Refused Spousal Sponsorship Application
The Spousal Sponsorship application process is a daunting and time consuming task. It is very administrative for the most part, but can also be overwhelming and challenging should a case not be straight-forward (previous marriages, arranged marriages, marriages less than 2 years, children from previous marriages, common-law relationships) . Typical spousal applications are between 120 - 150 pages, after including all government forms and accompanying evidentiary documents. If documents are required to be translated, it can be as many as 200 pages.
The Canadian government has become increasingly more strict when reviewing applications and granting approvals. There has been a growing number of fraudulent applications from people who are using the Spousal Sponsorship application process to obtain permanent residence illegally. This has made it much more challenging to prepare a strong application that will be approved without issues. Often, when individuals attempt to apply on their own, the application is weak and the visa officer is not convinced of the genuineness of the relationship. They will either request an interview for both people, issue a fairness letter requesting more evidence with further explanation, or an outright refusal. Approximately 40% of the clients our firm retains is after a refusal when they apply on their own.
The IRCC is largely to blame for the large number of refusals. The IRCC post forms online with instructions on the process, giving the impression that the process is easy and can be done by yourself. Only after starting the process on your own and having the application returned or refused, will a person understand the complexity involved. If an application is returned for using outdated forms, or for being incomplete, it will delay the process by 2 to 3 months. If an application is refused, PR will not be granted for over 2 years. If the application was an Outland application, and your spouse comes from a non visa-exempt country which requires a TRV visa to travel to Canada, they will not be able to travel to Canada for a minimum of 2 years, unless they already have a TRV visa. After a refused spousal application, the IRCC will not approve a TRV visa.
Individuals should consider retaining a lawyer to help with the application process, as there are many advantages. When choosing a law firm to retain, there are 3 major considerations and criteria an individual must factor in when making a decision.
Refusal
If an Inland Spousal application is refused, there are no rights to an appeal (as there are with Outland applications). If an application is refused, the person in Canada will no longer have status. The only option would be to retain a law firm to file a Judicial review on the original application or submit a new application. A Judicial Review process will take 6 to 12 months, plus up to 6 additional months for IRCC to process the application. If the application was an Outland application, an appeal can be filed with the IAD (immigration appeal division) and a hearing date will be scheduled to be held in 1.5 to 2 years. During this time, your spouse will not be able to travel to Canada, unless they already have a valid TRV. If they do not have a valid TRV, the IRCC will not issue a TRV after a refused sponsorship application.