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Giving Birth In Canada - Travel (78) - Nairaland

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Re: Giving Birth In Canada by JESUnifemi4eva: 6:23am On Sep 25, 2018
@Layoco please ask your question here, as I can't remember the login details of my Nairaland password.

Thank you
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by folmus: 6:35am On Sep 25, 2018
hajidel:
Good day house; As promised I would like to share my wife's journey after the successful birth of our child and through the help and tips from this forum we acknowledge and show our gratitude. So hence we would like to share our own story so others may benefit from it.

Wife travelled at around 28 weeks and arrived in Montreal without any issues at the airport as we had always declared our intent of giving birth in Canada. I'm not sure if me residing in the USA did any trick but at the POE we were only asked a handful of questions and was let in without any issues. Now that is the easy part.
The real issue came when we needed to get a doctor and hospital to register with. Through the help of others on the forum here albeit most go to Toronto not much experience in Montreal so, we tried walk ins, urgent care, family GP etc but none of them was successful. We then tried to contact the hospitals direct and some would not accept patients without the insurance card which only residents of Canada can have. Some of the other hospitals were requiring us to pay a deposit of between CAD$15,000-25,000 which for me was not worth it. I then proceeded to give my wife hotstepper's contact so she can get another option. Hotstepper was very helpful in offering her services but unfortunately she turned it down as she would not have any relatives in Toronto that would offer emotional help.

Contemplated sending her back home to africa as
1. it did not make financial sense the offers the hospital were giving in terms of the deposit less the delivery (dependent of C or natural),
2. baby and mother per day
3. Epidural
4. Doctors fees
and some other fees that I have even forgotten about.

After a couple of weeks wife made some contacts and ended up choosing a birth center in Ottawa which was only $1500 cheaper than a hospital and only an hour and a half but does not offer epidural and if any complications arose then they would end up in the hospital.
She did a tour of the birthing center and found it fantastic. I decided to go to Canada from the USA myself to check out the center.Pre natal and the birth center visits were conducted every other week to check the progress of both mother and baby and it was all smooth sailing and I travelled back to the USA.

Arrived back in Ottawa 2 days to due date and unfortunately Wife went under 2 weeks overdue. On the day contraction started 2AM and made a call to the midwife and we were asked to come to the center at 4AM and off we went. Stayed at the center (i went to sleep at that time till 10AM LOL) and major contractions started at around that time and the actual labor process started. She came in at 3cm and later opened up to 8cm within a couple of hours. She was being attended to by 3 midwives and an elderly relative of hers who was extremely experienced in birthing and she was actually allowed by the midwives to chip in with her experience as they saw her doing some stuff that gave them confidence in her.

After a long contraction period of sever pains and only about 1.5 hours of pushing, the baby came. A boy at 3.5kg healthy with no complications from either the mom or the baby. No washing or cleaning of the baby whatsoever, just wrapped in blanket. We had a choice of going home after all the checks on mother and baby was done or could stay at the center for 24 or 48 hours at no extra charge. Food and drinks are available a-la-carte and at any time of the day or night. We decided to stay there overnight and left in the afternoon the next day. Once we got home, they bathed and cleaned him.

So tatal cost of the birthing

$CAD5,000


includes the prenatal and after delivery checkups. They also did a home visit 2 days later to check on the baby poo and pee, as well as his weight soft spot in his head. Three subsequent home visits were conducted to check on the progress of the baby. Food, transportation are also a big part of this process so that should not be discounted. So my wife would spend about $CAD100-150 per week on food and transportation.

Now to the paperwork.

In Quebec unlike Toronto were you have a turnaround time of about a week to do the birth declaration/registration (i'm not sure which one), you will have to do Birth Declaration with the state of Quebec. After the delivery, the center/hospital will give a form to confirm that the birth took place there and you will be given a copy of that form which you will take to the state of Quebec to do the declaration, where you will fill the child's full name, the parents names etc. But the catch is, it takes 15 working days for this declaration to be entered into the states system before you even apply for the birth certificate. We did the declaration the next working day and the waiting began. I would think that the declaration may not take the whole 15 days and after 10 or so I went in to inquire and negative and went in 2 times after that nothing. Eventually just the 15th day it was registered late in the afternoon and the next morning first thing we went to do the same day service for the birth certificate as oppose to having it mailed out which will further delay it.
We took the birth certificate and went into the embassy to apply for the travel certificate which was done the same day and we went to the passport office to apply for the passport and also chose the same day service as we had an itinerary that showed we will be traveling soon. We dropped off the passport application in the morning and picked it up in the afternoon and it was a 5 year valid passport.

From the birth to the declaration to the birth certificate and passport application took exactly 3 weeks and they left 2 days later and i went back to the USA to fly out from there.

All in all it was a mixed experience with emotional and physical distress.

My advice to anyone seeking this journey,

DO NOT UNDERTAKE THIS JOURNEY IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH MONEY OR MOST IMPORTANTLY IF YOU DO NOT HAVE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT WHETHER IT BE FAMILY OR FRIEND. BECAUSE YOU CAN PAY THE HOSPITAL OR CENTER ITS ONLY MONEY BUT YOU CANNOT BUY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

Secondly, you cannot buy the privilege of being a Canadian or any country in the west that offers Jus Soli citizenship as it is a key to traveling the world easily without much hassle and the medical and educational advantages that comes with it. No disrespect to my african roots as I am proud to be african.

