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Should a a platform be created for Ghanaians resident in Toronto Canada to come and share their life experiences that they have gone through here in this country, listeners would be shocked of the bitter stories that they would be told.

About 92 percent out of the total population of 75 thousand Ghanaians resident here have gone through certain bitter experiences suffered at the hands of their sisters, brothers, aunties, uncles, friends and even their fully blooded parents that make them to regret coming over to reside in this country.

As for the country, it provides fair justice system, stable democracy and stable government where every resident is expected to be protected and live comfortably. However the problem is with the Ghanaian counterparts who struggle to get their family members over to this country who do not treat those they sponsor very well and it is becoming a silent killer of late.

There are so many chilling stories to be told which are very bitter but for now let me concentrate on the seizure of passports of newcomers into this country by their sponsors which needs to be tackled before it gets out of hand and yes before it gets out of hand because it is appearing like a balloon hanging in the air, which can burst at anytime and anyhow. This could lead to prosecution and deportation of many people back to Ghana irrespective of earning Canadian citizenship.

In recent times, many Ghanaians have easily gone through the process of acquiring Canadian visa to enter the country because of the respect Ghana earned through a successful election it conducted last year, free and fair democracy, freedom and stable government just as they are Canada.

However, certain unscrupulous persons are taking advantage of this and turning this area to a gold mine where they force and get people sponsored here only for them to seize their passports, landed immigrant cards and all other traveling documents that can identify them as such and make them live under the protection of the country to use in fictitious deals.

This unlawful seizures by sponsors to newcomers have created a long rift between families and friends and because most of the victims do not know where to go for solution to this problem are beginning to resort to violence as the only way to get themselves freed from such captivity as some have drawn knives threatening to kill their sisters, brothers, uncles, aunties, friends and even parents should they refuse to release their traveling

documents to them.
But what are the reasons for seizing the passports, landed immigrant cards by sponsors from newcomers? One may ask. Several years ago when one sponsors you to Canada, in order for you to pay back the money he spent in processing your documents, he seizes your documents so that after haven paid the full cost incurred, the sponsor then releases the documents to you.

Although this practice is still going on, it has worsened. Now sponsors be it a sister, brother, parent, friend collects the money and insist that the newcomers document be used in dubious marriage of another sister or brother's sponsorship to come over to

Canada.
Here, the sponsor forges marriage documents and charges another fee from the one being sponsored irrespective of the relationship and it goes on and on.

It is sad to know that when the seizure is done and the dubious sponsorship has not gone through, the one who's document was seized is denied of quality health care, good job and other facilities because he cannot register for health insurance, social security insurance, car assurance and many more as the government is very strict on these security facilities and when one is not covered, he or she risk living here.

The fact is many sponsors hide the truth from their dad, mums, brothers and sisters that they are sponsoring to Canada by promising them juicy profit making jobs and educational benefits only for them to come and realize the country is severely suffering from economic recession therefore those promises are nowhere, making them "victims of captivity".

I have a clear evidence of one person who suffered such treatment for ten years that he lived in Canada until recently when he decided to go back home for good. He was sponsored by his sister only for him to be a store attendant as she seized the brother's passport from him from the very week he landed in this country. This generated into a big quarrel between him and the sister and one day exchanged blows only for him to be picked by the Toronto police for assault. He was booked for deportation back to Ghana only for him to be saved by a competent lawyer who challenged the allegations filed against him in court.

There is a lady who was sponsored by a friend who after successfully landing in the country, had her passport and landed card seized on the third day of arrival by the friend who sponsored her to Canada.

Not knowing to this new comer, her sponsor, was going to use the documents to sponsor her brother to come over to Canada by forcing her friend, the new comer, to pretend that she was the wife to her sponsors brother which she did not agree leading to a long standing rift up till now and remain unresolved as the two are still not on talking terms.

There are many people out there who have taken to gangsterism because all their efforts to get their seized passports, landed immigrant cards and other identification cards that will make them eligible residents here have failed therefore breaking away from their homes and joining gangs.

Most of these youth were found to be very respectful when they entered this country as they wisely preferred to explore the educational opportunities to their benefit, that of their family and in the long run to that of mother Ghana. But their sponsors turning themselves into visa contractors demanding that they go back and marry their own sisters and brothers using their documents which they find difficult to do so, they are made to face a whole lot of maltreatment which at the end made them to break away from their homes and join gangs only to find some freedom but worsen their plight as they get killed, jailed or deported.

I must tell you there are a lot of people out there who are suffering same but do not know how to get over it. Some are working only for their salaries to be paid into secrete accounts only owned by their sponsors and do not know when they will finish paying them.

What is obvious to observe is that the Canada Immigration Service is only looking at illegal immigrants and not seeing how to get those with resident permit but have their passports and landed cards seized by their sponsors because they are simply refusing to let these documents be used for fictitious deals that will only go to benefit the sponsors at the expense of the

sponsored.
What is very sad is that the country does not condone abuses as the government insists that Canadian citizens and residents have rights by making it important for everyone to learn about his or her rights and duties in Canada by knowing how the country's charter of rights and freedoms works. Continued    Source: myjoyonline - Myjoyonline.com

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