Residence Questionnaire

Canada Immigration Forum (discussion group)

Subject: Residence Questionnaire   Just 2 days ago I got a Residence Questionnaire and I haven´t written my citizenship test yet . i have not visited any other countries 1) Why was I the only one asked to fill out the Residency Questionnaire when my husband applied for citizenship at the same time as me? 2) Now that I have sent my RQ, how long will it usually take them to process and send me the date for the the citizenship test (considering all goes well)? 3) Instead of sending coloured copies of my passport pages, I sent black and white copies by mistake. Will this cause any problems? 4) My passport expired and I got a new passport . Since it was all blank, I did not bother copying all the blank pages and photocopied only the "information page." Will this cause any problems? 5) All the stamps in my Passport AFTER the arrival date were in English but the ones before were in Arabic and other languages and i did not translate them. Will this cause any problems? 6) I see that most people get their RQ AFTER they write their citizenship tests. Why am I an exception? Any help will be greatly appreciate [29-09-2012,22:29] [**.93.167.66] somia (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) Sonia All of your questions should have been asked before you answered your residency questionnaire. Why me is the most glaring of questions. You probably made a glaring error on your original application form by leaving something out. Then all the questions become a snowball effect which get bigger and bigger because the first answer on the initial questionnaire was a mistake. Then finally you take your replies on your RQ not serious and then realize you should have taken them very seriously. Now you have two options, don´t worry be happy or prepare for the worse. Knowing what has been appearing in the media day after day about non-genuine permanent residents I think the don´t worry be happy attitude is suicide. Roy cvimmigration.com [30-09-2012,05:56] [***.113.87.90] Roy Renewal of PR (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) I landed to Canada in Aug 2010 with my wife and 2 children in skilled migration category.I stayed 3 months and came back home Again I went in 2011 to Canada and stayed for 1 month and came back home But my wife and 2 children are in Canada and they will apply citizenship.Being a Doctor I have to look after my sick mother I am living with her in my back home My PR will expire in 2015 August.If I won´t be able to go to Canada before the expiry date,will my PR will be cancelled though my wife and 2 children are living in Canada and citizens of Canada.Pl be kind enough to advice regarding that as an experience adviser. Thanks Dr.Sunil [30-09-2012,07:43] [***.135.68.83] Sunil (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) Yes - you will lose your PR status if you cannot meet the residency requirement of living in Canada two out of every five years. It doesn´t make a difference that your wife and children are living in Canada and are citizens. You still have to meet residency requirements to retain your PR status. [30-09-2012,09:14] [**.101.125.188] Anonymous (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) Google Immigration Refugee protection Regulations then read the residency regulations. There are ways one can legally reside outside of Canada and still maintain your residency obligations. Roy cvimmigration.com [30-09-2012,09:58] [***.113.87.90] Roy hey (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) hey..I made a mistake on the RQ application form. Do you know where i could print out the form online. Do they have any website to the form? Thanks, TAYA [27-12-2012,17:17] [**.250.160.245] Taya Recipients of RQs...Enough cowardice (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) How long are we going to take such mistreatment hands down?! For god sake people, CIC first started by declaring that the timeline for recipients of RQs to meet with a citizenship judge is between 18-24 month. Throughout such time, I really understood and appreciated the fact that, due to many fraudulent citizenship cases, CIC needs to do its due diligence of its citizenship applicants. I reasoned with myself that I am but one of thousands of people like me who are on standby waiting for such meeting. In my case I received a letter with such time table in July, 2010. I counted the day of when I will sit in front of a judge and present him with all my evidence proving my stay in Canada. In October 2012 (Three months above and over the time they promised will take for me to sit in front of a judge), I called CIC infamous help line only to be informed that the latest update on my file shows that my file was transferred to a judge and that, according to the telephone representative, it could take up to 15 more months for me to meet the judge. That was almost like a heart attack for me! I almost fainted from the shock! 15 months? Above and over the 27 months I have waited? I tried to inquire about an investigation channel or an ombudsman or a watchdog that monitors CIC practices and their inhuman ways of dealing with their clients. The answer that I received from the “indifferent” representative was a very cold no! On January 2,2013, I called again to check on my RQ’s status only to be informed that CIC has revised their timetable to meet a judge to 48 months. 48 months people....4 years people! I swear Somalia will be ashamed to pull such reckless and inhuman treatment toward its own people! What in god’s name wrong with these people? Where the hell are we? Based on the above, I have decided that I am not going to take it hands down. I am going to hit every door, I am going to call every News outlet who will give a chance to tell my story. I promise Jason Kenny that his office receiving a phone call from me daily. I promise that if all doors stay closed in my face, I will camp in front of 55 St Clair E. People...for god sake, enough complacency! The people in that government department with Jason Kenny behind them are counting on us being intimidated and complacent! Let us move, let us stand up these people that are bordering on criminality. Let us here, and from this forum, organize an action plan. This is our lives they are toying with for god sake, lets us show them that we are not only faceless client IDs. Who is with me? Yours, Wael  [05-01-2013,00:04] [**.226.220.129] Wael Residents of RQs (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) I am on a same boat as you my friend, I submitted my application for citizenship in Aug 2010, wrote the written test in May 2011, that´s when they gave me the RQ. It took me almost one year to gather my documents they wanted, one of the major being my US Entry-Exit record from US Immigration, they took almost one year to respond to my request. So finally submitted all the docs in May 2012. What I hear from you means, I should expect a letter from them ( which I have not yet received) in about 27 Months which is Sept 2013 which will tell me to wait until Sept 2017..? Is this a joke ..? In my case most of my foreign trips were because of my job in Canada that required travelling. Now here I am sitting frustrated hesitant to make any foreign trips, because of which now I even lost my job. I am actually converting myself slowly into a "Unprofessional", where by 2017 I will get the citizenship but will be only good for a minimum wage job at a gas station that too if I could survive all these years, I can see what´s coming up...??? So my friend, if you want to camp in front of 55 Saint Clair E, I will come to stand by you.  [18-01-2013,01:04] [**.242.35.187] Malay RQ (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) we do not live in a perfect world If you guys are going in front of 55 Saint Clair E, I will come to stand by you [28-01-2013,00:26] [***.118.220.183] ahmed rq (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) please my question is that what happens if PR card expires before RQ hearing? [01-02-2013,06:56] [***.76.1.62] lao (in reply to: Residence Questionnaire) The whole point about abuse of Citizenship is ridiculously small that it can´t really be found on anyone´s radar. The fact that a Canadian collects unemployment or welfare while living abroad has nothing to with CIC it is a matter for the courts. CIC likes to throw out huge numbers of persons their investigating but most of their investigations are extremely frivolous. We have had clients submit everything including the kitchen sink to prove that their is no violation and their told "your file is in progress"! Then there are those that have a grudge against others who just call up CIC and an investigation is launched because they think all persons are guilty until proven innocent then CIC writes in the file (insufficient evidence to proceed at this time). Jason Kenney in the last three years has complicated the whole Immigration and Citizenship process that it makes it so difficult for many to enter, remain or become Citizens. One day when your finally a Citizen of Canada I hiope you will never consider voting Conservative. Roy cvimmigration.com [01-02-2013,07:41]

