Cairo Office: Immigration Canada

Visa Applicants Dept: Canada has come under some severe and well-deserved criticism for the way it screens people from other countries hoping to come here. Prospective immigrants and refugees are reviewed by single officers alone in foreign offices, with no right of appeal. Some of those offices have high rates of refusal, which is why some people say this country's system is ripe for abuse. The process is intimidating and bewildering to many, particularly those who simply want to come for a visit. In 2010, some countries saw all their visitor visa applicants refused, while others have noticeably low approval rates. Yet Immigration Canada insists applications are vetted on a case-by-case basis. Among other reasons, applicants, the department says, are refused if officials suspect they will not leave Canada when the visa expires or they present a security risk. DALE CUMMINGS/ Recently, a Federal Court admonished one well-known visa officer in Canada's Cairo office for rejecting numerous applicants from Eritrea. Such examples of official condemnation are rare though, and most applicants, frequently sponsored by families in Canada, are at the mercy of the judgment and the integrity of individuals workingor skirtingthe country's rules. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.