Mental and emotional wellbeing or the benefits of being a citizen. If you have family who will offer you that and financially capable, then bingo go for it, but if no mental and emotional support, even if you have the financial means you might regret. So it comes down to what is more important to each individual.

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Re: Giving Birth In Canada by benson3788(m): 2:06pm On Sep 26, 2018
...

1 Like

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Beedee2016: 6:52am On Sep 29, 2018
Good day all. Pls can any1 recommend an affordable hospital in British columbia/doctor for cs? Pls I need help. It's very urgent . @hotstepper pls help your sis
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by sayittome(m): 7:29pm On Sep 29, 2018
CurvyDiva123:
I am currently 3 months pregnant and i would like to give birth abroad
i have a close family friend who is a nurse in new york, she owns a house and has been working and living in America for 20 something years. she sent me invitation during my last pregnancy but i was not ready financially
I dont have anyone in Canada at all but i hear i dont need to know anybody and giving birth over there is better
Please im here for anybody that can give me useful info, im new to Nairaland. i signed up cos of this
Please respond
Hi
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Hotstepper(f): 8:54pm On Sep 29, 2018
cant help u sorry.....dunno anytbing there


Beedee2016:
Good day all. Pls can any1 recommend an affordable hospital in British columbia/doctor for cs? Pls I need help. It's very urgent . @hotstepper pls help your sis
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Datsinn: 5:53am On Sep 30, 2018
I got into Calgary first week of this month . I was able to get an appointment with mosaic primary health care , they asked me to come with all my results and scabs from Nigeria which I did. Prenatal , doctor, postpartum care up to 6 weeks after delivery everything is cad 5000. The doctor is really nice and said she'll need to review my results from Lagos to know the ones i have to do . Sent me for scan and later asked me to go for some blood work.
1 Like 3 Shares

Pls will like to know how u filled d birth certificate and how long it took. Also the name of the doctor. Coming to Calgary this week.pls share ur experience
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Fshady: 6:58pm On Sep 30, 2018
sayittome:

Hi

You need to read through this thread from page 1 then you can ask specific questions where you are confused.
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Datsinn: 12:14am On Oct 01, 2018
A family friend told me I had to wait for the birth to be registered which takes 10-15 days before applying for the birth certificate. Can I expedite the birth certificate also and can the birth certificate be done online anywhere I am in canada
chizzybaby247:
thanks so much my people. it was indeed a journey filled with testimonies.

i applied for my TRV on 26th August and got the visa Oct 12th, then i was already about 36 weeks gone. there was no place in the application that they asked if i was pregnant, so i didnt say i was. leaving Nigeria at that stage in pregnancy wasnt like i planned it that way but the visa took so long to be approved. i submitted via paper route in Abuja embassy. i didnt have any issue at the port of entry. the cbp only asked me how long am there for. i told him 2 weeks because thats what my flight booking says. i changed the dates when i got there, cause i intended staying for 2 months.

On my stay there, i stayed in my brother's house, and the wife took me to all the places i went to, so i didnt have the course to hire a cab. weather wasnt funny for me. that was the peak of winter there.

breakdown of the hospital bill(7000cad)
mother's bill 3000cad
doctor's bill 1600cad
baby's bill 2500cad

blood work for baby 600cad

that makes it total of 7600cad

I applied for the birth certificate and got it 7 days with 25cad

after which we travelled to Edmonton for the passport, i had to go for express and i paid 110cad and got it within 5 days.

i didnt go for Nigerian passport, we only got travelling document, from Otawa and i paid about 150cad not too sure. that also came out like in 5 days.

feel free to ask more questions if you need more information



Pls you are yet to reply me. Which city did you birth and the Dr name and hospital. Thanks

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Gayl: 6:38pm On Oct 01, 2018
Demi007:
No I haven’t. Applied and took my mind off it immediately. I know the response will either be a yes or a no and either ways, life goes on. So im just going about my daily activities as usual.

Can’t add worrying to the list of things on my plate cheesy




Hello,
I'm planning to apply for visa for the birthing of my baby. I saw you mentioned your intention to birth in ur application. Please want to know if your application was successful.
Thank you
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Mslala: 10:22am On Oct 03, 2018
Hello Everyone.

So I have decided to share. I did an online application in August 2018, did my biometrics early September. I had read the full seventy-something pages and seen where border patrol officers had thanked the ladies for their honesty after disclosing they were pregnant so in my cover letter (LOE) I clearly stated that I wanted the visa for the purpose of child birth.

I have a good job, have sufficient funds in my account, pension account and other investments which I clearly demonstrated through my LOE. I am a lawyer so writing a detailed explanation letter (with accompanying supporting evidence) was not a problem for me. I also have good travel history and have valid U.S and U.K visas. I got the U.S visa for vacation purposes so I felt let me apply for a Canadian visa instead, fully disclosing my intentions.

I got an interview invitation (which rarely occurs for Canada visa applications) and wasn't too worried as I thought they required some clarification regarding my application. So I researched Nairaland again for Canada interview transcripts. The only one remotely close to this was the guy and his wife who applied for a Canadian visa after they were denied U.S visa (after a birthing trip) and were called on the phone, and the guy disclosed that they will also use the visa for child birth.

