Where is the transparency at the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok or elsewhere??

[thaihubbie]

I want to vent my frustration about the unfair dealings I have had over the past two years at the Can. Embassy in Bangkok. As you all may know or assume Thailand is full of corruption at every level of society but especially at government levels. It is simply a 'way of life to pay officials under the table to get anything done. The other huge social inequality I have observed is that people of Ethnic-Chinese background seem to hold the majority of high level positions in all levels of government including Embassy positions. It is also a fact that the Thai language is extremely difficult for foreigners to learn to speak and understand. In almost 99% of my husband and my dealings with attempting to acquire him a Visitor's Visa over the past 1 1/2 years we have dealt with Thai Nationals NOT Canadian Citizens and not surprisingly the people I saw jumping for joy after receiving their Visas were Ethnic-Chinese Thais that looked quite well-off. Where is the transparency at the Embassy? How do Canadian officials know or not whether $$ is being 'handed under the table' it obviously isn't literally being done because of the glass wall in the interview rooms but there are ways aren't there? Are these interviews being recorded between Thai Officers and Thai Applicants in the CANADIAN EMBASSY?? If they were being recorded would the Canadian officials have the time or even the knowledge to understand what was being said?? I don't have any proof but these are my gut instincts? Any thoughts??

 

[Leon]

Sure there is corruption everywhere and people who have connections and in some countries it's more than others but being well off is actually one of the criteria why you would be more likely to get a visitor visa, even if you didn't bribe anybody. Being well off, you would have an easier time to prove that you don't plan to overstay your visitor visa and stay in Canada illegally because you are quite well off where you live and don't have to. If you are quite poor where you live, Canada immigration might just assume that you are planning to stay illegally because being illegal in Canada might just afford you a better lifestyle than you have where you live. Also because you are married, Canada immigration might just assume that you are moving to Canada and that you are trying to avoid being apart during spousal sponsorship.

Of course you can complain to immigration about the way they handle things in Thailand but if you want to be able to get your husband to visit your family in Canada, just sponsor him. Get your family to arrange it so that it looks like you are coming to Canada to stay, when he gets his PR, go for a vacation there and then go back. While he is with you and you are a citizen, he will not lose his PR for lack of residency

 

[thaihubbie]

That doesn't answer my question about transparency? Are interviews videotaped and recorded in Canadian Embassies around the world? What assurances are there that $ isn't changing hands when it appears that in many Can. Embassies and certainly in Bangkok the staff aren't even Canadian thus following local customs and culture whereby 'slippery handshakes' are just a way of life? How about the class action suit being staked against the Fed. Government of Canada:http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/index.html?subject=Richard+Kurland&type=PersonImmigrant visa class action gets go-ahead
The Federal Court of Canada has given the green light to a national class-action lawsuit alleging the Department of Citizenship and Immigration profits from its visa application fees, and has illegally raked in more than $700-million over the past decade from new immigrants.
Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008 Thus reinforcing my point that people who are 'well off' no matter how they became 'well off' even by corrupt means are being issued Visas while others who might have saved their money by working hard labor for years and want to visit there families in Canada will never get a visa.

 

[Leon]

Most of the people on this board are immigrants themselves. I for one have no idea if it is common practice to video tape interviews in embassies or if that is done, if anybody watches those tapes. If there are video tapes and if there are bribes going on, the staff would probably not be so stupid as to talk about bribes during the interview.

If you believe there are bribes going on in the embassy in Thailand, you can make a complaint to immigration. I don't think there is an immigration ombudsman but you could direct your complaint to the minister of immigration at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/minister/index.asp

That said, like I wrote before, the staff could very easily explain how such and such rich person got a visa easily because they had no problem proving that they had a business and assets tying them to their homeland while such and such poor person could not provide this proof.

Does that mean that poor people can't go visit Canada because they can't get a visa, yes, probably it means exactly that and it's not fair but what can you do. I guess the only thing you can do is make a complaint about it.

 

[thaihubbie]

I would love to make a complaint to the Minister of Immigration, my local MP, my local newspaper etc, etc, etc. but don't you think that would jeopardize my family's chances of reuniting? There are ways of bribes occurring even with glass walls, possible videotaping or recording come on! So easy to do and does happen at Embassies everywhere, I know it for a fact from my years of living abroad and word from Expats who work at those embassies. All someone has to do is indicate that a 'phone call could be made later', or 'I have email' small smile. Thailand is the Land of Smiles, there are 20+named smiles and some of them are clearly understood as 'let's make a deal'. Yes, probably all I can do is complain about it but I like many, many other people out there around the world are being duped by Canada into thinking we are one of the fairest countries in the world, that is a joke and a lie.

 

[Misanthrope]

>That doesn't answer my question about transparency? Are interviews videotaped and recorded in Canadian Embassies around the world?

First of all it's an embassy, part of a diplomatic department. I can't imagine why anyone would expect transparency, unfortunately.

However, it is unlikely interviews are taped, as I have never heard about that, and people would, I believe, be informed about that if it were the case. What I think is important is that people being interviewed should have the right to tape record their own interviews. Absolutely. This would create transparency at a key point, for the subject of the interview. Canadians have the right to record any conversation they are a part of, so why should we not have the right at the embassy. I am a Canadian, not an immigrant, and it offends me that my husband, though he is not a Canadian, absolutely does not have this right on an outpost of Canadian soil, so to speak, in the embassy.

 

[Graeme]

you should stop complaining, and just apply for PR, get sponsorship approval, then apply for a TRV and wait out the PR in Canada

You don't know the type of visas the people got at the embassy, so don't judge them because of their lighter skin colour.

You also don't know the Thai nationals working at the embassy, so don't just assume their corrupt, just because something didn't work out for you.

By the way, my wife is from Issan, and shes older than me by 5 years (I'm 24) and she worked in a exchange bank. She was not well off by any means. Now if that doesn't raise flags I'm not sure what else would. But we took the embassy's advice and now everything worked out fine.


Theres rules for a reason. visas should be alot harder to recieve. Maybe alittle faster though.


I know this doesn't answer you rant, by just take a step back and think what you have to do to make this situation workout for you. And its two words. Permanent Residence. Stop wasting more years apart.

 

[thaihubbie]

Yes perhaps I'm ranting but my situation is different than yours in that I'm a Canadian femaie married to a Thai male which is not as typical, common or usual as the Canadian male married to Thai female situation. In fact our family has experienced immense discrimination from Thai officers working for both the Thai government and the Canadian Embassy who most often have been Female Thai officers. Comments such 'oh you are married to a Thai man'?, 'Really, your daughter is Thai, she looks very european'?, 'where did you meet'?etc.,etc. Do Canadian men married to Thai women get these same looks and interrogations? I truly doubt it.