In January of 2017, a Canadian Immigration Officer denied an application for permanent residence through a spousal sponsorship. The Officer doubted the validity of the marriage because the applicant and the sponsor did not speak the same language. The Officer did not provide notice of his concerns to the applicant and the applicant and sponsor were asked to return the next day with an interpreter. The applicant felt severely unprepared for the intrusive questions of this second interview, in which the applicant and sponsor were separated and questioned. Because the applicant was not advised of the purpose of this second interview, she expressly stated to the Officer her concerns that she was not being treated fairly. The Officer, after review of the application and the interviews, decided the sponsor and applicant were not cohabitating, and her application was denied.
Read the full article: Procedural Fairness – A right to a fair process during the Permanent Resident Application process in Canada.