پرسشنامه های شهروندی و سالهای طولانی انتظار از برای جواب

از برای چاپ این مقاله در نشریه خود  پرسشنامه های شهروندی  و سالهای طولانی انتظار از برای جواب مهدی شمس یکبار دیگر به همت تنی چند از افراد کامیونیتی، یکی از مشکلاتی که بسیاری از افراد جامعه ما چند سالی میباشد که با آن گریبانگیر میباشند، علنی شده و به نظر میاید که میتواند ابعاد گسترده ای به خود بگیرد. در پی تغییرات اساسی در جهت سازمان دهی و بهبود قوانین مهاجرت که در سالهای اخیر توسط جیسن کنی وزیر سابق شهروندی و مهاجرت بوقوع پیوسته، چه بسا کسانی میباشند که میبایست تاوان خلاف کاریهای تعداد معدودی را بپردازند. در نتیجه تقاضای شهروندی که در سابق در حدود یکسال ونیم به طول میکشیده بعد از این تغییرات در بیشتر موارد به پنج الی شش سال تاخیر پیدا میکند. خانم نسترن ادیب راد و همسرش از کسانی میباشند که در گیر این مسئله بوده و تصمیم میگیرند که با علنی کردن مشکل خود که مشکل بسیاری از افراد دیگرایرانی و غیر ایرانی میباشد، با این مسئله بصورت جمعی برخورد نمایند. از این رو با بوجود آوردن صفحه ای در فیس بوک و تماس با بسیاری از گروه ها و افراد مختلف، جلسه ای را در روز سه شنبه سی ام جولای در سیویک سنتر نورت یورک در ساعت هفت بعد از ظهر تدارک می بینند. بعد از مشکل بسته شدن حسابهای بانکی تعدادی از ایرانیان، این اولین باریست که باز می دیدیم تعدادی در حدود صد نفر که در میان آنان از شهروندان غیر ایرانی نیز دیده میشد به دور هم جمع شده و در باره یک موضوع مشترک هم صدا شده اند. آریانا، دختر نسترن که خود مشاور امور مهاجرتی بوده به همراه وکیل کانادائی که او در دفتر ایشان مشغول به همکاری میباشد سمت مجری و مترجم جلسه را به عهده داشت. در رابطه با این موضوع جناب وکیل در باره دو مورد خلاف سازمان داده شده که در مونترال و هالیفکس بوده توضیح کوتاهی میدهد. این دو مورد شامل بیش از هزار و دویست نفر میگردد که توانسته اند به صورت خلاف به شهروندی کانادا در بیایند که هم اکنون مورد بررسی مجدد بوده و شهروندی بسیاری از آنان باطل شده است. توضیح داده میشود که پرسشنامه پنج صفحه ای اطلاعات مربوط به زمان و محل اقامت متقاضی شهروندی همانی میباشد که در سابق هم بوده است. تنها فرقی که به میان آمده اولا زمان بررسی این پرسشنامه میباشد که در سابق یکسال و نیم بوده و هم اکنون به پنج الی شش سال هم میرسد. ثانیا نسبت به سابق تعداد بیشتری از متفاضیان شهروندی آنرا دریافت مینمایند. دلایل و نحوه تشخیص و انتخاب افرادی که این پرسشنامه ها را دریافت میکنند به هیچ وجه روشن نبوده و مسئولین اداره مهاجرت در باره آنها توضیحی نمیدهند. واضح است که کوچکترین اشکال، ابهام و تناقض میتواند از دلایل اولیه و اصلی دریافت این پرسشنامه باشد. به نظر میاید که برای افراد ملیت های خاصی این اتفاق بیشتر می افتد. سئوالی که پیش می آید اینست که در قبال این مسئله چه باید کرد. درست است که تعدادی خلاف انجام داده اند ولی این نمیتواند باعث آن گردد که هزاران نفر نتیجه آن را پس دهند. جناب وکیل همچنان اضافه میکند که به نظر میرسد این یک مسئله سیاسی بوده و دولت محافظه کار سعی مینماید که شهروند شدن مهاجران را که بیشتر به لیبرالها تمایل دارند را به تعویق بیاندازد. یکی از راههای مبارزه تدارک همین گردهمائی ها میباشد که میتواند همراه با کامیونیتی های دیگر انجام پذیرد. یکی از راههای دیگر مراجعه به دادگاههای فدرال میباشد که حداقل یکسال به طول خواهد کشید و نتیجه اش هم قابل پیش بینی نمی باشد. میشود از طریق دادگاه خواست که چرا موردی که میبایست یکسال و نیم طول بکشد اینقدر طولانی میشود و چه دلایلی وجود دارد که بعضی ها این پرسشنامه را دریافت و بعضی دیگر دریافت نمی کنند. بهر حال با رفتن به دادگاه مطمئنن دولت متوجه میگردد که بسیاری از افراد نسبت به این اشکال اعتراض داشته و عکس العمل نشان داده اند. چه بسا که این حرکت به رسانه ها هم کشیده شده و تاثیرات خود را خواهد داشت و باعث تغییرات در قوانین، نحوه رسیدگی به در خواست ها و شاید هم باعث آن گردد که این دولت دیگر انتخاب نگردد. در قسمت سئوال و جواب تعدادی از افراد حاضر از مورد های شخصی خود صحبت میکنند که یکی از آنان دانشجوئی میباشد که به اتفاق چهار فرد خانواده اش در سال 2006 به کانادا آمده، دو سال در دبیرستان و چهار سال در دانشگاه تحصیل کرده و دوسال و نیم پیش پرسشنامه مورد نظر را دریافت کرده و هنوز در انتظار میباشد. موردی دیگری عنوان میشود که از سال 2004 در کانادا مقیم بوده و دو سال قبل درست  بعد از آنکه تست شهروندی را میگذراند پرسشنامه به او داده میشود. این شخص دو ماه قبل که با اداره مهاجرت تماس میگیرد به او میگویند که هنوز حتی یک نگاه هم به پرونده اش نیاندخته اند. در ضمن زمان چهل و پنج روزی که از برای تهیه تمام مدارک لازم در نظر گرفته شده مطرح گردید که به نظر بسیاری از افراد بسیار کوتاه مینمود.  همچنین سئوالاتی در رابطه با شکایت های فردی، گروهی و مخارج آن میشود که در مجموع مبلغ هفتصد و پنجاه الی هزار دلار از برای هر نفر در صورت اقدام گروهی برای  پنجاه نفر و یا پنج هزار دلار برای اقدام فردی تخمین زده میشود. گروهی از حاضرین تمایل داشتند با پیوستن به یکدیگر و کامیونیتی های دیگر، از جمله گروهی که در مونترال از طریق آنلاین شروع به هماهنگی کرده و در صفحه فیس بوک خود بیش از 1700 لایک دارد این حرکت را به مبارزه ای اجتماعی تبدیل کرده که نه فقط مسئله شخصی شان حل شود بلکه باعث آن گردد که قوانین کلا تغییر کرده و یا نحوه بر خورد دولت تغییر کند. همچنین بار دیگر همان صدای همیشگی که فقط در زمان هائی خاص که با مشکلی برخورد میکنیم بگوش رسید. که اگر جامعه ما متحد تر و سازمان داده تر مییود میدانستیم که در این زمانهای حساس چگونه و از چه راهی با مشکلات برخورد کنیم. باشد که اینبار به گونه ای دیگر برخورد کرده و نتیجه اش غیراز آنی باشد که در جریان بسته شدن حسابها از آنمان گشت. لازم و بجاست که اگر شما هم از آنهائی هستید که با این مسئله درگیر میباشید، از طریق لایک زدن در صفحه فیس بوکی که از برای این منظور تهیه شده به جمع پیوسته و از برای احقاق حق خود و انجام وظیفه شهروندی اقدام نمائید. در پایان صورتی از ایمیل ها تهیه شد و قرار بر آن گردید که حاضرین با هم در تماس بوده و شروع به اقدامات جمعی نمایند. ضبط صوتی و تصویری این گردهمائی تهیه شده و میتوان از طریق سایت همبستگی به آن دسترسی داشت. به نقل از سایت همبستگی
	Complete Video Coming Soon
	Video (1) Conclusion