So I attended the interview (using questions from U.S transcripts for child birth such as why Canada? budget for the birth? etc.). We were about 3 people waiting at their Anifowoshe Office; an elderly couple (I don't know what they came for), a middle aged man who came to retrieve his passport to collect his U.K visa, and myself. I was given an appointment time but I was kept waiting for more than 1hr:30 mins.

Finally, the visa officer had my time and began his interview. He told me that he will decide the application there and then based on the documents I had submitted and the interview. After asking preliminary questions like how many kids do you have etc., he asked why do you want to travel to Canada? A little perplexed, I responded that I had clearly indicated this in the first paragraph of my LOE, that I wanted to travel to have my baby in Canada. Then he asked, how do you think the Canadians feel about this? I responded that I know that there are some concerns in some quarters about citizenship by birth, but generally the Canadians are all inclusive. Then he responded "No, the Canadians do not like it. You come and have a baby and immediately the baby gets all the privilege of citizenship. I tried to explain that I was being honest and fully disclosing my intention upfront....he interjected "so we should disregard the feelings of the Canadians because of that". Anyways he want on about how it is an abuse of the system and disregard of immigration laws. I clarified that my friend (who had sent a letter of invitation) and my gynaecologist had spoken to doctors in Canada who were willing to accept an international patient, and that I did not intend to abuse the system and will pay all my bills for the birth (as I did when I had my daughter in US). He responded that whether there were doctors willing to accept international patients and regardless of if I pay all my bills, I will still be using government's assistance because all hospitals, unlike those in the US, are funded by the government. He reiterated that Canadians do not like birthright citizenship and that he was going to deny my application and a refusal letter will be handed over to me.

So I waited at the reception for the letter and it stated that I was denied because I may not come back due to financial assets, purpose of travel etc. but he had already clearly stated the reason for the denial. Lol.

So perharps when applying, you may want to state medical tourism instead of child birth outrightly because according to the Visa Officer, Canadians do not like jus soli.

9 Likes 4 Shares

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Hotstepper(f): 1:27pm On Oct 03, 2018
He is just a sad human being period. Is he a Nigerian?
Yes, hospitals are funded by the govt but is that not why international patients pay for their own services themselves? Because its funded by the govt,thats why the govt stopped issuing Health Card to kids born by international patients at birth so they wont take advantage of those system until hey r old enough to live in the contry nd actually pay tax.




Mslala:
Hello Everyone.

So I have decided to share. I did an online application in August 2018, did my biometrics early September. I had read the full seventy-something pages and seen where border patrol officers had thanked the ladies for their honesty after disclosing they were pregnant so in my cover letter (LOE) I clearly stated that I wanted the visa for the purpose of child birth.

I have a good job, have sufficient funds in my account, pension account and other investments which I clearly demonstrated through my LOE. I am a lawyer so writing a detailed explanation letter (with accompanying supporting evidence) was not a problem for me. I also have good travel history and have valid U.S and U.K visas. I got the U.S visa for vacation purposes so I felt let me apply for a Canadian visa instead, fully disclosing my intentions.

I got an interview invitation (which rarely occurs for Canada visa applications) and wasn't too worried as I thought they required some clarification regarding my application. So I researched Nairaland again for Canada interview transcripts. The only one remotely close to this was the guy and his wife who applied for a Canadian visa after they were denied U.S visa (after a birthing trip) and were called on the phone, and the guy disclosed that they will also use the visa for child birth.

So I attended the interview (using questions from U.S transcripts for child birth such as why Canada? budget for the birth? etc.). We were about 3 people waiting at their Anifowoshe Office; an elderly couple (I don't know what they came for), a middle aged man who came to retrieve his passport to collect his U.K visa, and myself. I was given an appointment time but I was kept waiting for more than 1hr:30 mins.

Finally, the visa officer had my time and began his interview. He told me that he will decide the application there and then based on the documents I had submitted and the interview. After asking preliminary questions like how many kids do you have etc., he asked why do you want to travel to Canada? A little perplexed, I responded that I had clearly indicated this in the first paragraph of my LOE, that I wanted to travel to have my baby in Canada. Then he asked, how do you think the Canadians feel about this? I responded that I know that there are some concerns in some quarters about citizenship by birth, but generally the Canadians are all inclusive. Then he responded "No, the Canadians do not like it. You come and have a baby and immediately the baby gets all the privilege of citizenship. I tried to explain that I was being honest and fully disclosing my intention upfront....he interjected "so we should disregard the feelings of the Canadians because of that". Anyways he want on about how it is an abuse of the system and disregard of immigration laws. I clarified that my friend (who had sent a letter of invitation) and my gynaecologist had spoken to doctors in Canada who were willing to accept an international patient, and that I did not intend to abuse the system and will pay all my bills for the birth (as I did when I had my daughter in US). He responded that whether there were doctors willing to accept international patients and regardless of if I pay all my bills, I will still be using government's assistance because all hospitals, unlike those in the US, are funded by the government. He reiterated that Canadians do not like birthright citizenship and that he was going to deny my application and a refusal letter will be handed over to me.

So I waited at the reception for the letter and it stated that I was denied because I may not come back due to financial assets, purpose of travel etc. but he had already clearly stated the reason for the denial. Lol.

So perharps when applying, you may want to state medical tourism instead of child birth outrightly because according to the Visa Officer, Canadians do not like jus soli.

