|
|
| Subject: tourist visa rejections |
|
|
|
It is very real problem for a lot of people around the world.
It is unfair, unreasonable, infuriating, insulting an dhumiliating.
Those who are affected are persons interested in visiting Canada as tourists, and who are unlucky enough to live in a country which Canada require its citiznes to apply for a tourist visa. Those who fill the application form, who work hard to prepare all the required documentation, pay the reqired fee, and who show that they are able to finace the trip to Canada (whether on their own or through help from a Candain friend or family). These naive potential tourists come to a Canadian consulate with excitement in their heart and a smile on their face to be interviewd by a Visa Officer. These people are up for a very unpleasent surprise.
Canadian consulates, in most cases DO NOT WANT THEM AS TOURISTS and REJECT THEM.
Background:
These days more and more applications are being rejected. The underlying reason is FEAR. Fear by Visa Officers that the person will stay in Canada. HOW ? By staying illegally or by claiming refugee status.It seems that Visa Officers are terrified that most of these tourists are not real tourists but people who are trying to sneak into canada in order to stay there. I will argue here that if this is the frame of mind with which the typical tourist visa applicant has to deal with, than it is VERY HARD to convince the visa officer otherwise. Rather than help promote Canada as a tourist destination, more and more visa officers see themselves as Immigration Judges whose job is to be the "Gate Keepers" of Canada and protect it from the flood of refugees. This is outragous, and is is done with careless attitude, often in a dehumanizing way.
The rejected applicant gets a check marked form letter that states some general reason for the rejection. There is no appeal. And these Visa Officers are unaccuntable to the public, they don´t answer any calls, we don´t even know who they are as they do not put their names on the rejection letter. Often the person who conducts the intervies is not a Canadian but a local employee of the consulate.!!
Moreover, they make sure to completely humiliate the applicant by no less than stamping the applicant passport and thereby "stainning" it. in case he/she wants to re-apply in the future. But what if he/she wants to visit the US or other country? Suddenly everyone who casually glances at the passport can see that this person was rejected by Canada. That is definitely NOT going encourage other countries to grant him/her a visa.
Please , if you have any input into this discussion , come forward and post it. If you have a friend, a relative or if you knoe of someone who has been burnt by this unfair system encourage him/her to describe th experience. I am not Naive to think that the system will change itself immediately but , the more anecdotal evidence we have, the better the chance that we can do something to affect a change. We got to start somewhere sometime and it is here and now!!
[23-05-2005,00:22]
[**.156.105.133]
GT |
|
(in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
I recently read that less than 15% of visitor visa applications are refused. An immigration officer is accountable to the Canadian government for every visa they issue. They must justify every acceptance and rejection in their documentation. Their job performance is judged by their visa issuance record.
Yes, the visitor visa situation seems very unfair. (trust me... I have been living it) It is also unfortunate that people continually prove over and over again that such policies are necessary. If people would not cheat and abuse the system, there would be no need for such harsh regulations.
Which came first...the rules or the need for them?
[23-05-2005,02:47]
[***.20.170.23]
sharon |
tourist visa rejections (in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
-------Tourist Visa aapplicants--------
Please Share with us your experiences of how you were treated at a Canadian consulate, when all you wanted was to visit this beautigul country of ours!
And now a reply to Sharon who was kind enough to post a reply. Thanks!!
You obviously feel the unfairness of the situation, yet you seem to be rationalizing the process and action of Canadian Visa officers re: tourist visa rejections. Think about this.
The 15% approval rate that you mention seems right to me(can you remember where you saw this?) but who really knows? I bet you, most of the Canadian public at large has no clue how hard it is, or virtually impossible to visit Canada if you happen to be a citizen of one of more than hundred countries aroud the world.
This should not and must not be state secret.
It ought to be published! And if the government does not want to have these numbers published, then maybe it can be assumed that it does not have the statistics to support this policy.
It is a scandal if this number (15%) is correct.
It brands almost 9 out of 10 applicants as cheaters, dishonest people. Based on WHAT?
I call on the Canadian Government!!!
Show us, Canadians, and foriegners who is abusing the system . From what countries? How many (what percentage) of tourists per country are overstaying and/or claiming refugee once they are in Canada?
I am confident that the numbers will show that relatively a small percentage actually abuse the system. Nowhere near the number that would justify the visa denials en masse that is currently going on. If there is abuse (there always is...) than the gov´t should look where it is happening and not generalize.
I beleive that what the canadian visa officers are doing is PROFILING AND DISCRIMINATING. This based on prejudice without haveing the time, tools and budget to investigate each application thoroughly. And even if they did, they would not be able to predict much more accurately who is trying to cheat.
Their basic assumption, philosophically, seems to be that a tourist from a poorer country to Canada is a creature tht does not exist. But what if someone saved their hard earned money for a long time and want to travel?
What if they got invited to Canada for a short vacation? These are real life situations and they are not accepted by Canadian consulates at face value, regardless of the number of documents presented.