A discussion meeting to challenge the significant delay caused by the Canadian Citizenship Residency Questionnaire

Jul 31, 2013 Post by:Ariyana Adib Rad121

A discussion meeting to negotiate all legal ways of challenging the significant delay caused by the Canadian Citizenship Residency Questionnaire(Such as: pursuing a lawsuit or class action)

Many eligible Canadian permanent residents who submitted their Canadian citizenship applications have received citizenship questionnaires [hereinafter referred to as RQ] which caused them unexpected delays.

At the Tuesday July 30, 2013 meeting which was held at North York Centre, all ways of challenging the significant delays caused by the RQ were discussed. Almost 90 people attended this meeting and Mr. Lorne Waldman a prominent immigration lawyer with more than 35 years of experience in immigration matters participated this meeting in order to cover all attendees concerns in this regard. From Waldman and Associates office Ms. Clarisa Waldman, an Immigration Lawyer, and Ms. Ariana Adibrad , immigration consultant, also attended the event. The meeting was in English and Farsi.

The most common question asked by the attendees was: Why did I receive an RQ?

Certainly having a contradiction in a person’s citizenship forms or not having clear employment history or education history may have caused the issuance of such Questionnaires. However for those applicants who have had Canadian work experience and attended school in Canada it is not really clear why they received an RQ. Mr. Waldman explained that CIC did not disclose what their criteria in giving applicants RQs are. He then notified that his office communicated with CIC in this regard and they were told by CIC officers that the criteria are secret and they are not willing to disclose them.

The next common question asked by attendees was: what alternatives do we have?

Mr. Waldman advised every individual who received RQs to do as below: 1.Social Activities: create a small or big group and try to stick together. Do not act individually. The impact that a group can create is much more significant that one individual in order to gain a positive result. Try to have meetings in person with your member of parliament also communicate with them in letter and ask them to follow up with CIC for you. Try to contact the Media and publicize your issues so everyone become informed. Put all your efforts in order to get involved with other communities to get their support and ask them to join your groups. Do not get tired! This is your right so fight for it!

2.Legal action: For those of you who are interested in challenging CIC in legal ways, they can communicate with Waldman and Associates office. Please be advised that 1. Pursing legal action should not add any extra delays to your citizenship application. 2. Pursing legal action should not affect your citizenship application negatively. 3. People who go through legal actions might get extra attention from the government so CIC might expedite the processing of their applications 4. We might win at the Federal court and the judge might order CIC to expedite the processing of their applications. 5. Even if we do not win at the Court legal action puts pressure on the government which may help to ensure that they do not add any further delay to the processing of their applications.