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Mslala: 2:03pm On Oct 03, 2018
No, he is a white Canadian.

https://www.quora.com/Is-birth-tourism-legal-in-Canada-Can-I-go-and-have-my-baby-in-Canada-legally

The position of Dinesh Malik, Gongkai Chen and Darly Baker (in the article from the link I posted above) were exactly the views of the Visa officer. He was fixated on his position that I knew that there was nothing I could say to convince him otherwise.
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Mslala: 2:13pm On Oct 03, 2018
I forgot to add, he also said that everytime I spend with the doctor and time I spend at the Hospital, a Canadian has to be denied for me to have that service/time.

Anyways, the interview was good for me because it granted me the opportunity to hear directly from the Visa Officer and gave me closure in that regard. If I had just received a denial (without the interview) based on the other flimsy excuses, I probably would have tried to reapply with additional funds and try to establish more home ties.
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Phakabir06: 5:39pm On Oct 03, 2018
Olalacious:
Hello my people,

LONG POST ALERT!!!

Weldone and thanks to everyone keeping this thread alive

I don dey read this thread for the past two weeks (from page 1 oh), in fact the page is permanently opened on my browser and i just keep reading in my spare time plus taking a lot of screenshots for future reference grin grin
Like someone said, this thread should be a taking and also giving back thread (Not only taking without sharing your experience), I will start sharing my experience as it goes and will keep on updating as I progress on this journey.

In 2015 I applied for US tourist visa and got a 2year entry. At POE in US told CBP i was also going to have my baby in the US along with the vacation. Baby came, all bills paid got zero balance from doctor and hospital. Fast forward to 2017, myself and hubby wanted to renew the visa, VO said why didnt we declare in the first interview that we wanted to have baby in the US. Told the VO that the initial VO who interviewed us did not ask any question on that and the plan was only to visit. He would have any of our story. Long story short, he denied us the visa.

Then I decided to try the Canada route. Read this forum like crazy to understand how to go about the application especially when you have been denied a US visa. After a lot of reading and digesting, myself and hubby summoned courage to apply for the TR visa. Plan was that we would travel for a visit in December as a tourist and then use that opportunity to see if we could scout for a doc/Gynae/settle accommodation plans etc and then next year when baby is due will travel for child birth. We submitted the application (via Paper route) went to VFS to submit all the requested supporting docs. This was on 22nd Oct. Exactly 10 calendar days after submitting the application, hubby got a call from the Canada embassy. Basically he was asked for the reason why we were refused a US visa. He then clearly explained to the Canadian VO that we were not no sufficient ties back home. He also mentioned that we had our baby there as well but all the bills were paid in full. Apparently the Canadian embassy had also called the US embassy people to find out why we were not given the visa but they did not give any convincing answer to the Canadian embassy hence the reason the Canadian embassy called us to find out further. Also during the convo, the Canadian VO then asked my husband if I was currently pregnant. My husband said yes and that we plan to also have the baby there next year but the reason for the initial visit was for tourism. The Canadian VO was like it is not illegal or a crime to go to Canada to give birth. If you have sufficient fund to cover it, you would most likely be given. They even called my husband’s company HR manager to confirm if salary certificate which we provided was correct (no be small thing).

Long story short, he told us to send receipts of our medical bills in the US as well as the refusal document which was received from US embassy. We sent all the details to him and even put the US hospital and doctor’s contact info to call them if they have any doubts. Exactly one week after sending all the details, we received a mail from the Canadian embassy to come and drop our passports. Got our passports back today. Mine stamped Multiple entry till 2021 hubby till 2019 as passport expires in 2019.

My peace of mind is that I have clearly declared to the VO that I would be giving birth so I no get fear for POE issues.
In my opinion, Canada Embassy processes your VISA in a fairer manner than US. They take time to review your documents properly and then make a decision based on that. But US ehn, its like before you even show up at the embassy, they have already made a decision without checking your docs..

Now unto the next stage of preparation, Accommodation /OB GYN/Hospital to use. As I no get family for Canada, Ontario will be my best bet as I can see from people’s review on this thread that it seems to be a relatively less expensive to birth there. I will start contacting the hospitals and docs now.

@Hotstepper, please help a sister out. How can you assist with accommodation options available and which city do you recommend I stay in (Brampton or Toronto)? Which is easier to move around in? Do you have anyone I can contact in arranging accommodation for a 2 month period. Also I have contacts of Dr Ayodele and Dr Abou of Brampton hospital and I have the Dr Grace contact of humber river. I just need to understand if I should call the doctor first or the hospital first or do I have to first get a Family Doctor who will then refer me to the hospital/Doctor. As I don’t have family doctor, please help if you can refer me to someone. Thanks a lot and look forward to your feedback.

Any other preggy mama bound for Ontario around April/May 2018 who doesn’t mind sharing accommodation? I need to plan this waka well in advance.

Thanks a lot to everyone and wishing every mama out there a safe one!!!

please when you were filling the form online . Please the place where you they wrote if you have been refused visa in Canada or any other country . Please did you indicate you have been refused in usa ??

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Re: Giving Birth In Canada by veleta: 10:23pm On Oct 03, 2018
Phakabir06:
please when you were filling the form online . Please the place where you they wrote if you have been refused visa in Canada or any other country . Please did you indicate you have been refused in usa ??

