010 taxes yet and don't have to do that for several weeks yet. I don't really feel like doing my taxes, and then waiting for RevCan to send me the 2010 documents, because we are already almost set to send the Immigration application. Technically, as I read the requirement, the most recent tax year would still be 2009. But are they going to send back the whole package because I didn't wait to do and send 2010?
4. Part 1 (sponsorship) gets processed in Mississauga. Then when they approve me, Part 2 (my wife's application) gets processed in Colombia, even though she is from Ecuador. Does that mean that when Immigration finishes deciding Part 1 that they send only Part 2 to Colombia, or do they send the whole thing there (Parts 1 and 2). Because enclosures in Part 1 are also relevant to Part 2, so I am wondering whether we have to duplicate enclosures between the two parts. It would be so much easier if the forms actually answered some of these obvious questions.
5. The medical checks. She has just had them done, and has been advised by the hospital, that she must pay an extra $60 (after the ridiculously expensive cost of the actual tests--expensive because she has to use a Canada-designated hospital--i.e., the most expensive one in her country) so the hospital can courier the test results. But apparently, the test results g to Trinidad & Tobago and then to the Canadian Embassy in Colombia. That one just baffles me.
6. Photographs showing the wedding and the relationship. It says that the photos have to be loose. Does that mean that we can't colour print them to paper? I though colour-printing them would make more sense because then I could write explanations of what they are in the margins. But after reading the instruction to leave photos loose, it has got me wondering. I asked the call center and they were useless as usual. He said that "probably" the idea of requiring Kodak-type developed photos is so that people can't photoshop them. But, as I said to him, Blacks and Kodak and places like that all operate the same these days--you give them a memory stick and they print the photos either traditionally or to paper, whichever you want. In either case you could have photo shopped the digital images first.
7. My wife in Ecuador has all kinds of different identity documents. She has something called a cedula that is similar to our SIN cards here. She also has a census card that is required for most things there. But, I don't see that the forms are requiring her to include photocopies of these cards, or any identifying documents except the passport? Am I correct in this, because, again, parts of the Latin forms are really badly worded and badly explained, and I also know, as regards visas, that not all of the things that they actually want you to include are even mentioned in the instructions and the forms! Oh, and going back to my first question on translations, is it actually necessary to also get the passport translated since it is obviously in Spanish, or is the date on a passport considered self-evident?
If it seems that we are being overly paranoid it is because past experience with visa attempts has made us this way. If ANYTHING at all is deemed to be missing or incorrect, the clowns at Immigration Canada will send the entire application back. It doesn't matter that the application package we sent was 300 pages and is said to be missing 1 page. They send it ALL back! Trust me on this. And then you end up paying the courier cost all over again ($150 for us), and then if you are really lucky, they deny the application anyway. So again, if anybody actually has good answers to any of these questions, that would be much appreciated.
Cheers
C
My Ecuadorian wife and I are in the process of preparing the sponsorship and application forms to bring her here. The basic 2 forms are simple enough to follow, but the special forms for Latin America are a bit confusing. Apparently, though they are "Canadian forms", they were written in Spanish and then translated to English after, and in some places it really shows. Anyway, we have gleaned a lot of information throughout our ordeals (both as relates to sponsorship and as relates to prior visa attempts), so if anyone has questions relating to Latin America, we might be able to assist. There are some aspects still puzzling us, though, and maybe someone here can help us...