To sum up:
These activities seek to benefit the group- that is all individuals who are subject to this delay. They are ways of protesting against all of the new changes in Immigration law and the treatment of CIC with new immigrants and individuals who have submitted their immigration applications. CIC and the Canadian Government has the right to ask applicants for more documents but if they want to increase the number of people who receive this type of questionnaire they must increase the number of their employees as well in order to avoid any kind of intolerable delays.

Those of you who are interested in taking legal actions can communicate with the email below:
Ariana.a@lornewaldman.ca 
http://www.jooyaonline.com/en/ViewBlogPost.aspx?&blogid=114&blogpostid=202

انتظار بی پایان متقاضیان شهروندی کانادا

انتظار بی پایان متقاضیان شهروندی کانادا

مدتهاست گروهی از ایرانیان مهاجر به کانادا به شیوه‌های گوناگون شکایت می‌کنند که به‌رغم رعایت کلیه قوانین و شرایط احراز شهروندی کانادا و ارائه فرمهای تقاضای سیتی‌زن شیپ به اداره مهاجرت کانادا، پس از گذشت چند ماه و در برخی موارد چند سال، پاسخی دریافت نکرده‌اند. این گروه از مهاجران ایرانی عمدتا از جمله کسانی هستند که هنگام ارائه فرم تقاضای شهروندی، پرسشنامه ویژه‌ای از طرف ماموران اداره مهاجرت دریافت کرده‌اند که شرط رسیدگی به پرونده سیتی‌زن شیپی آنان پرکردن این پرسشنامه و ارائه مدارک زیادی بوده است که بسیاری از آنها را پیش و پس از دریافت ویزای مهاجرت به اداره مهاجرت داده بودند. مشکل بزرگ این گروه این است که حتی پس از ارائه دوباره مدارک خواسته شده، اداره مهاجرت در پاسخ به پرسش آنان که چه زمان رسیدگی نهایی به تقاضای آنان پایان می‌یابد، می‌گویند رسیدگی به این پرسشنامه‌ها دست‌کم سه تا شش سال زمان می‌برد و متقاضیان همچنان باید در انتظار دریافت شهروندی کانادا صبر کنند.

در همین رابطه و با توجه به افزایش تعداد این گروه از مهاجران ایرانی، از مدتی پیش حرکت‌های اعتراضی پراکنده‌ای نسبت به رفتار وزارت مهاجرت و شهروندی کانادا آغاز شده است. در ادامه اعتراض‌ها روز سه شنبه30 جولای جلسه‌ای با حضور بیش از صد تن از ایرانیان مهاجر در یکی از سالن‌های شهرداری نورت یورک تشکیل شد تا با مشورت و اطلاع رسانی بیشتر اقدامات موثرتری برای رفع این معضل پیدا شود.

در این جلسه که توسط خانم آریانا ادیب راد، یکی از مشاوران امور مهاجرتی در دفتر وکالت Waldman & Associate اداره می‌شد، آقای لورن والدمن، وکیل امور مهاجرتی توضیحاتی در زمینه سابقه و دلایل وزارت مهاجرت برای بررسی بیشتر پرونده اقامت برخی از مهاجران ارائه کرد. به گفته آقای والدمن، بر خلاف نظر برخی از ایرانیان معترض، پرسشنامه‌های اداره مهاجرت فقط به یک گروه خاص از مهاجران با پیشینه خاص قومی یا ملیتی و یا مذهبی داده نمی‌شود. بلکه از چند سال پیش به دلیل وجود چندین مورد تقلب آشکار از سوی برخی از مهاجران در مورد وضعیت اقامتشان در کانادا و جعل برخی مدارک رسمی برای اثبات ادعاهای خود دولت تصمیم گرفته است که دقت بیشتری در بررسی پرونده اقامت مهاجران انجام دهد و در این زمینه مانند هر مورد کنترل قانونی همگانی عده‌ای بی‌گناه نیز قربانی تقلب گروهی اندک می‌شوند. به گفته این وکیل امور مهاجرتی گستردگی تقلب و جعل مدارک از سوی برخی از مهاجران متقاضی شهروندی در برخی مناطق به حدی بوده که موجب پس گرفتن حق شهروندی کانادا از کسانی شده که در گذشته با دروغ و تقلب موفق شده بودند شهروندی کانادا را کسب کنند. آقای والدمن همچنین گفت کنترل و دقت بیشتر دولت در پرونده اقامتی مهاجران به خودی خود ایردای ندارد، اما مشکل این است که دولت باید با استخدام کارمندان بیشتری رسیدگی به پرونده را سریع‍تر انجام دهد تا افراد مجبور نباشند علاوه بر چند سالی که قانونا باید برای تقاضای شهروندی انتظار می‌کشیدند سه یا چهار و یا 5 سال دیگر هم انتظار بکشند تا پرونده‌شان بررسی شود.

در پاسخ به پرسش برخی از شرکت کنندگان در این جلسه که هریک موارد شخصی خود را مطرح می‌کردند، آقای والدمن پاسخ داد ماموران اداره مهاجرت با کوچکترین شک و شبهه‌ای که در پرونده یک متقاضی مشاهده می‌کنند، پرسشنامه تکمیلی را به متقاضی می‌دهند و این یعنی چند سال انتظار بیشتر. وی گفت آنطور که شنیده‌ام تقریبا 50 درصد متقاضیان شهروندی این پرسشنامه‌ها را دریافت می‌کنند. علاوه بر این به نظر می‌رسد یک دلیل و انگیزه سیاسی هم دولت محافظه‌کار کانادا در دادن پرسشنامه‌های بیشتر به مهاجران متقاضی شهروندی دارد. انگیزه سیاسی دولت فدرال به گفته برخی این است که در کمتر از دوسال دیگر انتخابات سراسری کانادا در پیش است و تجربه نشان داده که اکثر مهاجرانی که شهروند کانادا می‌شوند و دارای حق رای می‌شوند اغلب در انتخابات به حزب لیبرال گرایش پیدا می‌کنند و به آنها رای می‌دهند. به همین جهت تاخیر طولانی مدت در ارائه حق شهروندی و به تبع آن حق رای به هزاران مهاجر به شکلی حزب لیبرال را از رای و حمایت این افراد محروم می‌کند و در نتیجه شانس حزب محافظه‌کار در انتخابات افزایش می‌یابد.

