This whole Super visa system either dose not work or proves to be what is categorically a dictionary meaning of openly 'cheating' on applicants, i.e -- promising something, hyping anout it, chanring enormous sums of money for it, and finally not delivering what is promised.
This has been the experience with my parent's super visa.
Here is the overall story:
I usually don't get to see my parent due for many years due to my busy schedule, working for a critical position in an iconic company of Canada.
It was a welcome news when the super visa was announced. So I decided to apply for my parent, for the reason that I would get to spend a little more time than just 6 months on regular visa.
I went through all the multiple steps involved in my parents super visa procesing, including paying 1800$+ in health insurance, waiting for couple of months, providing all of my supporting sponsor documentation intact, faced delays due to whic I had to postpone my parent's visit by one year.
----------------------
Firstly I found that the 10-year visa claim itself is blatantly false. (they will only stamp till the validity of the current Passport, so in my parents case, this was just 5 years !!!.... unlike the US B1/B2 visa which is unconditionally given for 10 years regardless of passport validity date)
----------------------
Finally I convinced my parent to take the pain of traveling (which he was reluctant to do).
I had purchased a return ticket just in case (within 5 months), and because it is easier and cheaper to book for return ticket, and obviously you cant book a return flight ticket 2 years in advance. (which practically was not required because the Super Visa is specifically meant for 2 years stay at a time (not that that was the primary plan).
When my parent arrived, despite all the documentation being in tact and all procedures completed, had to go through the following confusing and frustrating ordeal repeatedly.
At the airport, the immigration official was primarily interested in checking if there was a RETURN FLIGHT TICKET !!!!! (which was actually luckily available for convenience, else probably he would not have even been allowed)
The border official stamped for validity date only till that date of return flight !!!! (this was only 5 months away)
[so despite what was an extensive process to get a visa that is meant for parents to stay for 2 years, and was expected to be a painless process of receiving a parent, the stamping was done for less than the duration allowed for a regular visit visa!!!]
After stamping, just because the immigration official got confused, she sent my parent for further questioning, inside (making the experience less than pleasant for my parent, since my parent obviously dint know the working details of the super visa - obviously because it is processed by the sponsor who was me.)
Then another official questions my parent again and then scribbles and changes the date on the original stamp to extend it to 2 years instead of the 5 month period.
I thought this ordeal was one time and finally over, but it wasn't to be.
My plan was to take my parent to US for a few visits while he was here in Canada.(and why would you not?)
Going to US itself was absolutely painless, with US-I94 stamping straight forward without any cheap bargaining/negotiation or confusion with border guards.
However every time we returned back to Canada, the distasteful ordeal kept repeating as follows:
The CBSA officer at the border mainly asks when my parent is going back [either not knowing what a super visa is meant for, or blatantly refusing to abide by what it stands for, checks for return flight and puts a stamp with validity only till the return flight date.
Consequently on all 3 occasions we went to US and came back, the CBSA officers kept re-stamping based on same validity date till return flight ticket so correspondingly every time, the stamping at border was being done for lesser and lesser duration approaching the return flight date. This time it was stamped only for measely 3 weeks solely based on return flight ticket date 3 weeks away from now.[So where the hell is this 2 years/10 years calim]
Adding insult to injury, seeing the repeated unnecessary duplicate stamps bearing same validity date, this time the CBSA officer got even more confused and basically asked if my parents visa application was rejected before !!!!
--------------------------------
[Based on this and many other of my previous Canada visa processing experiences, It is clear that the way Canadian border system works is - by default treat people as criminals and hooligans, unless you strive to prove otherwise by literally begging for a little bit of respect]
Further to make matters worse, even though my parents US I-94 was valid till February, she forcefully took it away... Why the hell is a Canadian Border officer interested in imposing US entry restriction, when the US border guys have given the I-94 to be used as needed till its validity date?????? [the CBSA seems more interested in processing US- Visa procedures rather than abiding by the Canadian Visa regulations that are set out!!!!!]
All the while these things kept happening, there was not a small amount of respect shown either to me or my parent at the border.
Moreover, there is no specific standard for a given visa procedure, every border guard treats and processes differently, since they themsleves are confused about what procedure to follow.
Come to think of it, the 1800$+ health insurance paid for the super visa itself is totally useless.
you cant use it even once, because if you do you wont get a refund for the unused portion of premium, when your parent goes back.
If you take it to any doctor, he or she will not understand its provisions and will be charged upfront.
Basically a sham !!!
Compare this with the US Visit visa system in general:
There is no hassle in getting US visitor visa when you have all documents and records intact.
It is given as per what is promised: i.e 10 years regardless of your passport validity date.
you get I-94 for 6 months, instead of some return ticket date.(making it flexible and easier for the applicant to revisit if needed, without having to reapply and re-pay and replan everything)
The border guards usually welcome you with pride, respect and compassion towards you as a guest, despite being tough and strong, unlike the whimps that Canadian border guards usually are physically.
there is no extracting of money through health insurance and other such grand schemes etc.
There is no confusion with border guards,
There is a uniform standard procedure and is not arbitrarily changed by border guards at their own wish and will.
-----------------
The feeling one can get is - there is no trusting of any Canadian Visa system claims.
This is not the only example of it. They are basically custom designed to mislead people, extract money, deceive people, make matters worse, and finally waste huge amounts of time and in some cases, waste ones lifetime in misery and confusion.
