I along with a group of people who have applied for "Application to Sponsor a Member of the Family Class" to sponsor spouse who have applied at Citizenship and Immigration Canada(CIC) office at Mississauga and now the file is being processed at New Delhi Visa Office (NDVO) have following concerns with regards to our spouse's application.
1. Many of the applicant feel that their application at NDVO are not processed in the order they are receieved. If application is incomplete or requires additional document for processing, out of order makes sense. But many times everything being equal files are processed out of order. Processing out of order is unfair for any applicant who applied earlier.
2. NDVO hardly replies to any emails or enquirers, not even to those that are of an urgent nature. This leaves the applicants in a state of anxiety and fear.
3. Many applicant's cases there is no movement in a file for months at a time even when notes by immigration officer says relationship is genuine (Notes obtained by applicant through Access to Information Act). It is unfair to keeping loved ones separated for months when the visa officer is convinced about the authenticity of the relationship and when no additional documents are being awaited for.
4. The visa office routinely rejects TRV (visitor's visa) for applicants being sponsored. The reason for denial cited are disingenuous and unrealistic. As average processing time at NDVO office currently is more than a year and spouse residing in Canada find it hard to get leave from work multiple times in a year, CIC or NDVO should make a provision for applicant to conditionally visit their spouse pending their spousal visa application.
5. Application package checklist includes upfront medical exam report to be submitted with initial application. The medical exams are only valid for one year. However, NDVO starts process on average between 8-15 months after application is received. This would result in many applicant doing medical exams twice and additional processing overhead for NDVO. Instead if CIC streamlines system such that applicant submit medical records just a month or two before application goes to in-process at NDVO (this could be easily done by automated email or regular mail sent to applicant). This would benefit both applicant and CIC.
6. After NDVO office receives application first 6-8 months application processing doesn't even begin. Instead if CIC/NDVO starts processing earlier (may be 2-3 months) and applicant know CIC's decision, applicant and their spouse can make alternative arrangement like leaving Canada and settling in other countries to lead a happy married life. Long wait time without fault of applicant would result in a scenario of sword hanging on head of applicant and their spouse there by destroying peace and happiness in the family.
7. We know from the history that Citizenship and Immigration Canada can clear all backlogs and process application faster if they really want to. CIC cleared all backlog for Citizenship application in sept 2013 when parliament wanted to bring in new Citizenship law. During that period processing time for citizenship application was reduced from 2-3 years to 6-8 months. CIC could even make amendment to exiting law for spousal sponsorship if that would make processing faster.
8. Spouse of application applying under spousal sponsorship are either landed immigrant or citizen of Canada. We are law abiding citizen, most of us pay taxes to Canada and have deep ties to Canada for many years. Dependent spouse of other category visa like work visa or student visa can come to Canada almost immediately even though they or their spouse dont have any bonding to Canada. Current law as it is unfairly harsh to family of landed immigrant and Citizen compared to family of other visa category.

We would request immigration minister to order and inquire to find out why processing at NDVO is slower compared to other visa office and if possible formulate a guidelines or executive order so that all applicant are treated fairly and genuine application (according to visa officer judgement) are processed faster and genuine applicant don't suffer.