در مورد اینکه با توجه به شرایط موجود راه چاره چیست و متقاضیان منتظر چکار می‌توانند بکنند، وکیل متخصص امور مهاجرت گفت که افرادی که پرونده سیتی‌زن شیپی آنها در این پروسه طولانی افتاده است از دو راه می‌توانند اقدام کنند. یا با تشکل بیشتر و تماس با افرادی از کامییونیتی‌های دیگر که در شرایط مشابهی قرار دارند جلسات اعتراضی بزرگتری برگزار کنند و با تماس با رسانه‌های سراسری کانادا و نمایندگان پارلمان در مناطق مسکونی افراد نظر مثبت افکار عمومی و مقامات را نسبت به شرایط غیرمنصفانه‌ای که در آن قرار دارند جلب کنند و به این وسیله به دولت فشار وارد کنند و از وزیر جدید مهاجرت بخواهند که پاسخگو باشد. روش دیگر این است که از طریق قانونی اقدام کنند و به دادگاه فدرال کانادا شکایت کنند. در مورد دوم اگر افراد بخواهند بصورت فردی اقدام قانونی کنند دست‌کم برای هرنفر حدود 5 هزار دلار هزینه‌های حقوقی خواهد داشت. درصورتیکه افراد بصورت گروهی دست به اقدام حقوقی بزنند و به دادگاه فدرال شکایت کنند در آنصورت هم هزینه‌های حقوقی هر فرد کمتر خواهد شد و هم دولت ناچار است در دادگاه حضور یابد و پاسخگو باشد. در صورت شکایت گروهی به دادگاه باید چند مورد خاص از پرونده‌های افراد را که شانس برنده شدن بیشتری دارد انتخاب کرد و به دادگاه ارائه کرد. البته در صورت شکایت به دادگاه فدرال پیروزی شاکیان صددرصد نیست، اما اگر چند مورد خاص نظر موافق دادگاه را جلب کند و دولت را وادار کند تا به شاکیان پاسخ مثبت بدهد در آنصورت همه افراد گروه شکایت کننده بهرهمند خواهند شد.

جلسه مشورت و اطلاع رسانی برای رسیدگی به مشکل دهها مهاجر ایرانی متقاضی شهروندی بدون هیچ نتیجه‌گیری خاصی به پایان رسید.

http://salamtoronto.ca/?p=18007

.

گزارش جلسه ارایه راهکارهای پیگیری پرونده افراد دریافت کننده پرسشنامه شهروندی

گزارش جلسه تبادل نظر و تصمیم گیری در مورد راهکارهای پیگیری(از جمله Law south class action)پرونده افراد دریافت کننده پرسشنامه شهروندی 

با توجه به این که عده قابل توجهی از هموطنان عزیز که واجد شرایط دریافت شهروندی کانادا بودند پرسشنامه شهروندی دریافت کرده اند و مضرات عدیده ای که این امر برای آنها در پی دارد جلسه ای در تاریخ 30 جولای ساعت هفت بعد از ظهر با هدف تبادل نظر و تصمیم گیری در مورد راهکارهای پیگیری(از جمله Law south class action)پرونده افراد در نورث یورک سنتر اتاق شماره یک با شرکت جمع کثیری( نزدیک به 90 نفر) برگزار شد. 

در این جلسه ابتدا : آقای لورن والدمن یکی‌ از وکلای مهاجرت با سابقه جهت ارایه اطلاعات و پاسخگویی به سوالات شرکت کنندگان حضور به عمل آوردند. از دفتر ایشان خانم کلاریسا والدمن وکیل مهاجرت و آریانا ادیب راد مشاور مهاجرت نیز حضور داشتند. جلسه به دو زبان انگلیسی و فارسی برگزار شد. 

بیشترین سوالی که در جلسه مطرح شد مربوط به چرایی دریافت پرسشنامه بود معمولا کسانی پرسشنامه شهروندی دریافت می کردند که شغل مشخصی نداشتند، در کاناداد سابقه تحصیل نداشتند و مسافرت های خارج از کانادا زیاد داشتند و یا مدارک متناقض ارائه کرده بودند. در حالیکی اخیرا تعداد زیادی از متقاضیان که هیچ کدام از موارد ذکر شده شامل حالشان نبوده و شرایط شهرونذی را احراز می کردند نیز پرسشنامه شهروندی دریافت کردند. آقای والدمن ضمن توضیحات مختصر در مورد اصل موضوع مطرح کردند که دلیل گرفتن این پرسشنامه به صورت مشخص از طریقه سازمان مهاجرت کانادا اعلام نشده است و با وجود مکاتبه با سازمان مربوطه هیچ پاسخ مشخصی دریافت نشد و اعلام شده که اطلاعات محرمانه است. 

دومین سوال شرکت کنندگان در مورد این بود که چه راهکارهایی برای دریافت کنندگان پرسشنامه دریافت وجود دارد.

راهکارهایی که در این جلسه پیشنهاد شد عبارت بود از:

1.فعالیتهای اجتماعی: گروه‌های کوچک یا بزرگ تشکیل دهید و به صورت تنهایی هیچ اقدامی را انجام ندهید. همیشه تاثیر گروه بیشتر از یک نفر است و هرچه گروه بزرگتر باشد امکان شنیده شدن صدا و نتیجه گیری بیشتر است. با نماینده پارلمانتان ملاقات کنید و مکاتبه کنید و از آن‌ها بخواهید که پاسخگو باشند. با رسانه‌ها تماس بگیرید و سعی‌ کنید صدایتان رو به گوش عموم مردم برسونید. سعی‌ کنید با ملیتهای دیگر تماس بگیرید و اگر آنها هم مشکل مشابه با شما دارند از آنها هم بخواهید به شما بپیوندند.خسته نشوید این حق شما است و به اعتراض خود ادامه دهید.