Right now, people are being duped to think that if they show the reqiured documents they will get the visa. But the Visa officers should be more accountable to the Canadian public with their decisions. They are completely shielded in their international locale. No appeal, no explanations, not receiving faxes or phone call, not even from a lawyter, or even from an MP.
Let the Canadian Consulates PUBLISH the success rate so people will have an idea how difficult it is.
[23-05-2005,10:22]
[**.156.105.133]
GT |
(in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
Very Professionally...
I need a visa to travel to Canada this summer. I collected all documents as asked and sent them via courier.
The passport came back promptly within a week with visa stamped.
I have no reason to say otherwise, indeed there are four of my other friends from different countries and all have been granted a visa to travel.
[23-05-2005,11:24]
[***.113.160.29]
Lexar |
(in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
Let me add GT and I mean no personal offence - even if I do I really did not mean it as I don´t know you personally...
They are giving visas to people through mail, if they rejected yours or anyone you know IT MUST BE FOR A REASON. Why do they say they rejected? You have not given the reason.
Today all economies understand the nature of globalization and don´t just reject visa´s. Infact statistics show these increase each year. Visa officials don´t know an applicant personally so why would they have any other than the OBJECTIVE rational to reject it?
[23-05-2005,11:32]
[***.113.160.29]
Lexar |
tourist visa rejections (in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
Lexar,
uit is encouraging to know that you got your visa so easily. Believe me it is not so easy in many countries.
Please help by indicating where you are from so at least we can identify the problem better. As I said in my first message, there are no published statisics about this , and I am trying to collect stories, personal experiences etc...Did you see the number Sharon mentioned? average of 15% approval, that´s very low, don´t you think so ?
[23-05-2005,12:14]
[**.156.105.133]
GT |
(in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
Read her post again. It states that 15% are REFUSED.
I spoke with an immigration official in the Philippines who said he personally vouched for a church group to receive visitor visas. He was quite dismayed when he found out that three of the 15 disappeared, never to return. This is actually the reason he gave why he would not vouch for my wife.
I have personally met people in Vancouver who admit they arrived on a visitor?s visa and plan to try and find a way to stay.
Canada has been so friendly towards nationals of other countries that many have chosen to take advantage of her. Even the attitude that Canada is being unfair to the rights of others is a stretch. Visiting Canada is a privilege, not a right. Canada is under no obligation to bend over backwards to satisfy would-be international tourists. The fact is International tourism ? regardless of the country ? is a business geared towards generating revenue. As cynical as it may sound, people from developing countries do not significantly contribute to tourist revenues ? especially when some of them choose to overstay their visas, which ends up actually costing Canadian taxpayers money to deal with them.
I don?t mean to sound unsympathetic towards your case. It really stinks that the honest people out there who have a genuine desire to honor the terms and conditions of a visitor visa have to pay the price for what their dishonest counterparts have done. But Sharon is correct in saying that the rules came as a result of a lot of abuse.
[23-05-2005,13:05]
[***.96.184.65]
Mike |
tourist visa rejections (in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
Come on! How do you know that the 3 who disappeared are in canada? They may be in the US or they may be back in their country already for that matter. . And how many Canadian who travel abroad, when they like a place, they too can and do ask to extend a tourist Visa.
Coming to canada as a tourist is a privilege? What about the hotels and restaurants, the car rental companies, the theatres and parks who are benefitting from tourism? Canada spends millions on promoting tourism yet Visa officers are fighting against these efforts. What Canad aisa doing is totally out of step with the rest of the world In Europe people noe can move freely among all the countries of the EU. and many countries outside of the EU who require visa to Visit Canada are not required to do so in Europe. Tourism is a very competitive market and Canada No wonder Canada is loosing this campaign by sticking to oudated policies.
[24-05-2005,01:02]
[**.156.105.133]
GT |
(in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
GT,
U still have not mentioned why your visa was refused? And where are you from? Where did you apply? What is your purpose of visit to Canada?
[24-05-2005,01:41]
[**.151.173.249]
Lexar |
(in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
Europe allows its own member countries to move around freely. It does not let anyone from any country enter without a visa. The same can be said for Canada. Look at the amount of countries from which citizen can enter visa free. The list of countries where a visa is required is mostly made up of developing countries from which one cannot blame the people for wanting to escape.
Canada does not hugely benefit from tourist dollars from developing countries in comparison to wealthier countries. The people from developing countries who can actually afford to add to the Canadian economy are generally not refused a visa.
The people who disappeared from the tourist group I mentioned earlier had planned all along to stay in Canada as was found out from interviewing their relatives later. Whether or not they later tried to illegally enter the US is no defense, but rather more reason for tight controls.
I sympathies with you as you are most likely a good candidate to visit Canada, but most Canadians agree with these policies, and every country has them. Canada is no more difficult to enter then most other developed countries.
[24-05-2005,01:59]
[***.96.184.65]
Mike |
(in reply to: tourist visa rejections)
there is about 200,000 people hanging around Canada who forgot to go home or forgot to get permission to arrive. a few more than 3.
[24-05-2005,02:01]
[***.20.170.23]
sharon |
|