Once you have been refused visa in any country,please always indicate it because non disclosure of such is misrepresentation and attracts 5 year ban.Being refused a visa isn't a big deal.US and Canada share information.They run applicants details on their database and it pops up.
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by 9JAFULLBREED(m): 12:03am On Oct 04, 2018
benson3788:
Hi everyone, please I really need some advise. Girlfriend is pregnant (not a thing I'm proud of), and would like for her to have our baby in Canada. I've been sore worried as not being married might pose some problems at Visa processing. Please, any advise on ways to go about it? Thank you.
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by hajidel: 4:56pm On Oct 04, 2018
This is ridiculous to say the least. I feel really bad for you as this must have been very tough.

What I would like to point out as well is having an interview is not necessarily a bad thing, for me it is actually a blessing in disguise and its better than being outrightly denied after doing online application.

The officer mentioned about Canadians feeling of tourist coming to give birth in Canada as an issue. Whilst I would say you answered him correctly i think you should have been more expansive in the explanation and reiterate and may be give him a bit of history of Canada and how some of them became Canadians. Besides you are paying for the entire hospital bill or birthing center so therefore you are not denying any Canadian service time as if they hospital or birthing accepts you, then they are well equipped to take care of any patients they may register.

Secondly, Canadians may not like birthright citizenship but it is not your faulty the people don't like it, it is in the constitution and its law that it exists like the US. So with all due respect for the Canadian citizens concerns, I think they are more concerned about people going to give birth and not paying for their services which I myself oppose as it is abuse of the system. And me being a law abiding citizen I will not under any circumstance abuse the law of another country. Again it is an opportunity for you to bring up that some Canadians themselves have had babies outside of Canada and they will continue to.

The refusal letter you were given is a standard refusal template letter just like the US embassy.
What I would like to say here is whether it is Canada, US or any other embassy we are called in for interview especially graduates, middle class workers, business owners etc, we should act like one. I should not be a graduate and engage in a discussion like a primary school student. We don't have to be rude in an interview but we have to do our research, state facts and be firm and answer with conviction.

Some might prefer the documentation route but the interview is not a bad thing either as it will give chance to correct some mistakes one might have made and rebut them in case they have doubts about one's intended purposes. So even though you did well with the officer, I think you could've done better and argue your case more because the onus was on you at that time, you were 50-50 in the officer's eyes to be issued a visa or not and that was the purpose of the interview whether you will prove them wrong in their doubts. But again as you mentioned Canada visa interview are a rarity but for the most part seeing you had a US visa, its pretty much the same protocol and patterns amongst most visa application interviews. Good luck on the next one.

Mslala:
Hello Everyone.

So I have decided to share. I did an online application in August 2018, did my biometrics early September. I had read the full seventy-something pages and seen where border patrol officers had thanked the ladies for their honesty after disclosing they were pregnant so in my cover letter (LOE) I clearly stated that I wanted the visa for the purpose of child birth.

I have a good job, have sufficient funds in my account, pension account and other investments which I clearly demonstrated through my LOE. I am a lawyer so writing a detailed explanation letter (with accompanying supporting evidence) was not a problem for me. I also have good travel history and have valid U.S and U.K visas. I got the U.S visa for vacation purposes so I felt let me apply for a Canadian visa instead, fully disclosing my intentions.

I got an interview invitation (which rarely occurs for Canada visa applications) and wasn't too worried as I thought they required some clarification regarding my application. So I researched Nairaland again for Canada interview transcripts. The only one remotely close to this was the guy and his wife who applied for a Canadian visa after they were denied U.S visa (after a birthing trip) and were called on the phone, and the guy disclosed that they will also use the visa for child birth.

So I attended the interview (using questions from U.S transcripts for child birth such as why Canada? budget for the birth? etc.). We were about 3 people waiting at their Anifowoshe Office; an elderly couple (I don't know what they came for), a middle aged man who came to retrieve his passport to collect his U.K visa, and myself. I was given an appointment time but I was kept waiting for more than 1hr:30 mins.

Finally, the visa officer had my time and began his interview. He told me that he will decide the application there and then based on the documents I had submitted and the interview. After asking preliminary questions like how many kids do you have etc., he asked why do you want to travel to Canada? A little perplexed, I responded that I had clearly indicated this in the first paragraph of my LOE, that I wanted to travel to have my baby in Canada. Then he asked, how do you think the Canadians feel about this? I responded that I know that there are some concerns in some quarters about citizenship by birth, but generally the Canadians are all inclusive. Then he responded "No, the Canadians do not like it. You come and have a baby and immediately the baby gets all the privilege of citizenship. I tried to explain that I was being honest and fully disclosing my intention upfront....he interjected "so we should disregard the feelings of the Canadians because of that". Anyways he want on about how it is an abuse of the system and disregard of immigration laws. I clarified that my friend (who had sent a letter of invitation) and my gynaecologist had spoken to doctors in Canada who were willing to accept an international patient, and that I did not intend to abuse the system and will pay all my bills for the birth (as I did when I had my daughter in US). He responded that whether there were doctors willing to accept international patients and regardless of if I pay all my bills, I will still be using government's assistance because all hospitals, unlike those in the US, are funded by the government. He reiterated that Canadians do not like birthright citizenship and that he was going to deny my application and a refusal letter will be handed over to me.

So I waited at the reception for the letter and it stated that I was denied because I may not come back due to financial assets, purpose of travel etc. but he had already clearly stated the reason for the denial. Lol.

So perharps when applying, you may want to state medical tourism instead of child birth outrightly because according to the Visa Officer, Canadians do not like jus soli.

