Canadian immigration in Ottawa to crack down on fraudulent marriages
Liam Clifford
Global Visas
April 14 2010
Canadian immigration officials in Ottawa have launched plans to keep a closer eye on arranged marriages in certain communities.
The plans are expected to reduce the number of marriages taking place simply to enable people to move to Canada. Members of the Sikh, Muslim and Hindu communities in Ottawa are expected to be most affected by the new crackdown. As a result, some community members are opposed to the plans.
The Canadian immigration department insists the crackdown is not intended to get in the way of genuine marriages and spousal visa applications, but will focus in on those considered to be taking place purely to access a Canadian visa.
Tarek Fatah, from the Muslim Canadian Congress supports the plans, claiming, these marriages cause a great deal of anxiety and should be strictly regulated. He added, we welcome this move to enforce the policy; the Canadian citizenship is not for sale.
Kelli Fraser, a spokesman for the immigration department clarified: the intent of the proposed regulations is to provide canada visa officers with a better tool in order to protect the immigration system from non-genuine marriages.