1. The forms say that any documents that are required that are in Spanish must also include a translation into English. That is easy enough to understand, but it doesn't say whether the translations have to be done by a certified translator, and, if so, from which country, Canada or Ecuador. I spoke to a guy at the 1-800 call center for Immigration Canada, and he said that it is "probably" (I hate that word) sufficient to get a translation done that is not by a certified translator. In other words, he said he thought it would be ok if I got a friend who speaks English/Spanish to make a translated document, and then include an affidavit from him/her saying that it is an accurate translation into English, that he is not related to either of us, etc. That would be great, because certified translators are expensive, and we have quite a few documents that need to be translated. BUT... I never really trust those call center guys because a lot of them are idiots and just tell you anything to get you off the phone. I have tried asking specialty immigration lawyers, and they don't know. I have asked the immigration assistants at my MP's office and they don't know. I asked the Canadian Embassy in Ecuador and they don't know. For some reason, the applications regarding Ecuadorians aren't even processed there--they go to Bogota, Colombia. I was advised to call the Canadian Embassy there for this information, but they never answer the phone and the one time they did, the person barely spoke English. Isn't that wonderful for a Canadian Embassy!? Anyway, I digress. I would like to trust the information I received, but am not sure I can. Finally, I see in the forms, that the Police Clearance document must also be translated into English, but in this case, it actually does say that the translation must be certified. Is it safe to assume that because this is the only one that says that, that the others can just be uncertified translations? Or maybe it is just more sloppy English in these Latin American special forms. If anyone actually knows, that would be great.
2. Where photocopies of documents are required (e.g., passport), is black & white sufficient or does it have to be colour? Stupidly, the forms don't actually answer that question.
3. In the sponsorship application, I am required to include some tax documents issued by Revenue Canada or whatever it is called now. The documents have to be for the most recent tax year. Well, that would be 2009, because I haven't done my 2010 taxes yet and don't have to do that for several weeks yet. I don't really feel like doing my taxes, and then waiting for RevCan to send me the 2010 documents, because we are already almost set to send the Immigration application. Technically, as I read the requirement, the most recent tax year would still be 2009. But are they going to send back the whole package because I didn't wait to do and send 2010?
4. Part 1 (sponsorship) gets processed in Mississauga. Then when they approve me, Part 2 (my wife's application) gets processed in Colombia, even though she is from Ecuador. Does that mean that when Immigration finishes deciding Part 1 that they send only Part 2 to Colombia, or do they send the whole thing there (Parts 1 and 2). Because enclosures in Part 1 are also relevant to Part 2, so I am wondering whether we have to duplicate enclosures between the two parts. It would be so much easier if the forms actually answered some of these obvious questions.
5. The medical checks. She has just had them done, and has been advised by the hospital, that she must pay an extra $60 (after the ridiculously expensive cost of the actual tests--expensive because she has to use a Canada-designated hospital--i.e., the most expensive one in her country) so the hospital can courier the test results. But apparently, the test results g to Trinidad & Tobago and then to the Canadian Embassy in Colombia. That one just baffles me.
6. Photographs showing the wedding and the relationship. It says that the photos have to be loose. Does that mean that we can't colour print them to paper? I though colour-printing them would make more sense because then I could write explanations of what they are in the margins. But after reading the instruction to leave photos loose, it has got me wondering. I asked the call center and they were useless as usual. He said that "probably" the idea of requiring Kodak-type developed photos is so that people can't photoshop them. But, as I said to him, Blacks and Kodak and places like that all operate the same these days--you give them a memory stick and they print the photos either traditionally or to paper, whichever you want. In either case you could have photo shopped the digital images first.
7. My wife in Ecuador has all kinds of different identity documents. She has something called a cedula that is similar to our SIN cards here. She also has a census card that is required for most things there. But, I don't see that the forms are requiring her to include photocopies of these cards, or any identifying documents except the passport? Am I correct in this, because, again, parts of the Latin forms are really badly worded and badly explained, and I also know, as regards visas, that not all of the things that they actually want you to include are even mentioned in the instructions and the forms! Oh, and going back to my first question on translations, is it actually necessary to also get the passport translated since it is obviously in Spanish, or is the date on a passport considered self-evident?
If it seems that we are being overly paranoid it is because past experience with visa attempts has made us this way. If ANYTHING at all is deemed to be missing or incorrect, the clowns at Immigration Canada will send the entire application back. It doesn't matter that the application package we sent was 300 pages and is said to be missing 1 page. They send it ALL back! Trust me on this. And then you end up paying the courier cost all over again ($150 for us), and then if you are really lucky, they deny the application anyway. So again, if anybody actually has good answers to any of these questions, that would be much appreciated.
Cheers
C
What you want to do is follow the general checklist and then look at the region specific one to see what to add on top of your application.