4 Likes 1 Share

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Mslala: 5:49pm On Oct 04, 2018
hajidel:
This is ridiculous to say the least. I feel really bad for you as this must have been very tough.

What I would like to point out as well is having an interview is not necessarily a bad thing, for me it is actually a blessing in disguise and its better than being outrightly denied after doing online application.



There was no doubt about the purpose of my trip and the Visa Officer wasn't open minded so there was no convincing him. He was fixated on his position that Canadians do not like jus soli. So me telling him the history of Canada and how Canadians are originally immigrants (which he already knows), as well responding that Canadians also have their babies outside Canada and would continue to do so would have ended the interview faster, and with the refusal letter.

Birthright tourism is currently an issue for the 2019 elections in Canada.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4410446/conservative-convention-birth-tourism-canada/

1 Like

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by baddo(m): 5:59pm On Oct 04, 2018
Mslala:
Hello Everyone.

So I have decided to share. I did an online application in August 2018, did my biometrics early September. I had read the full seventy-something pages and seen where border patrol officers had thanked the ladies for their honesty after disclosing they were pregnant so in my cover letter (LOE) I clearly stated that I wanted the visa for the purpose of child birth.



I would like to say that you did the right thing by declaring your intention and you also tried with the answers you gave the officer. His judgement was skewed towards how he personally felt about the citizenship by birth law and not what the law actually allows one do lawfully. He is not there to enforce the laws of the "haters of the citizenship by birth group". He was supposed to look at your visa application without a biased mind according to the laws governing birthing by internationals.

How is it government assistance, when a bill for international patients will be applied.
How are you denying service time to other Canadians when its time paid for. Sheeesh

The laws governing the issue of birthing abroad and others should always supersede other views even if they are in the majority.
An officer of the law should not let his personal views cloud his judgement.

If he had an atom of judicial temperament he would not have denied you this visa and funny enough grant someone who is not as honest same visa and end up meting her in a Canadian hospital as an international patient for birthing.

If he did meet this dishonest person, there is nothing he can do but squeeze his face in disapproval of his own prejudice that made it possible for the dishonest patients to be in Canada to the annoyance of his haters of the citizenship by birth group

2 Likes

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by hajidel: 8:39pm On Oct 04, 2018
I certainly understand that point you're coming from. However, even if the interview ended faster than it did, the eventual outcome is the same but you would have given him food for thought as to him knowing that not what they think of 3rd world countries as they put it is like that. And trust me, the outcome could've have been different I cannot say for sure, but you arguing your points and case with facts will definitely not do you any more harm than there already is. The point you raised about him thinking for the people and hitting him with that would've hurt him bad because he sounds like a bitter, discriminative POS.

And until the elections is over and they outrightly remove birth tourism from the constitution it is there to be used. Besides, there is a snowball chance in hell that they will succeed with this jus soli in this coming elections.

If i were you I would reapply ASAP and write a strongly worded letter stating the facts together with the application and of course your US history may serve adversely but include the paid bills and every other documentation proving all was settled. I know its time consuming but sometimes when things as biased as this occurs to an honest applicant you don't let it rest like that, follow through then they may reconsider their biased views and besides no one officer is allowed to review your application twice to minimize prejudice.

My wife after giving birth in Canada went to apply for US visa and the officer said she won't give her because she had given birth in Canada! I was perplexed and guess what, next morning i went forward and paid the visa fee for an imminent appointment and told her to go to the interview not for any other reason but to confront and argue the biased and discriminatory view of the visa officer. Lo and behold, approved visa.


Mslala:


There was no doubt about the purpose of my trip and the Visa Officer wasn't open minded so there was no convincing him. He was fixated on his position that Canadians do not like jus soli. So me telling him the history of Canada and how Canadians are originally immigrants (which he already knows), as well responding that Canadians also have their babies outside Canada and would continue to do so would have ended the interview faster, and with the refusal letter.

Birthright tourism is currently an issue for the 2019 elections in Canada.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4410446/conservative-convention-birth-tourism-canada/

5 Likes

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by maternal: 8:59pm On Oct 04, 2018
baddo:


I would like to say that you did the right thing by declaring your intention and you also tried with the answers you gave the officer. His judgement was skewed towards how he personally felt about the citizenship by birth law and not what the law actually allows one do lawfully. He is not there to enforce the laws of the "haters of the citizenship by birth group". He was supposed to look at your visa application without a biased mind according to the laws governing birthing by internationals.

How is it government assistance, when a bill for international patients will be applied.
How are you denying service time to other Canadians when its time paid for. Sheeesh

The laws governing the issue of birthing abroad and others should always supersede other views even if they are in the majority.
An officer of the law should not let his personal views cloud his judgement.

If he had an atom of judicial temperament he would not have denied you this visa and funny enough grant someone who is not as honest same visa and end up meting her in a Canadian hospital as an international patient for birthing.

If he did meet this dishonest person, there is nothing he can do but squeeze his face in disapproval of his own prejudice that made it possible for the dishonest patients to be in Canada to the annoyance of his haters of the citizenship by birth group


Whether it's time paid for or Not, her being in the bed, a Canadian citizen could be in that same bed. That's the visa officers point. Don't agree with the decision though.

1 Like

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by baddo(m): 9:41pm On Oct 04, 2018
I still cannot understand how the presence of a patient at a hospital other than her own country’s, especially when she is in the country legally and has fulfilled all requirements to be in same country, can be seen as hinderance and unlawful in the eyes of its citizens.

