Immigration Blues
Parminder Singh Pannu, a Canadian resident Indian, is the current victim of Immigration Blues. For the past three years, he has been waging a loosing battle with the Canadian immigration officials in New Delhi to let his second wife join him in Canada.
Singh has been working in Canada for the past 35 years. Three years ago, his first wife died of Breast Cancer, leaving him a widower. His children, knowing how lonely he felt after loosing his wife and meeting with a near fatal accident, cajoled him into getting married again.
Through his family friends, he got to know of a childless divorcee, Ranjit. He met her, got engaged and married her in front of some 150 friends and relatives in Punjab. The troubles started when he applied to the Canadian Immigration Office, to let Ranjit join him in Canada.
Over the three years, the Canadian officials have been repeatedly rejecting Ranjit’s application. The reason – The couple looks too stiff in the marriage photographs to be real married couples.
According to the officials, the Singh and Ranjit do not show the “comfort levels” that is visible in the photographs of married couples. They feel that the couple looks aloof and distant in the photographs.
Mr. Singh has already spent a fortune as legal bills, telephone bills and travel expenses to be in touch with his lady love. He has collected the telephone bills over the years to show that he has been talking to Ranjit. He also has a collection of letters which Ranjit sends him – two letters a week.
The media has finally taken up his story, and The Vancouver Sun has put up the story in its front page. The print edition can be accessed here, while the online edition of the story can be accessed here.
With the Canadian officials believing that the marriage between Singh and Ranjit is a sham to bring Ranjit to Canada, we need to wait and watch, to see of the loving couple would ever be united.
Meanwhile, for all those who are planning to take their spouses along with you to far away lands, please remember to show the desired “comfort levels” in the marriage photographs, and please do not look aloof or distant. It may have disastrous consequences later.
posted by Arun R @ 4:06 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
the canadians tried to play it safe n failed, i guess.
thats lousy on the immigration officers part...i wonder if there are some hidden issues...like criminal record or such...but still if it authentic and he has phone bills etc to prove..then they shouldnt be oppressing the couple...
i mean at times fraud and cheats escape the eyes of law and innocent people are made to suffer
@ Poison:
They are yet to accept defeat.
@ Parth:
No criminal records whatsoever, alteast thats what I got from the news reports.
Need to wait and see how things unfold for that poor chap!!!
You can't blame the Canadian officials alone. The extent to which Indians go to get a green card or PR is unbelievable. Fame marriages and forged certificates are just a common phenomenon. In fact the entire blame goes to Indians who does all this...
@ PC:
I don't think I've tried to blame either the immigration offical or the Indian national in my post.
I was just trying to highlight the haplessness of the person.
I too am aware of the numerous shams that people cook up just to go out of the country.
If there are people who are able to cheat the officials, then I would say that there are an equal number of incompetant officials, so point in any blame game. People who are determined to go will go, by hook or by crook.
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