Government Guarantees for Visiting Colombians

Colombiche says on Jul 4, 2007, 19:28:

i am trying to bring my cousin from colombia over to Canada. She applied for the temporary visa, she signed up for a course at the Hansa language institute, 5 months, about 3k, paid 2k down.

I had to write a letter of invitation stating that I was willing to look after her expenses (she is looking after her own expenses but I have to say that anyway to make it look like she won't be a liability) and she also had to write a letter to send along with her visa application, stating that she has assets in Colombian and only intends to come up here to better her English.

The director of the school tells me it is quite unlikely that she will get the visa since colombians tend to get denied the colombian visa all the time (meanwhile mexicans and venezuelans waltz in like nothing). Then I spoke to the registrar he told me based on his experience with colombians over the past 2 years, she has an 80% chance of getting the visa, apparently it is getting easier he says, it was harder a few years ago.

Mixed messages,


I don't know if the fact that she was denied the american visa 3 times makes it harder, she does have a new passport without the "DENIED" stamps.... is she supposed to send just her latest passport or does she have to send the previous one too?

I never heard about this letter that you are talking about.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Colombiche says on Jul 4, 2007, 19:30:

What I meant to say above is that colombians get denied the canadian visa, where the heck is the edit button?

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

0 funny, 0 helpful.

manINred says on Jul 4, 2007, 19:46:

Yes, I have been searching for this letter of guarantee, I don't know if it exists or not.

The language school sounds reasonably priced, but I do not know if I can afford a language school, and she doesn't either.

Mexicans apparently do not need a visa to come to canada, just a passport, so says my good mexican friend.

I hope the latter part of your message is the more accurate one (80%), and good luck to your cousin.

And rufus, those malparidos in Ottawa can sieze my life if she doesn't return, because she will no question!!!

Thanks for your replies

0 funny, 0 helpful.

manINred says on Jul 4, 2007, 20:32:

Wow, that's really cool rufus, I hope Canada goes ahead with it, and am glad the PM is visiting Colombia!

0 funny, 0 helpful.

adrimm says on Jul 4, 2007, 21:19:

Trade is good.. but S.H. he's such a cold fish seeming person I think he'd be a horrible emissary.. hmm I wonder who is going with him?

I know she's no politico but I'd love to see Michaele-Jean go.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

zeineguy says on Jul 4, 2007, 23:40:

hi am new here. but i have done research. look on the canadian govt immigration website. look under refugee visa. colombia is listed as a country in which canada has a refugee status. maybe why it is easier for colombians can get visa here now. under that.. you can sponsor someone. or as a group/ organization. the govt also has money to help new refugees. I dont know which is easier.. to apply in bogota.. or just show up in canada and claim refugee status. at least with being in canada.. they can stay until their claim is dealt with. with the refugee status.. the best thing is if they can prove to be independent after time to live in canada. having a friend may help.
I have friends in colombia that i would like to bring here.. but i find most are scared to the idea. and also with the recent events this year, they have a good chance to stay here. as the life in colombia is not as safe.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

adrimm says on Jul 5, 2007, 17:56:

I dunno considering the challenges that Colombia has, I think Uribe is allowed to be a bit stiff and serious, but Harper's in the opposite boat - he needs to seriously relax..I just read that GG will be going, and frankly I think that with the first impressions Harper gives, her smoothing the way will go further. I have more ill-will towards the senate than the GG (How many of them are there, paid for really nothing!)
While I really think that the GG budget needs to be stringent (and we don't really need LGs), I can see the value for the Feds if they have somone to doff the all social affairs onto. I'd rather Stephen Harper be focused on his government and ministers than minding diplomatic social calls X nights a week.

Costwise - well at least they're not going to Zurich !

Aside from who is going I think that this is an excellent opportunity for an exchange of ideas - I'm faxing letters to the PM's office as well as the local and fed branches of the Ministry for Transportation and Infrastructure suggesting that someone be sent along to look at the TransMilenio and bringing that idea back here. They're supposed to be shelling out money to local governments of tranportation infrastructure over then next decade and I think that the TM is alot of bang-for-buck.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

adrimm says on Jul 7, 2007, 10:06:

Nope.. I'm in a much smaller city out west. But if we seriously want to start managing congestion on our roads (and air-pollution), and densifying cities then we'll need something that works better than the lousy bus service most cities have (seriously who rides the bus?), people cry light rail, but light rail costs 4-5X more than TM, runs slower in most cases than the TM, and can run at similar capacity. If big cities like TO get rail, Montreal gets Metro, and Vancouver gets Skytrain, then don't smaller cities deserve something too? At 1/4 to 1/5 the cost TM makes sense.

Cars and roads are a chicken and egg game: cars fuel roads fuel cars and you are back to where you started. Sitting in traffic for hours on end. Money should go into fast & frequent transit, not more roads and sprawl.. besides unless they start developing mass scale fuel alternatives, no one will be able to afford to drive anyhow. Peak Oil is coming, and from there on in gasoline is only going to get more and more expensive.

0 funny, 0 helpful.