The Fosters

Two weeks ago I was devastated when my good friend, Pastor Waynse was denied a temporary visa to visit Canada with me. The purpose of the journey was for Waynse to give some of his partners in British Columbia a first hand account of bringing God’s Word to his language community: the Simbiti people of northern Tanzania. In 2009 I was able to take another friend from southern Tanzania to Canada for three months so I thought that an application with almost identical circumstances would sail through. Not so.

I sent in all of the forms including invitations from two reputable Canadian, Christian organizations and included full proof of financial means to support the short, two-week trip. I also indicated that I would escort Pastor Waynse both to and from Canada. Simple, right?

Now I am not a customs officer nor do I suggest that I even remotely understand the current threats to Canada’s social or national security but I do try to understand the systems that are in place. As such, I am sympathetic to efforts which attempt to reduce the growing number of false refugee claims in Canada, and let’s be honest, there is no shortage of these claims coming from African nations. The immigration authorities certainly have their hands full ensuring that all the traffic in and out of the Canada is legitimate. Thankfully, the taxpayers (of which I am one), have made it possible for the Canadian government to set up a screening system that evaluates each and every foreigner who wishes to visit Canada. By doing so, Canada can say, “Just because you are from country X, it doesn’t mean you’re not welcome. We evaluate applicants on a case-by-case basis.”

I would love to get together with the customs officer at the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya who denied Waynse’s visa application. I’d take him or her over to the Java House, order them a nice big latté and ask, “So what was the giant red flag that jumped out at you when evaluating Waynse’s application that made you feel that you needed to protect our great nation from this almost 60-year-old pastor/Bible translator who’s been working for the church since the mid-nineties?” I’m sure they had a good reason.

In all fairness though, I was given a letter from the officer which clearly stated, “I am not satisfied that you meet the requirements of the Act and Regulations for the reasons indicated below: [the following boxes from a list of other items were checked]

• your travel history
• limited employment prospects in your country of residence
• your current employment situation
• your personal assets and financial status
• you have not provided sufficient documentation to support your income and assets

Every time I read that I’m perplexed more and more. Keep in mind that, together with the application, I submitted an exhaustive number of supporting documents explaining the purpose of the trip, the work we’re involved in, and a number of other documents explaining who our hosts were, our speaking schedule, and where we would be staying. Furthermore, because Waynse’s own financial resources would not enable him to visit Canada by his own means, the sponsoring church in Canada overwhelmingly satisfied the sponsorship requirements which are in place for people who come from low-income situations. I even threw in a bulletin from the host church and a copy of Word Alive Magazine… yes, the one with me on the cover! So I can only assume from the rejection letter that Immigration Canada’s main concern is that Pastor Waynse is so miserable in Tanzania that when he gets to Canada, he’s going run off and hide somewhere in Langley, BC, never to return home thus remaining a burden on the Canadian social system (abandoning his wife and six dependent-children in the process). Unless, of course, there’s something else I’m not seeing.

I’m sorry but the whole thing is absurd and it wreaks of arrogance on Canada’s part. If they were to actually talk to Pastor Waynse, they would find he is one of the most content people they have ever met and that he is quite happy living in his beloved Tanzania. Furthermore, he is committed to his community, the development of his language, and he wants nothing more than to see the translation of the New Testament published in his mother tongue. But of course it’s unrealistic for any immigration officer to get to know an applicant on this level. They can only rely on a system and as we all know, systems fail. It just stinks when the system fails YOU.

It’s frustrating. I have too many colleagues around the world who are experiencing this over and over. It’s hit and miss as to who is allowed to enter Canada and who is not. There’s no consistency and one gets the sense that this is more of a lottery than a system. Just a year-and-a-half ago, with a far less impressive application, I succeeded in getting a visa for a local farmer (not employed) through the same visa office. Apparently I established zero credibility! There’s a difference between a system that fails and a system that’s broken.

Pastor Waynse never once asked me to go to Canada. I asked him to come with me. I suggested it and asked him to fill out a number of documents that required him to share very personal information about himself with the Canadian Immigration authorities. I’m actually embarrassed for putting him through this, especially considering that his country has welcomed me to live here since 2004. If I were Waynse, I would be insulted by this letter which deems me to be of inadequate opportunity and means in my home country. What does Canada know about my prospects in Tanzania? I would be angry that Canada seems to only allow the elite of Tanzania to come and visit. I might even be angry at Danny for putting me through it all and giving me false hopes of having the opportunity to travel to another country. I think I’d be furious.

But I’m not Waynse and that’s probably a good thing. When I told him his application was rejected, he simply said, “God knows and I trust Him. Everything happens for a reason and He has a bigger picture of things than we do.” His response is humbling and it makes me want to take him to Canada even more! The privilege for him to go there would pale in comparison to the privilege that his Canadian colleagues would get in meeting him face to face.