This is something I've wondered about for a long time and I'm certain has also been on other peoples minds as months and sometimes years go by for husbands and wives living in other countries due to what seem like very excessive wait times. What is it about approving things that takes so much time?
In Canada us Sponsors have a relatively easy time. Our paperwork is short and quite uncomplicated. If we need something we make a quick phone call to the appropriate government office and it's in our mail box a couple of days later. We are trusted and in pretty much every case a simple photocopy of our original documents is good enough. I think in most cases us sponsors are approved very quickly, and then things are passed onto the spouses country where in many cases it can take from one year and up for a visa to finally be issued.
I can only speak for my own experience with a Filipina. I was blown away with how everything there has to be some sort of special authenticated government document, Marriage certificates, annulment or death certificates (no divorce in the Philippines) police certificates from all the places a person's lived, FBI clearances if your spouse has ever been in the US for more than 6 months, etc, etc, .... which to me begs the question, ... if these documents are government authenticated, and I'm sure the CIC officers must have a good eye for something authentic vs. something made up on a home computer, why is it not as easy as going down a check list and just checking off that everything is there and authentic, .. looking at the proofs of relationship, family etc, and stamping it approved (if all of the documents and paperwork ad up)?
To the average person like myself who marries outside Canada I think that's what we expect, because it just doesn't seem like it should be all that complicated.
I'll admit I've really gotten upset with having my wife kept from me for so long (15 months and counting so far since our documents were sent in) and I've even blown off steam at my local MP's office, Jason Kenney's office, and yes even Stephen Harper's office over how long a spousal process takes. Unfortunately one voice does very little as far as changing things.
A few bad apples have spoiled it for countless couples who should be living together soon after marriage.
The best and most exciting time in any couples relationship is after they're married and that's something this entire process strips from them, because you're straight out of the ecstasy of having a new wife or husband and straight into the stress of wondering if and when they'll actually be allowed to live with you.
In Canada us Sponsors have a relatively easy time. Our paperwork is short and quite uncomplicated. If we need something we make a quick phone call to the appropriate government office and it's in our mail box a couple of days later. We are trusted and in pretty much every case a simple photocopy of our original documents is good enough. I think in most cases us sponsors are approved very quickly, and then things are passed onto the spouses country where in many cases it can take from one year and up for a visa to finally be issued.
I can only speak for my own experience with a Filipina. I was blown away with how everything there has to be some sort of special authenticated government document, Marriage certificates, annulment or death certificates (no divorce in the Philippines) police certificates from all the places a person's lived, FBI clearances if your spouse has ever been in the US for more than 6 months, etc, etc, .... which to me begs the question, ... if these documents are government authenticated, and I'm sure the CIC officers must have a good eye for something authentic vs. something made up on a home computer, why is it not as easy as going down a check list and just checking off that everything is there and authentic, .. looking at the proofs of relationship, family etc, and stamping it approved (if all of the documents and paperwork ad up)?
To the average person like myself who marries outside Canada I think that's what we expect, because it just doesn't seem like it should be all that complicated.
I'll admit I've really gotten upset with having my wife kept from me for so long (15 months and counting so far since our documents were sent in) and I've even blown off steam at my local MP's office, Jason Kenney's office, and yes even Stephen Harper's office over how long a spousal process takes. Unfortunately one voice does very little as far as changing things.
A few bad apples have spoiled it for countless couples who should be living together soon after marriage.
The best and most exciting time in any couples relationship is after they're married and that's something this entire process strips from them, because you're straight out of the ecstasy of having a new wife or husband and straight into the stress of wondering if and when they'll actually be allowed to live with you.