۲. اقدام قانونی : افرادی اکه مایل باشند میتوانند از طریقه دفتر آقای لورن والدمن به صورت قنونی به دادگاه فدرال کانادا اعتراض کنند. منافع این اقدام قانونی عبارت است از این که: الف) این اعتراض قانونی در روند کنونی پرونده افراد هیچ تاثیر منفی‌ نمی تواند بگذارد. ب)کسانی که از طریقه قانونی پروندهایشان را پیگیری کنند پروندهشان بعد از برسی‌ مجدد ممکن است سریع تربررسی‌ و بازبینی شوند. ج) ممکن است دادگاه فدرال را ببریم و پرونده همهٔ افراد متقاضی سریعتر بررسی‌ شود. حتی اگر دادگاه برنده نشود دولت با آگاهی‌ از این که افراد معترض ساکت نخواهند نشست تأخیر مجدد به پرونده آنها نخواهد داد. در نهایت این که: این فعالیتها صرفاً یک اقدام فردی نیست. این یک شکل اعتراض می باشد به نحوه رفتار سازمان مهاجرت با مهاجران تازه رسیده و کسانی است که پرونده مهاجرتشان تحت بررسی است. سازمان مهاجرت کانادا مسلما این حق را دارد که از متقاضیان مدارک بیشتری به هر دلیلی‌ بخواهد ولی‌ اگر تصمیم بر چنین اقدامی دارد باید تعداد کارمندان خود را بیشتر کند و متقاضیان رو مجبور به تحمل این بلاتکلیفی تأخیر‌های طولانی نکند.

افرادی که این پرسشنامه را دریافت کرده اند و تصمیم به پیگیری قانونی و شرکت در اعتراض به دادگاه فدرال کانادا را دارند می توانند با ایمیل زیر تماس بگیرند : 

Ariana.a@lornewaldman.ca

Citizenship delays do matter

Re: Citizenship delay no hardship, Letter May 23

Citizenship delay no hardship, Letter May 23

As a long-time permanent resident whose voting rights will likely languish in the ballooning citizenship backlog for years to come, I disagree with James Watt’s suggestion that citizenship delays are of little consequence.

To say that it does not matter whether hundreds of thousands of tax-paying residents are able to participate in the democracy of the community where they live, work and build their families, is to underestimate the value of that democracy.

Toronto’s 250,000 permanent residents have the power to sway an election. Toronto, a city which proclaims “diversity our strength,” has the power to say that their voices matter.

I applaud the City of Toronto for considering extending the municipal franchise to permanent residents. I hope the rest of Canada takes notice.

Eileen Finn, Montréal

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2013/05/27/citizenship_delays_do_matter.html

Access to citizenship becoming more difficult – unintended consequence of policy changes?

Access to citizenship becoming more difficult – unintended consequence of policy changes?

ShareThis

By Marco CampanaCitizenshipAdd comments

Canada has always been proud of its naturalization rate among immigrants as compared to other countries. However, a recent Toronto Star article suggests that for some the road to citizenship has become fraught with roadblocks. Intentional or not, the article outlines how many immigrants “will have to wait as long as nine years to become full-fledged citizens.”

How did this happen? And what does this mean for immigrants, and for Canada?

Recently, we have been seeing complaints about an increase in requests for applicants to complete the citizenship residence questionnaire. On newcomer discussion boards in particular the key issue has been an unreasonably long processing time. This issue has been confirmed by the Toronto Star article. The article suggests that a “crack down on citizenship fraud” may be to blame, but there are a number of other factors that may be contributing to a dip in our access to citizenship.

Residence Questionnaire

The residence questionnaire requires individuals to provide information and a variety of documents as further proof that they have resided in Canada for three years. Many find it difficult to obtain all necessary documents within the timeframe allocated (45 days), especially without advance notice that this will be necessary. For example, some records must be requested and then sent from the individual’s source country, or picked up in person from the source country by the individual or a retained lawyer.

Proof of Language Skills

The proof now required to demonstrate official language knowledge may also be a deterrent to some applicants. Those who have not been educated in French or English must either pay for a language assessment test or provide the results of federally funded language course they have completed.

Citizenship Exam and Guide

Citizenship exam failure rates have also increased as a result of changes (made in 2009 and again in 2011) to the citizenship study guide on which the exams are based. The new guide places more emphasis on Canada’s military history and sports figures, for example.

Processing Times

Processing times are also getting longer at every stage. According to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website, it already takes 21 months to process “routine Canadian citizenship applications.” There are delays before applicants can write the citizenship exam, there are delays until residence questionnaires are processed (up to 2 years), and there are delays until citizenship ceremonies take place. The idea that immigrants may become citizens after three years of permanent residence must be tempered with the reality that processing times can double or triple that time frame.

Unintended consequences

These developments, along with recent changes that deny citizenship to those born abroad to Canadian citizens unless their parents were either born or naturalized inCanada, reduce the pool of potential citizens.

In our recent report, Shaping the future: Canada’s rapidly changing immigration policies, Naomi Alboim and Karen Cohl argue,

“Changes to the rules for obtaining citizenship are also weakening Canada’s democracy as growing numbers of people either will not be able to obtain citizenship, will have to wait longer, or go through ‘more hoops’ to do so. Without citizenship, individuals cannot participate in the fundamental aspects of democratic life, including the opportunity to vote for the municipal, provincial or federal representatives who make decisions that affect their lives. [...] All those who cannot or do not qualify, or must wait longer to pursue citizenship will be deprived, at least for a time, of the opportunity to participate in the fundamental aspects of democratic life.” (page 69)

We do not imagine that our federal government intended to decrease access to democracy for Canada’s immigrants. But this appears to be a consequence of some of its policies designed to “crackdown” on citizenship fraud.

