Think in general there needs to be a lot more explaining. Don't think most people sponsoring parents realize that they will need to pay for their bed if they need long term care. Canadians have their various pensions go to longterm care to cover the cost but many families would not be able to afford around a thousand dollars a month. In general Canadians would be shocked at what is covered and not covered if a family member gets sick for a long time or just gets older. Families end up having to pay for wheelchairs or hospital beds, extra nursing or personal support workers, etc.
Undeclared marriage
- Thread starter daldalmo
- Start date
Yep, that's been my experience with my friends and mom as well. We're past the seven month mark now and she's getting impatient and asking what's taking so long, and it's just funny to me because people really have no idea. And Canada is quite lenient in some ways, too.
I guess people either fumble through it or go all out. My wife is very seriously suggesting I should look into becoming an immigration consultant by the time this is all said and done so I guess I know which side I'm on, lol.
But really, if anyone reading can take one thing away from it is that researching and being prepared gives you a peace of mind. Go into any thread and you'll see nervous people anxiously refreshing their statuses and waiting on updates, asking for reassurance, etc. I've probably logged into my account less than ten times in these seven months - when I got emails with requests, to check on my medical exam status and periodically to see if any status of any step has changed. I can honestly say that I don't think about my personal application in the sense of being worried or scared or biting my nails over whether I messed something up or will I be approved or anything. Not at all. I started looking into it three years prior and we intensely prepared the app for about three months prior to sending (and printing different versions, yes haha). I knew what to expect, I knew the steps and the timelines.
There is always a possibility of something going wrong - there are a lot of horror stories in the appeals thread. But when you do everything in your power to minimize that possibility to the point that it's out of your hands, then you can really just relax and not worry about it. And that means a lot when these processes go on for as long as they do.
Think people have an unrealistic impression that there is a staff member dedicated to processing their application as soon as possible. Although it may be their #! priority there are tons of people applying for various forms of immigrations and visas. In general Canada is pretty fast and very lenient although it may be tough to get a visitor visas for many.
With all the things you learn along the way, a career as an immigration consultant isn’t a bad idea!
Even with the best plan, preparation, and care taken to complete the application, there’s always a chance you could make an honest mistake. In that case, I think you just have to accept it, correct it and deal with any processing delays. We’re all human, we make mistakes sometimes.
What’s been the main cause of the issues in the appeal thread you’ve seen? I’ll have to check it out, I’m curious as to why some applications are declined and how they’re appealed.
I've seen a lot of refusals for people from cultures where wedding ceremonies are complicated and very important. If people leave out some of it (to do later with more family or whatever else), there's a risk officers won't see it as a genuine marriage, for example. Very fast marriages, after one year or less of dating, relationships with a big age difference (I've seen some with 30+ years difference get approved as well, though), lack of a common language both are proficient at, not giving enough or satisfactory proof, etc.
But there's sadly definitely a trend - those from non visa exempt third world countries have a much harder time. It's not that often that someone from the US or Germany gets rejected, especially for a bogus reason, you know? The thread is mostly populated with people from Africa, south Asia, and the Middle East. It seems there's also cultural gaps at play - officers want to see A, but culturally that A never happens so then what, etc.
There was a really infuriating story a few weeks ago where someone from the Middle East got refused because the officer saw on their pictures that the lady was wearing the ring on the wrong hand and that made her think the marriage wasn't genuine. Only all of those pictures were selfies and selfies mirror the image when you take it. It happened in an interview and they take your phone away so the lady wasn't able to show the officer that mirroring effect. She asked if she could bring in her phone, but nope. And so they got refused.
The system works well and as it should for the most part. But like with anything else, there are those who fall through the cracks on both sides - I'm sure there's people who managed to game the system and there's also people in genuine relationships that have to appeal rejections.
Wow. That’s very eye opening. Quite a sad read too, considering it seems some of those refusals were genuine marriages but the applicants couldn’t seem to convince the IRCC officer of it being genuine. Must be heartbreaking for them.
You’re right about the 3rd world/visa required countries. I always assumed the rates of refusal for these countries would be higher, with a greater risk of fraud, and that would be why they need visas to just travel for tourism. As an EU national born after its establishment, free movement is all I’ve ever known. My passports barely had any stamps in them, as most of travel has been within EU nations. Even to non-EU countries, I never realized just how easy we had it for travel. No consular visits for travel documents, no visa’s needed in advance. Just board the plane and turn up. I definitely appreciate that freedom and convenience more now I’m older and wiser.
I think I read on here too that often marriages aren’t scrutinized as much when the couple has children together. It’s like the fact the couple had children validated the marriage and they’re not investigated as deeply, because the couple must be genuine and committed if they’ve started a family together. I would guess most of the refusals based on the marriage not being genuine is for couples who have not started a family together yet.
Heh, I'm an EU national, but my country entered when I was 21 so I've seen both sides of the coin. I've never had to get a visa though, since even before we were visa exempt from a lot of places. There was definitely a difference before and after - I would travel often to Germany and there were questions and scrutiny. After you just walk through and not worry about it one bit. The EU is really amazing when it comes to these things and these benefits extend beyond it, like you said.
You'd be surprised at how many people in that thread have children. It's because of the whole "anchor babies" idea. I don't know, it's difficult to judge hearing only one side of the story, but some of the stories in there really can be pretty infuriating, if true. I think all of us that are visa exempt should really count our blessings in the end.