I wrote a post last year about CIC(Citizenship and Immigration Canada) refusing a Permanent Residency Visa for my husband. I wanted to give a bit of an update on our situation.
The visa refusal was in July 2003 while I was visting my husband in DR. The lawyer I was using filed an appeal on my behalf with the Immigration Appeal Division(IAD). I returned to Canada late in August. My appeal had been received by IAD on July 31, 2003. Last week my lawyer informed me that our case has been selected for a ADR(Alternative Dispute Resolution) meeting and not a hearing. The ADR is scheduled for April 15 2004. I am hopeful that we will be successful and my husband able to come to Canada sometime later this year. Finally!! We have been married now just over 2 years - together for 3 years.
If anyone else has been through the ADR or IAD hearing process and you can offer any suggestions, please do!
A warning about Immigration Consultants:
In October 2003, I found out that my lawyer wasn't a lawyer after all but a Immigration Consultant working in a Barrister's office. I was referred to this 'lawyer' from a friend who had used this 'lawyer' for an Immigration matter in the past. Luckily, I did not realize this too late and I was able to retain a real lawyer to assist me with the appeal. My biggest mistake was not checking the credenitals of this 'lawyer' before I retained him and I lost $1000 for that mistake not to mention a lot of grief!
I also referred the same person to represent a Canadian friend of mine.(another mistake I made) She also is trying to get her husband to Canada. She applied for Sponsorship with the consultant(thought to be lawyer) and to date she still does not know if she has been approved or denied as a Sponsor. The Permnant residency for her husband hasn't even started yet. The consultant has not returned her calls or emails with the information she is requesting. She doesn't even know her Client number so that she is able to call CIC or the embassy in Haiti herself! Now that she is living in DR she has not retained other counsel or tried to continue the process on her own. She is still using the consultant.
On another note, I know of 2 other Canadians that got married to Dominicans after we did, did not use a lawyer or a consultant and their husbands are NOW in Canada.
Does using a lawyer/consultant somehow slow down the process?
If I had to do this all over again, I would apply to CIC myself and would retain a lawyer only if necessary.
Who ever said coming to Canada was easy?
Rosanie
The visa refusal was in July 2003 while I was visting my husband in DR. The lawyer I was using filed an appeal on my behalf with the Immigration Appeal Division(IAD). I returned to Canada late in August. My appeal had been received by IAD on July 31, 2003. Last week my lawyer informed me that our case has been selected for a ADR(Alternative Dispute Resolution) meeting and not a hearing. The ADR is scheduled for April 15 2004. I am hopeful that we will be successful and my husband able to come to Canada sometime later this year. Finally!! We have been married now just over 2 years - together for 3 years.
If anyone else has been through the ADR or IAD hearing process and you can offer any suggestions, please do!
A warning about Immigration Consultants:
In October 2003, I found out that my lawyer wasn't a lawyer after all but a Immigration Consultant working in a Barrister's office. I was referred to this 'lawyer' from a friend who had used this 'lawyer' for an Immigration matter in the past. Luckily, I did not realize this too late and I was able to retain a real lawyer to assist me with the appeal. My biggest mistake was not checking the credenitals of this 'lawyer' before I retained him and I lost $1000 for that mistake not to mention a lot of grief!
I also referred the same person to represent a Canadian friend of mine.(another mistake I made) She also is trying to get her husband to Canada. She applied for Sponsorship with the consultant(thought to be lawyer) and to date she still does not know if she has been approved or denied as a Sponsor. The Permnant residency for her husband hasn't even started yet. The consultant has not returned her calls or emails with the information she is requesting. She doesn't even know her Client number so that she is able to call CIC or the embassy in Haiti herself! Now that she is living in DR she has not retained other counsel or tried to continue the process on her own. She is still using the consultant.
On another note, I know of 2 other Canadians that got married to Dominicans after we did, did not use a lawyer or a consultant and their husbands are NOW in Canada.
Does using a lawyer/consultant somehow slow down the process?
If I had to do this all over again, I would apply to CIC myself and would retain a lawyer only if necessary.
Who ever said coming to Canada was easy?
Rosanie