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Title
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Results of data collection on Canadian visa refusals
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Author
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Abstract
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| CAAS has documented a pattern of continuing, discriminatory, and inconsistent treatment of visa applications made by academics from African countries wishing to visit Canada to share and develop their expertise at conferences and programs of study. Visa refusals represent significant missed opportunities for Canadian scholarship. Canada lags behind other countries in terms of ease of applying and fairness of its treatment of African nationals. CAAS has identified five key issues for Canadian authorities to investigate and address. First, African scholars face unjustified and discriminatory refusals, particularly the belief that they will not return home despite steady employment, family members, and/or high quality of life in their countries, even in cases where participants’ travel is fully sponsored. Participants who have been granted visas for other countries in Europe and North America, sometimes multiple visas, are being denied entry to Canada. Second, unrealistic expectations mean that visa requirements, particularly proof of financial assets and property, are unattainably high for African scholars whose institutions cannot afford high salaries. Third, visa refusals carry high financial costs, particularly compared to other countries. Consequently, the Canadian visa application process, including the non-refundable cost of refusals, drains resources from academics from the African continent, who can ill afford these costs. Fourth, compared to other countries, Canada rates poorly on the speed of processing visa applications. Long time frames mean some scholars have received their visas too late to attend the event. Finally, procedural bottlenecks have made the visa application process burdensome and confusing. These include applicants having to travel long distances to visa centers; unreliable contact information; unhelpful private visa processing companies; and extensive information requirements that are difficult to meet in a short time. |
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Language
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English
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Publication
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Ottawa, Ont.
:
Canadian Association of African Studies
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2019
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Volume/pages
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13 p.
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Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
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