Canada immigration urged to curb fraud in immigrant marriages

Canada, 27th July: Canada immigration department is being urged to take a serious view of the rising menace of marriages of conveniences in order to gain Canada marriage visas by increasing number of immigrants.

Immigrants enter into marriages of convenience or last-minute marriages just to gain legitimacy to enter into Canada.

And once, it comes to the notice of Canada immigration officials, it could mean a sad ending to an immigrant’s dream of landing into Canada using fraudulent means forever.

Several incidents of fraudulent marriages involving Indo-Canadians have come to the surface.

In one such incident, Ashpreet Badwal, a 35-year-old residing in Brampton was unaware of the intentions of her future husband when she married him. Badwal, who is wheelchair bound, married Manjit Shahi, an Indian, two years ago. Badwal met Shahi online and their correspondence continued. The marriage was finally solemnized in traditional Indian way after they talked on phone to know about each other for almost a year.

Badwal married Shahi in November 2007. She then returned to Canada to provider sponsorship visa for her husband in India. Badwal had to spend huge sum to arrange for a permanent residency for her husband as the sponsorship bid was rejected by Canada immigration officials.

Finally, she was elated as she was successful in getting PR(permanent residency) for Shahi on June 26. And as the day of their reunion finally came near, Badwal was waiting for her hubby to arrive at the Pearson International Airport in Toronto. She was left baffled by a threatening call on her mobile from her hubby.

He said that he was not interested in meeting her. However, Shahi is still roaming freely in Canada.

Badwal, a victim of a marriage-of-convenience, feels that the law is easy, and not hard, to break in. Badwal will have to pay for Shahi up to a period of three years, as per Canada immigration laws, since she had sponsored Shahi.

It has come to the notice of CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) that few people are misusing the Canada immigration rules for Canada marriage visas in order to get a free ticket to Canada and live here. Hence, as per the proposed changes in Canada immigration rules, all future marriages-of-conveniences would be caught by Canada.