Email to Mr. Stephen Woodworth

I sent this email today at 11pm to Mr. Stephen Woodworth; feel free to email him about the same matter at woodworth.s@parl.gc.ca

Mr. Stephen Woodworth
Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre

Dear Sir,

I would like to have an interview with you. My sister in Cuba was denied a visitor's visa on May 31st, 2011; this is the second time. The previous time was on May 11/2010. Cubans are routinely denied visitor's visas to Canada on the grounds that they are 'possible immigrants' . This is an issue that has been affecting the Cuban-Canadian community at length. The visa officers base their decisions on items like age, marital status, ownership of property locally (Sick joke when it comes to Cubans) and whether the applicant has children as it's clear from the forms the applicants have to fill out at the Embassy when applying for a visitor's visa. Sometimes the applicants are not even given a reason for the denial. When they are given one it is usually that 'In the opinion of the visa officer who interviewed you, you are likely to stay in Canada'. Most of the time, the 'interview' is just a matter of delivering the forms to a visa officer. The cost of the so-called interview is now 75.00 CDN, the equivalent to 3 month's salary for the average Cuban. This is wrong. We Cuban-Canadians have the right to be visited by our relatives. Canada has to come up with a different policy when it comes to visitors from countries like Cuba. I am planning to take this issue as far as necessary and I am not giving up.

Both my parents visited me in Canada and returned. Before immigrating to Canada, back in 2001; I visited briefly (28 days) in 1993. There is no history in my family of anybody wanting to stay illegally in Canada or apply for political refugee status.

My sister has no reason to apply for political refugee status in Canada; my family has never been involved in politics.

My sister's name is Yamina Gonzalez Almaguer, she is 41.

I do hope we can find a way for this issue  to be resolved for once and for all. I, for one, had enough of the inefficiencies of the system.

I am at your disposal for an interview, any day, any time.

My very best regards,

Lucia A. Gonzalez Almaguer
91 Westview Crescent.
Kitchener, ON
N2N 2X7
519-954-3889