Immigration officials made mistakes when processing Spousal Sponsorship applications

A Nigerian couple is receiving an official apology from Citizenship and Immigration Canada after many mistakes were made when processing their visa application.

Gideon Christian was doing his doctoral studies in law at the University of Ottawa but is becoming frustrated and was getting ready to go back to Nigeria in order to be with his wife, who he can’t seem to bring to Canada. After their wedding in September 2009, Christian – who is a permanent resident  – filed a spousal sponsorship application.

Almost one year later, the Canadian embassy requested that she undergo another medical exam and an alcoholism screening test, even though she doesn’t drink. In December, another request for a medical exam was sent.

Christian learned using an Access-to-Information request that the initial medical exam letter was a mistake, but then in February his wife was told via e-mail her visa was ready. When they went to pick it up, it wasn’t ready… and they wanted another medical exam.

“We just wanted to have the opportunity to apologize profusely for the multiple errors that have occurred in the processing of this file and for the distress and expense that has caused both of them,” said a spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Now getting an apology like this from CIC does not happen everyday! In most cases, we have to go to Court to resolve such errors.

President & CEO

Michael Niren

Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.