Alboim and Cohl argue that such policy changes that lack, or run contrary to evidence, could have unintended consequences. They write, “Many changes to the family class and citizenship are based on anecdote without evidence to show the magnitude of the problems. […] [T]he sheer pace and scope of changes to immigration policy and programs creates a climate of unpredictability.” (pages 65-66)

A national discussion is essential in this climate – one that seeks to ask the right questions. A discussion about what kind of country we want to be and how immigration can help us get there. We believe that these four principles should guide the conversation and any subsequent immigration reform:

1. Immigration policy should be based primarily on long-term social and economic objectives and a commitment to citizenship.
2. Immigration policy should be evidence-based, comprehensive, fair and respectful of human rights.
3. Immigration policy should be developed through public and stakeholder engagement, meaningful federal-provincial-territorial consultation, and democratic processes.
4. Immigration policy should enhance Canada’s reputation around the world.

The time for a national conversation is now. In the coming weeks, we’ll propose some questions to guide us in this conversation. We encourage you to join us in this discussion.

Letter: Citizenship applicant caught up in bureaucracy

 

 

MONTREAL GAZETTE MARCH 12, 2013

 

0

 

• STORY
• PHOTOS ( 1 )

 

 

A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer raises his hand as a group of 60 people take the oath of citizenship during a special Canada Day citizenship ceremony in Vancouver, B.C., on Sunday July 1, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Photograph by: DARRYL DYCK , THE CANADIAN PRESS

I am one of the approximately 28,000 citizenship applicants per year whom Citizenship and Immigration Canada suspects of fraud. No one has told me what falsehoods I am suspected of, but I suspect the CIC may be concerned about my suspicious holiday trips to Maine to visit my aging parents with my young daughter, or our visit to my husband’s dying grandmother in the U.S. to introduce her to her only great-grandchild.

Like an increasing portion of qualified residents who apply for citizenship, I received one of Minister Kenney’s dreaded “anti-fraud” Residence Questionnaires. This means that the unspecified suspicions of an unspecified official will leave my citizenship in limbo for another four years, or indefinitely. There are no official processing time benchmarks and little parliamentary oversight for the 10-15 per cent of us who receive the RQ. We have fallen off the map.

Minister Kenney’s CIC is approving fewer citizenship applications than at any time in the last five years. So like tens of thousands of other Residence Questionnaire recipients, and the 319,517 citizenship applicants total caught in the CIC’s ballooning backlog, I will remain taxpaying interloper.

I do not begrudge the CIC their right or even obligation to issue me a Residence Questionnaire. What I object to is their administrative mismanagement demonstrated in their inability to process applications in anything approaching a reasonable timeline. Qualified residents deserve a fair and timely path to citizenship.

Canada has long enjoyed a reputation for good governance. Unfortunately it is not strengthened by an opaque, poorly executed and seemingly capricious citizenship process rife with unknown delays. Qualified, long-time residents deserve better. Canada deserves better.

Eileen Finn

Montreal

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

 

 

 

• E-mail this Article
• Print this Article
• Share this Article

Read more:http://www.montrealgazette.com/Letter+Citizenship+applicant+caught+bureaucracy/8083645/story.html#ixzz2NN54h5Vm

Canada’s Selective Immigration Strategy: an Evolution

By: Diva Rachel

 

Canadians from coast to coast have expressed concern about the pending drastic changes to the rules surrounding immigration buried in the 400-page omnibus bill. As the House of Commons debates the voluminous bill, little time is devoted to dissecting the hundreds of policy changes. Those Canadians who study history regard the new rules with a different lens -- a return to tactics of yesteryear, of which few are proud today. Let us take a stroll through Canadian immigration memory lane. 

1867 -- A NATIONAL "OPEN-DOOR" POLICY 
Following Confederation, the newly formed country of Canada began to develop its own national immigration policies. Its open-door policy helped attract a more diverse group of arrivals than ever before, but not all the new immigrants were welcomed with open arms. 

1870s - BRITISH JUVENILE DELINQUENTS WELCOME
Between 1869 and the 1930s, Canada received over 100,000 juvenile immigrants from the British Isles. Most of these children had been brought up in poverty, and were homeless or living in the urban slums of the UK. Some were accused or even convicted of crimes. (cough.) Ottawa did not view their shortcomings as a barrier to immigration however. 

1885 – HALTING CHINESE VIA HEFTY HEAD TAX 
To avoid spoiling Canada-China relations, the federal government could not outright forbid Chinese immigration. Therefore, Canada passed the Chinese Immigration Act, which put a hefty head tax on Chinese immigrants in the hopes that this would deter them from entering Canada. No other ethnic group had to pay this kind of tax at the time. The head tax would prove to be profitable for the federal government, while effectively stifling the flow of Chinese newcomers. As the tax increased a number of times reaching $500 in 1904 (over $12,000 in 2012 dollars), it would prevent wives and families from joining their husbands or fathers in Canada.

 

1898 – BARRIERS FOR BLACKS
There was -- as government correspondence in Ottawa records now makes clear--a long series of letters exchanged among immigration authorities worried about how to be functionally anti-Black without seeming anti-Black. Since much of its recruitment of immigrants was done by mail, it became difficult for immigration officials to discern the race of African-American postulants. In U.S. cities where there were no Canadian immigration agents present to discriminate openly, civil servants would write to the local (presumably white) American postmaster and ask whether the applicant was Black. Those few Blacks in Canada had apparently got to here either by persistence or through accident. 
For example, for Blacks trying to enter Canada there were strict regulations on health, literacy, and financial support. These regulations were set up on the assumption that most African-Americans would never meet them and thus would not be allowed to enter the country. On March 21, 1911, a party of two hundred Blacks arrived at a Manitoba border station and requested admission to press on to Amber Valley, to which relatives had preceded them. The Canadian officials subjected them to the most rigorous exam possible and found that they could not stop a single member of the group. No one had less than $300 (or $100 more than the law required), all were in excellent health, and all had documented proof of good moral standing. During the pre-First World War years, Ottawa was under various kinds of pressure to exclude blacks. In 1910, for instance, the Edmonton Board of Trade passed a resolution to stop the undesirable influx of Negroes. Six months later, Canada would shift its underhanded discrimination policy to bar Blacks overtly.