This is same as saying that irrespective of your reason for being a foreigner in a country, when you fall ill then the citizens, sorry the government should see you as disturbing the peaceful tally sequence of the medical circle for its citizens. This is absurd.

If every country’s was to have this same view about visitors to their country for tourism, business or other reasons accessing their medical facility, people will prefer returning to their country when they fall ill abroad rather than face this kind of unbelievable rejection.

This is not about citizen by birth haters, it is bigger than that. If this type of prejudice is allowed to fester it will one day result in ordinary tourist being rejected at hospitals because a majority think that their presence prevents a citizen from having his time at the doctors.

As if taking a citizens turn at the hospital is the same as taking his turn at the voting booth. Well this is just me saying I may still be wrong.
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by maternal: 10:43pm On Oct 04, 2018
baddo:
I still cannot understand how the presence of a patient at a hospital other than her own country’s, especially when she is in the country legally and has fulfilled all requirements to be in same country, can be seen as hinderance and unlawful in the eyes of its citizens.

This is same as saying that irrespective of your reason for being a foreigner in a country, when you fall ill then the citizens, sorry the government should see you as disturbing the peaceful tally sequence of the medical circle for its citizens. This is absurd.

If every country’s was to have this same view about visitors to their country for tourism, business or other reasons accessing their medical facility, people will prefer returning to their country when they fall ill abroad rather than face this kind of unbelievable rejection.

This is not about citizen by birth haters, it is bigger than that. If this type of prejudice is allowed to fester it will one day result in ordinary tourist being rejected at hospitals because a majority think that their presence prevents a citizen from having his time at the doctors.

As if taking a citizens turn at the hospital is the same as taking his turn at the voting booth. Well this is just me saying I may still be wrong.





Well she wasn't granted a visa. But it's not for you to understand what the people of Canada has decided to do. This is what they're trying to avoid. Guess who's on the hook for this mothers bill ? The tax payer. Besides you're only hearing this posters side of the story. These border officers aren't fools.


https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/vancouver-health-authority-suing-mother-for-more-than-300k-in-unpaid-fees-1.3973661
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by hajidel: 11:20pm On Oct 04, 2018
You may agree or disagree but its obvious that some of these border officials that you claim aren't fools are actual fools. You cannot just discriminate against someone because you personally feel what they are doing is wrong when in actual fact it is not wrong that's why its in the constitution. If the government of Canada feels this is wrong and wants to exercise the views of its citizens, then they should do so at the polling station and adjust the constitution accordingly. And for your information the officer that refused that particular lady is a prejudicial POS, as if you read her originally post, the refusal never stated anything about it being for the birth. So that alone should let you know that its personal and discriminatory from the officer. He/She is just bitter.


maternal:


Well she wasn't granted a visa. But it's not for you to understand what the people of Canada has decided to do. This is what they're trying to avoid. Guess who's on the hook for this mothers bill ? The tax payer. Besides you're only hearing this posters side of the story. These border officers aren't fools.


https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/vancouver-health-authority-suing-mother-for-more-than-300k-in-unpaid-fees-1.3973661

2 Likes

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by maternal: 11:35pm On Oct 04, 2018
hajidel:
You may agree or disagree but its obvious that some of these border officials that you claim aren't fools are actual fools. You cannot just discriminate against someone because you personally feel what they are doing is wrong when in actual fact it is not wrong that's why its in the constitution. If the government of Canada feels this is wrong and wants to exercise the views of its citizens, then they should do so at the polling station and adjust the constitution accordingly. And for your information the officer that refused that particular lady is a prejudicial POS, as if you read her originally post, the refusal never stated anything about it being for the birth. So that alone should let you know that its personal and discriminatory from the officer. He/She is just bitter.



She got rejected for "financial assets, purpose of travel etc". Nobody knows her true financial situation but herself and the visa officer. Furthermore, this woman is clearly telling her side of the story. Last I know being rejected for financial reason is part of the law. Just because you feel she got discriminated doesn't mean she did, nor does it make your feelings factual. But I like how everyone is ignoring the Asian woman who racked up over 300k in hospital bill. Maybe Canada now wants people to have extra money in case the pregnancy doesn't go accordingly ? But like I said, it's not ones business to decide or try to figure out what the Canadian people want to do or agree upon. Nigerians like to criticize other peoples government, but won't open their mouths and stand up to theirs at home most of the time. Even if it is discrimination, what will you do ? You'll still stand in line to get visa tomorrow.

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Mslala: 10:42am On Oct 05, 2018
@badoo, I think the problem is jus soli and not medical tourism per se. His major problem was that the baby will immediately be entitled to the privileges of Citizens upon birth. Other medical tourism (excluding child birth) do not confer this privilege so then they are fine with you using the hospital (funded by the government) and depriving a Canadian of that service.

@maternal, I had N6+ million in my account, and N7+ million in my pension account, facts he could have easily verified by contacting my bank and PFA if financial asset was truly an issue. Like I stated, he was clear that Canadians do not like jus soli and therefore he was going to refuse my application.

@hajidel, yes he was clearly biased and prejudiced, and unfortunately the review of visa applications are highly subjective to the views (liberal or conservative) of the visa officers reviewing them. That’s why an applicant can apply with the same facts and documents, and be refused initially by one visa officer and subsequently granted by another visa officer.

