visa for canada...emj_08, process from start to finish

[emj_08]

Hi Guys,

I have a few questions for you all. I've read almost every thread on here, but nothing seems to answer my very specific questions. Hopefully someone can help out.

My man's going for his interview on April 30th, and I need to know a few things. The e-mail did not directly tell him to bring his passport (although he will bring it anyway). Is this a bad sign? I know others were expressly told to bring it with them.

Secondly, how long after the interview should we expect to hear? The same day? Weeks? Months? Is this different for everyone? I know there's no logic to this baloney, but I thought I'd ask what people's experiences were.

Also, he has jumped from job to job over the past few years. The job market in Sosua/Puerto Plata is not good, and for a wide range of reasons, he's always changing jobs. They asked him to bring in updated questions from the background declaration, namely his personal history. Because of his job-hopping, we had to do a lot of guesswork on the original application, and we have to do the same thing now. Is this something that could ruin our chances? If asked about it, he can easily explain why there are any discrepancies on the application and the updated version (because we were guessing), but should we be worried about this? Will they understand the economic climate enough to know that most people don't have life long careers? He has had a steady job for 3 yrs that pays only commission, so he's always been forced to have a second job to make better incoem.

Just to be safe, I wrote a letter to accompany this question that explains how we are sorry for any discrepancy and we are not by any means trying to deceive them. I also explain, at length, what he's been doing for the past few years so they will see why it is too complicated to fit into the little boxes on the application, and why it might seem inconsistent.

What do you guys think? Other than that, they asked for his original birth certificate, but no other proof of relationship was requested. I guess this means we have convinced them on that front.

I'd love to hear what people think. Thanks!

[sangria]

My husband had a difficult time with the dates of his employment, especially for the jobs he had when he was young.

We did the best we could starting from the most recent and working backwards. Any hotel that still exists we called to get exact dates and then filled in the blanks the best we could.

We also accompanied a short letter to explain that we did everything we could to get the exact dates but that many places no longer exist or have changed owners etc.

We werent questioned on anything. Better to over explain in this area.

It is difficult because many people dont have resumes especially with hotel jobs or small businesses.

All you can do is explain yourself and be honest.

That is the best way to handle it.

sangria

[emj_08]

Thanks so much! That is what I did with the letter. I kissed butt, sayin we were not trying to defraud them, we were just confused as to the details ourselves. Good news is we have a letter from his current employer that matches everything we've said on the application. You put my mind at ease. Thanks!

[Fiesta Mama]

Originally Posted by emj_08

Hi Guys,

Also, he has jumped from job to job over the past few years. The job market in Sosua/Puerto Plata is not good, and for a wide range of reasons, he's always changing jobs. They asked him to bring in updated questions from the background declaration, namely his personal history. Because of his job-hopping, we had to do a lot of guesswork on the original application, and we have to do the same thing now. Is this something that could ruin our chances? If asked about it, he can easily explain why there are any discrepancies on the application and the updated version (because we were guessing), but should we be worried about this?

I don't really have an answer to your question because I don't know how important the accuracy of the job history is. I just wanted to say always keep a copy of everything you send in because it sounds like you did not? I would think that having different dates from the first time would be harder to explain than just telling them that the dates are guestimates and explaining why. Also, you will eventually need to know some of that infromation once he is in Canada (assuming you are Canadian?) for applying for visas for other countries, preparing a resume or job application, etc. and you don't want to have to go to the trouble of tracking down all that same info again. Keep a copy of everything!

[emj_08]

I admit it was a mistake not to copy everything, but I still have almost every crucial document, like birth certificate, military papers, passports, rent receipts, letters from the bank, testimonials from family/friends, correspondence/phone bills, so I have a giant folder with all our stuff. But trust me, I have kicked myself many times for not copying the application forms before sending them. I meant to, but I forgot in my anxiety. My spouse knows absolutely everything about our case, about me, and my family.. the only thing that really needs an explanation is the job history, which he can provide if asked. I also told him, if they ask about it - just be honest and say we acknowledge there were discrepancies.

Also, once he's here, I doubt the exact accuracy of his dates of employment on his resume will matter. The kind of jobs he will be applying for won't be checking references in foreign countries. I'm sure they will accept at face value the dates we give them.

[murilka]

If at all possible go to the interview with your husband and do your explaining there in person. Having been myself an immigrant to Canada, although in Professional category, i can tell you that the accuracy of the pre-immigration employment details matter.

[SJSantos]

Originally Posted by emj_08

Also, once he's here, I doubt the exact accuracy of his dates of employment on his resume will matter. The kind of jobs he will be applying for won't be checking references in foreign countries. I'm sure they will accept at face value the dates we give them.

When my husband applied for his position here in Canada his employer called his previous employers in the DR. Canadian employers do check out references.

Good luck with the interview on the 30th!

[emj_08]

We already have two good references that anyone in Canada could call, and we even have one that is a written reference to give potential employers.

I absolutely cannot attend the interview with him. Wish I could. But he is equally as capable of explaining his own work situation as I am. If not more.

Murilka - from all the research I've done, it seems the details that really matter for professional visas and family class are very different. For a work visa, they need to know your skills and education and working background are compatible with the Canadian workforce. With family class they want to see the legitimacy of the personal relationship. I THINK the personal history in my husband's case is merely part of the background check to make sure they aren't admitting a shady character into Canada.

[lexi]

emj_o8 - I think if you have written to explain and your husband has the letter from his full time job that he has worked at for the past 3 years that that should help clear things up. I agree that when you apply professionally they are looking for different things but the details nevertheless are always very important to have correct. You don't want to give them any reason for denying your application. Good luck with everything and let us know how it goes!!

[emj_08]

I called my MP's office over a month ago asking for an update in our case. She told me to call back in one month for the update. While waiting to call back, I found out my spouse had an interview on April 30th. Hooray. But after the month went by, I thought it would be interesting to see what update they had received from Haiti for me.

I've been calling for three days, and all I was told was "I'm not the one handling your case. Give me your info and I will have the person call you." Three days, and three phone calls, all these dim-witted secretaries kept blowing me off.

FINALLY I got a call back, and here's what the woman said to me:

"Ma'am (yeah she said Ma'am, I'm 23), you can't call me everyday, it will change nothing. This process takes YEARS AND YEARS. I have no update for you. You just have to wait. Your spouse will have to undergo medical and police checks IN CANADA so immigration can be absolutely sure he has never been here before."

I said "That's nonsense. Actually he has an interview on Thursday, and we will have our answer then."

And she says, "No no no. That's incorrect. You will probably have years more to wait. That's not how it works. People in Africa wait several years to immigrate." (WHAAT?? Africa? Who's talking about Africa??)

Then we proceeded to argue about the process. I told her I knew for a fact this was how it works, and she scoffed at me. She said this must mean the office in Santo Domingo is not functioning the way it should, and they are making errors. I told her she was hugely misinformed and hung up.

I can't believe how uneducated my MPs people were about immigration, and how unhelpful and rude they were. I hope they aren't passing on this misinformation to anyone else.

Anyone else have interesting stories about their MPs?