Canadian Embassy

[Rina2]

Thanks for your advice, Trina. However, he really only is planning to come here to visit for a very short time, not to stay and i don't know if this would obligate him to work.

It's ironic that many immigrants that i know who were professionals in their country (India, China, etc), doctors, computer engineers etc., are having so much trouble finding jobs and are now either janitors, cleaners or have a convenience store-because

1) they keep being told they need local Canadian experience which they can't get b/c no one will give them a chance. If they apply for a lower position then they are told they are over qualified.
2) there is educational snobbery. Your education from your country counts as nothing and you basically have to start over again here and many don't have the time or money to do that-especially if they have a family to support.
3) they really don't need people in those fields and if they do-they would just as soon hire someone local.

But they are begging and in desperate need of skilled construction workers-eg. electricians, plumbers, builders, etc. in this country. Many of whom do not have much education or money in their own country and so supposedly wouldn't qualify to get in.

They show these ones (that are professionals) clips advertising how beautiful and safe Canada is for their children to grow up in. Also how many more opportunities there are for their children. This is the bait to get them to apply for here, then when they get here it is one struggle after another. (Also heavily promoted is Australia) So regardless of how professional or educated or rich you are in your country-when you come here you are in the same boat as everyone else who's not. It's who you know. These ones could just as easily become a drain on the system also.

 

[trina]

I agree with you, on all counts. Something definitely needs to be done to improve the situation our country is in with regards to Immigration, as well as the shortage of labour - who'd've thought that an overabundance of jobs would be a bad thing? It is easy for us to sit back and complain, though, and easy to forget that most countries are in much poorer condition than Canada is. Our problems are solvable and secondary.

We need doctors, so we allow doctors to come to our country, and then leave them to fend for themselves and work as janitors. We need construction and general labour workers, so we only allow professionals to come to our country...something not right there... Our own future, our children, are opting out more and more often to work rather than go to school and University because the job market is just too good right now. They only see short-term, and want to have their own money and work, so they forego their education to work in hard-labour jobs, who are now offering upwards of $20+/hour (in Calgary, anyways) because the need for workers is so great.

 

[Rina2]

Yes, too true.

Anyways i will try and keep you posted on whether the visa goes through.
I guess maybe now i really should find my friend's number at immigration and see if she can help us somehow to beat the odds. Her position involves accepting or rejecting, i believe. Like i said it's who you know. I will also post any other advice she may have for all those in a similar situation.

 

[Rina2]

Well i spoke to my friend at Immigration Canada. Here's what she had to say:

Basically whethor a person is accepted or rejected will depend on: the person-(qualifications that have been already mentioned in this thread) but also on the officer-whethor they think the person is honest or whethor they (the officer) are having a good day or a bad day or whethor they have some kind of prejudice to the applicant (ie. religion).
She also mentioned that sometimes the application goes through a prep review-in other words-the Dominicans working there will look through it first and decide whethor to even pass it to a Canadian Visa officer (so as not to waste their time). So sometimes it is the actual Dominicans doing the rejections-a sure place for prejudices or favors.

In addition she also mentioned that they are only alloted a certain amount of applications they can accept from each country every year-whether people qualify or not. So it can basically be a lottery. This makes sense as they can't possibly issue so many visas from so many countries.

So there you go. Just because you're rich and well-educated doesn't guarantee anything. All you can do is try-hope for the best and then go to Plan B.

BTW she told me she was checking on all those that came here for the Pope's visit and she said many of them are still here!
He doesn't have many honest followers, now does he?!

 

[koko*]

Rina,

I just went through the experience of having my boyfriend apply for a visitors visa and he was denied. As mentioned already one must prove/satisfy an officer that he/she will return to the d.r. after their visit. Reasons he was denied: -travel history
-limited employment prospects in his country of residence.
-current employment situation.
-personal assets and financial status.
-length of proposed stay in Canada.
I was not at all surprised he was denied, disappointed but, not surprised.

 

[EncoreFun]

Very Common

Although I don't know you or your Boyfriend, and have no reason to think anything. The Canadian Government has a pamphlet for all embassy employees Titled " Tourist Manipulation". It appears that thousands of Canadian Woman have been duped into believing that they have found "a really great Guy". The only Dominicans getting Visas are professionals, educated, and or family wealth. Although I cant verify this, a friend of mine who works at the Dominican Consultant in Ottawa as a Consultant liaison told me this. Hard to believe that the Sun could cause all of this Delusion.

 

[bob saunders]

My wife's cousin's daughters, age 14 and 17 got visitor's visa to both Canada and the USA last month. It was a lot of paperwork (they are coming for ESL summer school) but they didn't have any problem. Their father applied for an American visa 3 years ago and was turned down, but this didn't have any effect on their visa applications.

 

[Rina2]

Yes it may be true that its the professional Dominicans who are wealthy that get visas-but there is still a limited amount of visas allotted per year-so it doesn't guarantee that every rich Dominican will get a visa.