Has anyone disclosed childbirth solely (without any medical/health issue) as the reason for the visa application and received an approval?
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Mslala: 1:10pm On Oct 05, 2018
hajidel:


If i were you I would reapply ASAP and write a strongly worded letter stating the facts together with the application and of course your US history may serve adversely but include the paid bills and every other documentation proving all was settled. I know its time consuming but sometimes when things as biased as this occurs to an honest applicant you don't let it rest like that, follow through then they may reconsider their biased views and besides no one officer is allowed to review your application twice to minimize prejudice.


I attached the receipts, doctor and hospital contacts and all documentation regarding my birth experience in US when submitting my online application, so I actually thought the visa officer was seeking clarification on why Canada and not US again when I have a valid visa, hence the interview. However, there was no discussion about this during the interview.
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Hotstepper(f): 1:31pm On Oct 05, 2018
But the baby does not have those priviledges at birth unlike before. u will still need to pay for babys bed at the hospital nd health card will not be issued unless u or baby is a resident. other than that na from when the is grown nd live here .

I just believe it alll depends on the officer . If u still have ur US visa, head there. if I may ask, why did u decide to come to Canada this time?



Mslala:
@badoo, I think the problem is jus soli and not medical tourism per se. His major problem was that the baby will immediately be entitled to the privileges of Citizens upon birth. Other medical tourism (excluding child birth) do not confer this privilege so then they are fine with you using the hospital (funded by the government) and depriving a Canadian of that service.

@maternal, I had N6+ million in my account, and N7+ million in my pension account, facts he could have easily verified by contacting my bank and PFA if financial asset was truly an issue. Like I stated, he was clear that Canadians do not like jus soli and therefore he was going to refuse my application.

@hajidel, yes he was clearly biased and prejudiced, and unfortunately the review of visa applications are highly subjective to the views (liberal or conservative) of the visa officers reviewing them. That’s why an applicant can apply with the same facts and documents, and be refused initially by one visa officer and subsequently granted by another visa officer.

Has anyone disclosed childbirth solely (without any medical/health issue) as the reason for the visa application and received an approval?

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Nobody: 2:03pm On Oct 05, 2018
hajidel:
I certainly understand that point you're coming from. However, even if the interview ended faster than it did, the eventual outcome is the same but you would have given him food for thought as to him knowing that not what they think of 3rd world countries as they put it is like that. And trust me, the outcome could've have been different I cannot say for sure, but you arguing your points and case with facts will definitely not do you any more harm than there already is. The point you raised about him thinking for the people and hitting him with that would've hurt him bad because he sounds like a bitter, discriminative POS.

And until the elections is over and they outrightly remove birth tourism from the constitution it is there to be used. Besides, there is a snowball chance in hell that they will succeed with this jus soli in this coming elections.

If i were you I would reapply ASAP and write a strongly worded letter stating the facts together with the application and of course your US history may serve adversely but include the paid bills and every other documentation proving all was settled. I know its time consuming but sometimes when things as biased as this occurs to an honest applicant you don't let it rest like that, follow through then they may reconsider their biased views and besides no one officer is allowed to review your application twice to minimize prejudice.

My wife after giving birth in Canada went to apply for US visa and the officer said she won't give her because she had given birth in Canada! I was perplexed and guess what, next morning i went forward and paid the visa fee for an imminent appointment and told her to go to the interview not for any other reason but to confront and argue the biased and discriminatory view of the visa officer. Lo and behold, approved visa.


We should tell her about how to appeal against this man's bias. Not that she didn't lecture him on the constitutional right of Jus soli and comportment. She should fight the injustice, at least system listens u like here.
Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Nobody: 2:15pm On Oct 05, 2018
baddo:


I would like to say that you did the right thing by declaring your intention and you also tried with the answers you gave the officer. His judgement was skewed towards how he personally felt about the citizenship by birth law and not what the law actually allows one do lawfully. He is not there to enforce the laws of the "haters of the citizenship by birth group". He was supposed to look at your visa application without a biased mind according to the laws governing birthing by internationals.

How is it government assistance, when a bill for international patients will be applied.
How are you denying service time to other Canadians when its time paid for. Sheeesh

The laws governing the issue of birthing abroad and others should always supersede other views even if they are in the majority.
An officer of the law should not let his personal views cloud his judgement.

If he had an atom of judicial temperament he would not have denied you this visa and funny enough grant someone who is not as honest same visa and end up meting her in a Canadian hospital as an international patient for birthing.

If he did meet this dishonest person, there is nothing he can do but squeeze his face in disapproval of his own prejudice that made it possible for the dishonest patients to be in Canada to the annoyance of his haters of the citizenship by birth group

Good. I don't know why people think embassy people and border people respect the law and constitution. Some of them are biased and hate you and your coming just like the larger hate group. They are happy they have the platform to deny you entry. She should challenge this awful decision.

2 Likes

Re: Giving Birth In Canada by Mslala: 2:25pm On Oct 05, 2018
Hotstepper:


I just believe it alll depends on the officer . If u still have ur US visa, head there. if I may ask, why did u decide to come to Canada this time?



I decided on Canada because I got the U.S visa for vacation in March and found out I was pregnant at the end of June and based on recent stories/trend from the thread on giving birth in U.S, using it for birthing purpose without first travelling for vacation might pose a problem during renewal. So I decided let me try Canada and disclose upfront.

Anyways, I'm heading back to U.S, I will send the notification of change of intent.

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