Please don't fall prey to these grand schemes of deception.
This has been the experience with my parent's super visa.
Here is the overall story:
I usually don't get to see my parent due for many years due to my busy schedule, working for a critical position in an iconic company of Canada.
It was a welcome news when the super visa was announced. So I decided to apply for my parent, for the reason that I would get to spend a little more time than just 6 months on regular visa.
I went through all the multiple steps involved in my parents super visa procesing, including paying 1800$+ in health insurance, waiting for couple of months, providing all of my supporting sponsor documentation intact, faced delays due to whic I had to postpone my parent's visit by one year.
----------------------
Firstly I found that the 10-year visa claim itself is blatantly false. (they will only stamp till the validity of the current Passport, so in my parents case, this was just 5 years !!!.... unlike the US B1/B2 visa which is unconditionally given for 10 years regardless of passport validity date)
----------------------
Finally I convinced my parent to take the pain of traveling (which he was reluctant to do).
I had purchased a return ticket just in case (within 5 months), and because it is easier and cheaper to book for return ticket, and obviously you cant book a return flight ticket 2 years in advance. (which practically was not required because the Super Visa is specifically meant for 2 years stay at a time (not that that was the primary plan).
When my parent arrived, despite all the documentation being in tact and all procedures completed, had to go through the following confusing and frustrating ordeal repeatedly.
At the airport, the immigration official was primarily interested in checking if there was a RETURN FLIGHT TICKET !!!!! (which was actually luckily available for convenience, else probably he would not have even been allowed)
The border official stamped for validity date only till that date of return flight !!!! (this was only 5 months away)
[so despite what was an extensive process to get a visa that is meant for parents to stay for 2 years, and was expected to be a painless process of receiving a parent, the stamping was done for less than the duration allowed for a regular visit visa!!!]
After stamping, just because the immigration official got confused, she sent my parent for further questioning, inside (making the experience less than pleasant for my parent, since my parent obviously dint know the working details of the super visa - obviously because it is processed by the sponsor who was me.)
Then another official questions my parent again and then scribbles and changes the date on the original stamp to extend it to 2 years instead of the 5 month period.
I thought this ordeal was one time and finally over, but it wasn't to be.
My plan was to take my parent to US for a few visits while he was here in Canada.(and why would you not?)
Going to US itself was absolutely painless, with US-I94 stamping straight forward without any cheap bargaining/negotiation or confusion with border guards.
However every time we returned back to Canada, the distasteful ordeal kept repeating as follows:
The CBSA officer at the border mainly asks when my parent is going back [either not knowing what a super visa is meant for, or blatantly refusing to abide by what it stands for, checks for return flight and puts a stamp with validity only till the return flight date.
Consequently on all 3 occasions we went to US and came back, the CBSA officers kept re-stamping based on same validity date till return flight ticket so correspondingly every time, the stamping at border was being done for lesser and lesser duration approaching the return flight date. This time it was stamped only for measely 3 weeks solely based on return flight ticket date 3 weeks away from now.[So where the hell is this 2 years/10 years calim]
Adding insult to injury, seeing the repeated unnecessary duplicate stamps bearing same validity date, this time the CBSA officer got even more confused and basically asked if my parents visa application was rejected before !!!!
--------------------------------
[Based on this and many other of my previous Canada visa processing experiences, It is clear that the way Canadian border system works is - by default treat people as criminals and hooligans, unless you strive to prove otherwise by literally begging for a little bit of respect]
Further to make matters worse, even though my parents US I-94 was valid till February, she forcefully took it away... Why the hell is a Canadian Border officer interested in imposing US entry restriction, when the US border guys have given the I-94 to be used as needed till its validity date?????? [the CBSA seems more interested in processing US- Visa procedures rather than abiding by the Canadian Visa regulations that are set out!!!!!]
All the while these things kept happening, there was not a small amount of respect shown either to me or my parent at the border.
Moreover, there is no specific standard for a given visa procedure, every border guard treats and processes differently, since they themsleves are confused about what procedure to follow.
Come to think of it, the 1800$+ health insurance paid for the super visa itself is totally useless.
you cant use it even once, because if you do you wont get a refund for the unused portion of premium, when your parent goes back.
If you take it to any doctor, he or she will not understand its provisions and will be charged upfront.
Basically a sham !!!
Compare this with the US Visit visa system in general:
There is no hassle in getting US visitor visa when you have all documents and records intact.
It is given as per what is promised: i.e 10 years regardless of your passport validity date.
you get I-94 for 6 months, instead of some return ticket date.(making it flexible and easier for the applicant to revisit if needed, without having to reapply and re-pay and replan everything)
The border guards usually welcome you with pride, respect and compassion towards you as a guest, despite being tough and strong, unlike the whimps that Canadian border guards usually are physically.
there is no extracting of money through health insurance and other such grand schemes etc.
There is no confusion with border guards,
There is a uniform standard procedure and is not arbitrarily changed by border guards at their own wish and will.
-----------------
The feeling one can get is - there is no trusting of any Canadian Visa system claims.
This is not the only example of it. They are basically custom designed to mislead people, extract money, deceive people, make matters worse, and finally waste huge amounts of time and in some cases, waste ones lifetime in misery and confusion.
Please don't fall prey to these grand schemes of deception.
