Castlegar, BC – Citizenship and Immigration Canada is being sharply criticized by organizers of various conventions held in Quebec City, however frustrations with Canada’s failing immigration system extend across the country.
During recent meetings between NDP MP Alex Atamanenko and leaders from British Columbia’s Sikh community, further flaws with Canada’s immigration system were revealed, specifically regarding the high refusal rate of applications for family members from India to attend funerals and weddings.
“What this basically means is that hard-working Canadians who pay taxes and contribute to the economy are not able to enjoy the basic expectation of having family members present for important family occasions,” says NDP MP Alex Atamanenko. “Visa officers have the discretionary power to decide who to let in. Their decisions are completely arbitrary and there is currently no appeal process in place for denied applications.”
“Families in these communities are looking for a more fair system to allow their families to visit them in Canada,” says Olivia Chow, NDP critic for Citizenship and Immigration. “It is frustrating that there are no clear or detailed reasons given when loved ones are denied the chance to visit and the application fees are not refundable.”
“When Canadian family members are systemically prevented from visiting their loved ones during significant occasions such as births, weddings and funerals, it is a clear sign that the current immigration system is not working” says Atamanenko. “Jack Layton’s NDP, Olivia Chow and I again call on the Harper government to create an appeals tribunal, similar to the British and Australian immigration systems, to ensure accountability and transparency where there currently is none.”