Sue came to Canada from Korea in 2007 with her two small children. Dan stopped in to the variety store her family owned in Southwestern Ontario and started a conversation. Their relationship progressed until they wanted to get married. They were told, correctly, that they could fill out all the forms and file applications themselves with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Unfortunately, the applications they filed for Sue and her two minor children were rejected.
When asked if, knowing what he knows now having gone through the system, he would make the same choices, Dan quickly states “No, I would have gotten help much sooner”. “To attempt this yourself…”, Dan retorts “forget it”.
Sue’s family had contact with Jennifer through the broad Korean community in Southwestern Ontario and recommended her as a “good lawyer””. Sue says that with her limited English, especially when they came to Jennifer in 2009, it was incredibly helpful to be able to get information in her native language.
Dan says that in realizing the level of detail that was required for a successful application, it’s no wonder their attempt on their own didn’t succeed. “We had no idea of the process – it’s not something we deal with every day. Why did we assume we were expert enough to navigate the government?” he wonders.
After filing their final applications in 2011, Sue and her two children attended their landing ceremony in June, 2012 and are now officially permanent residents of Canada.
— Daniel & Sue