Canadian Visas: Approval and denial? A game of Russian Roulette

The following is an email recieved from Wilberforce with respect to Visa applications that were rejected. The Applicants were performers who obviously were applying abroad. To cut to the chase, when applying for a Canadian Visa, the onus falls on the applicant to meet the following criteria: ¤ satisfy an officer that you will leave Canada ¤ show that you have enough money to maintain yourself and your family members in Canada and to return home; ¤ not intend to work or study in Canada unless authorized to do so; ¤ be law abiding and have no record of criminal activity (you may be asked to provide a Police Clearance Certificate); ¤ not be a risk to the security of Canada; ¤ produce any additional documents requested by the officer to establish your admissibility; ¤ be in good health (complete a medical examination, if required). Failure to meet the above criteria will result in a negative decision. Bruce, an Immigration Consultant in good standing with CSIC, provides his opinion as well. Kevin RODRIGUES

Dear Bruce,
I am trying to organize an event this year and I had wanted to invited several performers to come from abroad. When they went to the interview, only one of them was given the visa. All these performers were genuinely coming to perform with no strings attached. This one performer cannot perform on his own without the rest. May I know why the rest because I simply can’t comprehend why they were not given the visa?

The only clue I have is that the rest were refused because they had never traveled abroad. Is that a genuine ground to refuse someone to enter the country? And if they were not given the visa, when will they ever have the chance to make their first trip in order to get a second chance?

Wilberforce