Calls for appeals process for temporary Canadian visa applications

November 02 2009 by Liam Clifford

Woman refused visa to attend sister’s wedding prompts campaign to relax the Canadian temporary residents visa system.

A Thai woman, whose sister was refused a Canadian visa to attend her wedding to a Canadian man in Canada, has prompted a campaign calling upon Canadian officials to relax the Canadian temporary residents visa system by introducing an appeals process.

Panita Chumchantha says she was told by Canadian immigration officials that her sister was no longer a member of her family and refused her visa application.

Chumchantha’s is one of many such stories, all of which are being used as evidence in MP Olivia Chow’s campaign to introduce an appeals process to the temporary residents visa application system.

Currently, the official stance is that each application is considered on its own merits, but if an application is refused, no appeal can take place. Chow says, "for families that cannot come together for those special moments, I think that's exceedingly cruel."

Chow now has a private members’ bill in the works which could establish an appeals process if it is passed. She is also calling on the House of Commons citizenship committee to look into the issue.

A spokesperson for the Canadian immigration department argued, "the onus is really on the applicant to satisfy the visa officer that they're coming to Canada for temporary purposes."

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