Meurrens added that he has not seen evidence in his immigration practice that C.I.C. officers are applying any extra scrutiny to those specific groups of people.

 

Immigration officers told to pay close attention to Chinese/non-Chinese marriages

 

Training manual for immigration officers lists some unusual red flags

 

BY TARA CARMAN, VANCOUVER SUN MAY 16, 2015

 

 

Despite their unusual nuptials, newlyweds Cam Auge and Caylee Wasilenko would presumably have not raised any red flags with Citizenship and Immigration Canada: the couple are kissing each other on the lips as they water ski in Bedwell Bay, North Vancouver. Newlyweds not kissing on the lips is listed as a red flag in a training manual.

Photograph by: JONATHAN HAYWARD , THE CANADIAN PRESS

Chinese nationals who marry non-Chinese Canadians may be among those likely to be flagged by Citizenship and Immigration Canada as being involved in bogus marriages, documents released under Access to Information reveal.

The documents, dated April 2007, form part of a training manual for immigration officers who assess permanent residence applications for foreign spouses or partners who are already in Canada. Access to information records suggest the criteria were still in place as recently as October 2013. No one from Citizenship and Immigration Canada was able to comment Friday on whether the criteria remains in effect.

Canadians who apply to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner must submit several documents, including a marriage certificate, a questionnaire, proof of divorce if either partner was previously married and evidence the applicant lives with the sponsor. Couples may also submit wedding invitations or photos.

AMONG THE RED FLAGS LISTED:

Chinese nationals, often university students, marrying non-Chinese;

Photos that don’t include parents or family members, but rather small groups of six to 10 friends;

An “uneducated” sponsor, with a low-paying job or on welfare;

In wedding photos, the couple doesn’t kiss on the lips;

Couples who don’t honeymoon, even for a weekend, “usually because of university and/or no money”

There are usually no “diamond” rings;

A small number of professionally taken wedding photos;

Photos of the couple wearing the same clothes in various locations;

Photos of activities together are often taken in the Niagara Falls area, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto.

OTHER FACTORS IMMIGRATION OFFICERS WERE ADVISED TO LOOK AT:

Previous relationships of the sponsor and the applicant and the length of time between a divorce and a new relationship

Whether Chinese surnames are unusual or common ones such as Wang, Huang, Li or Chen;

How much the sponsored spouse has to gain from permanent residence and whether they have taken previous steps to obtain it — a failed refugee claim, for example;

The length of time the couple has known one another, and whether they met, cohabited and married within six months

Whether there is an age gap of 10 years or more between the partners;

Whether there are significant differences in the education levels or ethnic backgrounds of the partners.

Vancouver immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens said he was surprised by some of the instructions. Meurrens obtained the document from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which had previously released it under Access to Information.

“Why Chinese people are singled out I have no idea, and then that they’re training officers to be suspicious of people of lower income and lower education when they get married, I thought that was pretty offensive.”