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US seems friendlier to foreign spouses than Canada....

S_and_C

Star Member
Apr 12, 2015
133
1
Ottawa, Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
Manila, Philippines
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
June 11, 2016 (recd June 13 by CIC)
AOR Received.
June 30, 2016
File Transfer...
SA: August 11, 2016
Med's Done....
Up Front: May 5, 2016
Passport Req..
not yet
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not yet
LANDED..........
not yet
Hi,

Just wondering if this topic has been covered here on the forum or elsewhere. There doesn't seem to be much on the CIC website under the Facts and Figures page either. What I would like to know is the statistics surrounding rejection rates and reasons for rejection for Canadian Permanent Resident applications.

The reason behind my thoughts on this are some of the rules that are in place for foreign spouses. We have to put a lot of effort into proving genuine relationships, and at the same time it is very difficult to obtain a TRV for a spouse to visit Canada. I've assumed for so long that it must be because of so many marriage fraud cases that spoiled it for the rest of us, but I would like to see the ratio of total PR applications vs. rejected applications because of marriage fraud (among any other common rejection reasons).

As I mentioned in another thread, the US has a number of options when immigrating or planning to immigrate to the US to be with your spouse or prospective spouse... https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/general/all-visa-categories.html#iv

1. The US has a fiance K-1 visa that allows a foreign fiance to enter the country with the intention of marrying within 90 days. In Canada, if you say you are visiting your fiance when applying for a TRV (the only option for visiting for non visa-exempt countries), it is automatically rejected because they assume you are going there to stay with your fiance, so you have to prove strong ties to your country and convince them you are there temporarily. This is tough to do because they assume the strongest tie is to your fiancé if you have no kids, property or loans.

2. The US has a non-immigrant K-3 visa, which is specifically for a "spouse of a U.S. Citizen awaiting approval of an I-130 immigrant petition", i.e. visiting while waiting out their permanent residence. In Canada, we have no special spousal TRV, so in many cases spouses are forced apart and wait for the long PR processing time of months and years in order to be together, the complete opposite of "family reunification is our priority" motto that CIC supposedly follows.

So my main question here is, are the marriage fraud rates so much higher in Canada vs. the US that they've had to crack down on letting fiances and spouses into Canada. Canada is forcing spouses to be apart for abnormally long periods of time, while the US enjoys much more freedom of choice, to be with your spouse.

Comparing the US and Canada isn't always equal of course, there are good and bad things about each country. I just want to know the reasoning behind this disconnect between the countries and what the true cause is. Why can't Canada adopt similar immigration practices as the US to make it easier for spouses to be together?
 

Lons

Full Member
May 15, 2016
48
1
I can definitely empathize with your concern. I am from the United States myself. My husband and I chose for me to immigrate to Canada rather than my husband immigrate to the US because in the US there is a minimum income requirement. The countries are different and have different requirements, even if the border is quite porous.
 

Duffy

Star Member
Apr 14, 2016
59
0
Category........
Visa Office......
LVO
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
25-01-2016
AOR Received.
05-03-2016
File Transfer...
09-03-2016
Med's Done....
Upfront: 18-11-2015
Interview........
Not requested
Passport Req..
N/A
VISA ISSUED...
COPR: 19/10/16
LANDED..........
Jan 2017
S_and_C said:
Hi,

Just wondering if this topic has been covered here on the forum or elsewhere. There doesn't seem to be much on the CIC website under the Facts and Figures page either. What I would like to know is the statistics surrounding rejection rates and reasons for rejection for Canadian Permanent Resident applications.

The reason behind my thoughts on this are some of the rules that are in place for foreign spouses. We have to put a lot of effort into proving genuine relationships, and at the same time it is very difficult to obtain a TRV for a spouse to visit Canada. I've assumed for so long that it must be because of so many marriage fraud cases that spoiled it for the rest of us, but I would like to see the ratio of total PR applications vs. rejected applications because of marriage fraud (among any other common rejection reasons).

As I mentioned in another thread, the US has a number of options when immigrating or planning to immigrate to the US to be with your spouse or prospective spouse... https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/general/all-visa-categories.html#iv

1. The US has a fiance K-1 visa that allows a foreign fiance to enter the country with the intention of marrying within 90 days. In Canada, if you say you are visiting your fiance when applying for a TRV (the only option for visiting for non visa-exempt countries), it is automatically rejected because they assume you are going there to stay with your fiance, so you have to prove strong ties to your country and convince them you are there temporarily. This is tough to do because they assume the strongest tie is to your fiancé if you have no kids, property or loans.

2. The US has a non-immigrant K-3 visa, which is specifically for a "spouse of a U.S. Citizen awaiting approval of an I-130 immigrant petition", i.e. visiting while waiting out their permanent residence. In Canada, we have no special spousal TRV, so in many cases spouses are forced apart and wait for the long PR processing time of months and years in order to be together, the complete opposite of "family reunification is our priority" motto that CIC supposedly follows.

So my main question here is, are the marriage fraud rates so much higher in Canada vs. the US that they've had to crack down on letting fiances and spouses into Canada. Canada is forcing spouses to be apart for abnormally long periods of time, while the US enjoys much more freedom of choice, to be with your spouse.

Comparing the US and Canada isn't always equal of course, there are good and bad things about each country. I just want to know the reasoning behind this disconnect between the countries and what the true cause is. Why can't Canada adopt similar immigration practices as the US to make it easier for spouses to be together?
Waiting is frustrating, I completely understand your frustration. We've been waiting since January. However, Canada is a completely different and separate country from America... from immigration to health care and many things in between, we are different countries.
 

flx2015

Champion Member
Jul 27, 2015
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i don't know, maybe the grass just seems greener on the other side? i've heard horror stories about their immigration system as well.
 

keesio

VIP Member
May 16, 2012
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flx2015 said:
i don't know, maybe the grass just seems greener on the other side? i've heard horror stories about their immigration system as well.
Agreed.
 

scylla

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Jun 8, 2010
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I think it's generally good/better if you have money. If you're a student, or a very low wage worker or unemployed - then you're scr*wed and have to hope you have a close family member or friend who is willing to sign the paperwork with you and be financially responsible for the person you are sponsoring.
 

S_and_C

Star Member
Apr 12, 2015
133
1
Ottawa, Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
Manila, Philippines
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
June 11, 2016 (recd June 13 by CIC)
AOR Received.
June 30, 2016
File Transfer...
SA: August 11, 2016
Med's Done....
Up Front: May 5, 2016
Passport Req..
not yet
VISA ISSUED...
not yet
LANDED..........
not yet
Yes, there are pros and cons to each country, and the rules are all different. I guess I'm trying to get at the main contributing factor for Canada to have these differences when it comes to foreign spouses.

If it's because of marriage fraud, then what are the numbers? How many PR applications are rejected due to marriage fraud. If there are like 20,000 in 100,000 then I'd say ok maybe the stricter rules makes sense, but if it's a paltry number like 1 in 100, then it's ridiculous.

I also just did a quick search online and found this article from 2015 related to marriage fraud. Seems really messed up...
https://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2015/05/19/immigration-guide-for-detecting-marriage-fraud-called-racist-and-offensive.html

and then found this blog... this one on how CIC uses marriage fraud to justify long processing times...
http://thebacklogdoc.blogspot.ca/2015/06/marriage-fraud-cics-justification-for.html