"... Since then, not only has the Damascus office not examined the files in a 6 to 12 months period, but this period has been increased to more than two years..."
This is a part of Mr Mokhtari's letter to the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Mr. Jason Kenney, about the current situation in the Canada Office visa in Damascus. The letter is also launched as an online petition for public access.
In a clear image, he explains what are happening in this office under the name of Canada government and Canadian citizens while the minister has made so many unfulfilled promises.
He adds "the representatives of the Canadian citizens in the federal parliament may have forgotten under which conditions the federal government and you have urged them to vote for Bill C-50, reasoning that its ratification will lead to "more flexibility in processing and management of applications, putting an end to piling up the files, and increasing our abilities in attracting immigrants to Canada"; the imposed bill which in practice, meant making fundamental modifications in Canadian immigration programs and gave you limitless authority.
The representatives of the Canadian citizens in the federal parliament may not remember that in your annual report dated on October 30, 2009 when you talked about an Action Plan to shorten the time required for receiving the immigration visa, you emphasized that "the people who have already applied for the federal skilled worker program, can expect to get the result in a 6- to 12-month period of time, whereas based on the previous program, this period could be up to 6 years." This explanation may be convincing for those who have turned you into an unaccountable captain of this ship with ratifying the Bill C-50, and that may be why they do not follow it, but it is different for the applicants of the immigration visas in the Damascus office."
Finally, 4 minimum steps are asked from the minister to return the system back on the right track.
- Taking necessary steps to reduce the delay in Damascus Office and keep your promises
- Declaration of the policies of the Ministry regarding the average time required for examining the files in Damascus and giving order to this disorganized office;
- Clarifying and updating the information regarding the examination of files, so that the applicants will have a good estimation of the time they will enter Canada;
- Establishing strategies to make the immigration offices clearly and transparently answer the clients and help them in this regard;
To read the complete letter, please click here.
To sign the petition, please go to this page.