1905 – ONLY WHITES FOR THE WEST 
PM Laurier’s Minister of the Interior from 1896-1905, Clifford Sifton, was eager to populate western Canada with farmers in order to stimulate the economy and help pay the national debt. The government offered free homesteads to applicants who qualified. Canadian immigration authorities rated newcomers according to their race, perceived hardiness and farming ability: If British immigrants are not available, other white immigrants would do. White immigrants from Eastern Europe (Italians, Portuguese, South Slavs, Greeks, Syrians, Jews) were reluctantly accepted in large numbers, but Black and Asian immigration is discouraged. 
 

 1906 -- INDIANS NEED NOT NAVIGATE TO CANADA
Then-Clerk of the Privy Council, Rodolphe Boudreau wrote on the restriction of immigration from the Orient, in particular British East Indians: “Experience has shown that immigrants of this class, having been accustomed to the conditions of a tropical climate, are wholly unsuited to this country”. He further goes on to write that the restriction of newcomers from India is “no less in the interest of East Indians themselves, than the interest of the Canadian people”. Then Deputy Minister of Labour W.L. Mackenzie King, went on a mission to England to negotiate an agreement by which Canada was made “distinct” in the British Empire, thus allowed to refuse certain classes of immigrants based on country of origin. 

1907 – JAPANESE GENTLEMEN’S AGREEMENT 
In 1891, B.C. provincial legislators were complaining that Japanese immigrants were “just as injurious” as the long-despised Chinese, going so far as to exclude Japanese residents from the 1891 census. In 1897, Premier John Herbert Turner’s provincial legislature unanimously asked the federal government to prevent immigration of Japanese, citing concern about “the lower class Jap” who competed in the labour market. Heeding to xenophobic pressure, only six Japanese immigrants entered Canada in the years 1901–4, while the "gentlemen's agreement" with Japan to limit immigration to 400 a year only became official in 1907. 

1908 – THE CONTINUOUS JOURNEY CLAUSE
To keep immigrants of Asian origin out of Canada, the Canadian government passed an Order-in-Council on January 8, 1908, that prohibited immigration of persons who did not "come from the country of their birth or citizenship by a continuous journey". At the time, ocean steamers crossing the Pacific Ocean from Asia stopped at Hawaii. The policy, a veiled aim at passengers from India, required immigrants to travel to Canada in an uninterrupted journey straight from country of origin – though, curiously, the rule was not applied to European immigrants. 

1911 – BLATANT BARRING OF BLACKS 
As Canadians, we too often adopt morally superior attitudes toward our American neighbours. While Black slaves who escaped to Canada in the 1800s enjoyed a better life here, it wasn't exactly Eden re-visited. In fact, Blacks were treated so inhumanely that after the U.S. Civil War ended in 1865, the majority of escaped slaves returned home. In 1911, PM Wilfrid Laurier announced changes in the Immigration Act banning "any immigrants belonging to the Negro race, which race is deemed unsuitable to the climate and requirements of Canada." This despite Black Canadians’ long list of accomplishments and contributions to the country: Matthieu Dacosta, hired translator for Samuel de Champlain in 1600s whose talents helped bridge the gap between the Europeans and the First Nations, Wilson Abbott (1801–1876), a successful businessman and Toronto City Councillor, Sir James Douglas (1803–1877) the Father of British-Columbia, and the thousands of Black volunteers fought and won the War of 1812 alongside fellow Canadian soldiers. Once again, our government defied factual evidence while inventing excuses to justify covert racism. 


1919 -- WEEDING OUT WORKERS RIGHTS ADVOCATES
Shortly after the Winnipeg General Strike, Canada made a dramatic move to bar immigration from central, eastern and southern Europe. The rising fear of international socialism and communism contributed to the creation of a very selective immigration policy meant to keep so-called "non-preferred" immigrants and "troublemakers" out. “Troublemaker” was a euphemism for non-British Europeans and Jews, who led the most influential strike in Canadian history. That year, the government's revised Immigration Act gave it the power to keep out any "nationality or race deemed unsuitable." The ritual of innuendo to mask institutionalised discrimination continued in as the entry of Ukrainians, Mennonites and Hutterites was prohibited on the ground of their “peculiar habits, modes of life and methods of holding property”.

 

1991 – REFORM PARTY RHETORIC
The Reform's early policy proposals for immigration were seen as highly controversial in Canada including a policy pamphlet called Blue Sheet that was issued in mid-1991 stating that Reformers opposed "any immigration based on race or creed or designed to radically or suddenly alter the ethnic makeup of Canada" . This controversy and others raised the question over whether the Reform Party was intolerant to non-white people and whether the party harboured racist members. Then-MP Stephen Harper emerged as a prominent member of the Reform Party of Canada caucus. Subsequent repeated accounts of xenophobic and racist statements by individual Reform party supporters and members spread this concern, though the party itself continuouslydenied that it supported such views. 

2011 – FROM REFORM PARTY MEMBER TO MAJORITY GOVERNMENT
Since PM Stephen Harper seemingly has free reign in the form of a majority government, the immigration file has been handed to Jason Kenney to chisel away the Trudeau legacy. 

Is Canada regressing to the furtive forms the past? Closing Embassies and Consulates, adding barriers to application processes or cancelling them altogether, reducing immigration integration budgets in the province which welcomes nearly half of all newcomers, closing immigration bureaus in the Prairies... The omnibus bill contains a plethora of drastic changes to immigration policy, including the delegation of immigrant selection to the private sector and pre-entrance language requirements. No details have been outlined in how these language tests will be administered, nor which foreign ESL accents will be deemed “suitable” for Canada’s “economicclimate”. No provisions to prevent the chronic employee-selection problem observed in numerous studies where French and English sounding names have a clear advantage when all other factors are equal. Concerned Canadians are wondering if the devolution of immigration will result in neo-profiling – yet another iniquitous and underhanded selection methodology. While they may be scattered in the omnibus bill, the Harper Government has, no doubt, its proverbial ducks lined up in a row. 

 

Source: http://deevarachel.blogspot.ca/2012/05/canadas-selective-immigration-strategy.html