I just sent off my application not to long ago, and something bothered me. As you all know (or maybe you don't all know), I had to leave my job in Ketchikan, Alaska in August because my roommate locked me out of the house after she gave me a notice of a rent increase four days before rent was due, and I refused to pay it. Our relationship started well enough, but she hated that I wasn't a party animal like she was, and I preferred spending time chatting with my husband online instead of going out to the bar and "sleeping around with other guys" (she actually said that to me). The last month I was there, after I came back from celebrating my wedding anniversary with my husband, she just became completely unreasonable. I tried to stay out of her way, kept the house clean, and tried not to make trouble, but she couldn't be pleased. I'm glad I'm out of there.
Now, I'm thinking that, lord willing, when it comes to checking my background, this roommate, who wasn't too happy that I managed to get into the house and move out, could do something out of spite to ruin my application. I put down the address I lived at because I didn't want to misrepresent anything. I lived there nine months, and while I didn't sign a lease, we did have oral agreements (though I've kept the last little letter she sent me increasing my rent in my files just in case). She's already tried to screw with me once - by trying to call the cops, accusing me of stealing an office chair she gave to me (luckily, due to some connections I had, they laughed it off). I should probably say that she's no angel, either. She's gotten in trouble with the law quite a few times - before I left, I discovered that she even had a probation officer that I could turn to, if i needed to, if she harassed me any further. I'd told her so much about me (but never any detailed about the Canada immigration stuff, because by then, I'd begun to suspect her), but I knew nothing of her. Again, I'm glad I'm gone. If I'd stayed there while the application went through, I'd have surely been in danger of losing my baby.
Now, I'm wondering if this girl can ruin things for me. I don't know what CSIS does in terms of checking the places you've lived in and all (I remembered every stinkin' address I've lived in, and that took a lot out of me), and if they discover her, I wonder if she can spew lies to ruin things. Also, is there any precautions I should take, or am I just being paranoid?
Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. I need some peace of mind.
Not a chance that will even come up. That's not the kind of stuff they're looking for in a background check. They're looking for indications, from your work, school or club/organization history, that you or your family members might be a threat to Canadian safety and security. A dispute over rent is a complete non-issue . . . unless you'd threatened to blow up her house or something! Even that wouldn't likely come out - they're not going to be calling and interviewing every landlord you ever had. They're looking for "trends" that would indicate subversive activities, etc., and, simply, an address and work history helps them discover those indications.
Ah! Now I get it. I wasn't too sure. RobsLuv, you are such a lifesaver! Thank you
Had a similar ex-roommate. She went ballistic when she found out that I was getting married. I was originally going to stay in Florida while an outland application was proceeding (I can't be without medical care), but she got so threatening that we decided to do inland instead. She made me sign over my car so I ended up having to mail all my possessions and fly up. My husband kept hearing her yell at me in the background while we were on the phone, and he was afraid she was going to kill me.
About a month after I moved up, she called my husband at 4am and told him that I had committed bank fraud, and all sorts of things. It scared him, and upset us both. If CSIS had called her, no telling what might have happened, but they didn't.
Now my mother in law is a different story. She actually called her MP and CIC trying to derail my immigration and get me deported. Luckily she didn't know to call CSIS, or she might have messed things up.
CatherineM Wrote:Had a similar ex-roommate. She went ballistic when she found out that I was getting married. I was originally going to stay in Florida while an outland application was proceeding (I can't be without medical care), but she got so threatening that we decided to do inland instead. She made me sign over my car so I ended up having to mail all my possessions and fly up. My husband kept hearing her yell at me in the background while we were on the phone, and he was afraid she was going to kill me.
About a month after I moved up, she called my husband at 4am and told him that I had committed bank fraud, and all sorts of things. It scared him, and upset us both. If CSIS had called her, no telling what might have happened, but they didn't.
Now my mother in law is a different story. She actually called her MP and CIC trying to derail my immigration and get me deported. Luckily she didn't know to call CSIS, or she might have messed things up.
Sweet Jesus!
I'm so sorry that you had to go through this. TheLovelyMrsT, I'm sorry for your troubles as well. Thank God that CSIS don't look into things like that...the potential for irrevocable harm is staggering and terrifying!
There certainly are some crazies out there. I chalk most of it up to jealousy...some people hate to see other people have any success, it just eats them up inside. Twisted!
This is actually one of the danger zones. Of course it is a danger zone for everyone in life in general, since even a report to the local police can trigger a sequence of events that can wreak havoc in one's life. Not good to have enemies.
Fortunately, it seems that most people who would engage in this sort of thing . . . make false reports, false or vastly exaggerated accusations, and such . . . are fairly inept at it, ranging from lacking credibility to simply not having any idea who or how to inform on someone in a way that brings about bad things, ranging from problems with things like immigration (a roommate's letter detailing a scheme to marry for convenience, sent to the right people in CIC, could indeed cause some problems) to even criminal charges.
Most people I know going through some aspect of immigration tend to keep the details fairly close to their vest. It is a bit sad we live in a world where we are inclined to be mistrustful, but since even an anonymous source can cause more than a little problem, most tend to not hand out ammunition, not beyond a small trusted circle anyway, mostly family or longterm friends.
Well, her so-called report on me was never completed. I stopped that before it even escalated, and even the police laughed it out of town. Also, I have a network of people there who can and will vouch for me, and keep me aware of the situation. The Police told her there was nothing she could do. I was married before I even set foot in that house. And I have plenty of people who know of my relationship and will vouch for me.
I am going to go with RobsLuv, and hope it doesn't come up. It would be better for me to hope for the best that to expect the worst. Besides, that girl isn't the most credible person in the world either.
Now I remember why I don't live with room mates. :)
The danger is not that CSIS would pick it up in the due course of a background check . . . agree, the likelihood of that is remote.
The danger zone I referred to (in response to the more recent reference to "crazies" out there) is having enemies who can file charges, make reports, incite inquiries if not investigations, and so on. They are all around us. Most of us recognize them and keep our distance, or, for those that have penetrated our space (like roommates who turn out to be undesirable acquaintances in the world), we start putting distance between ourselves and them as soon as we recognize the danger signs.
Malicious prosecutors (so to call them) often do lack credibility, so their "reports" usually do not go far, unless in reacting one exercises bad judgment and contributes to the escalation of a situation (happens to reasonable people, sometimes the wrong button gets pushed at the wrong time, and . . . well, stuff happens) that triggers a more official or formal event.
But it is a danger zone, ranging from unreasonable roommates to jealous in-laws, happenstance encounters and sometimes even bizarre co-workers. Best if they have no idea how to really hurt us.
dpenabill Wrote:Best if they have no idea how to really hurt us.
Hope this isn't too off-track, but I have an example of this unrelated to immigration. My mother and I weren't on the best of terms because I was marrying an older guy I'd met on the Internet. I met a girl at grad school and become fairly close friends with her. I soon discovered she really should have been on something to help her manage bipolar disorder and a few other serious mental problems. When I finally decided to cut ties with her (shortly after she broke things off with a guy my husband and I are now good friends with), she emailed my mother (and cc'd me) and said a bunch of things that she knew would cause trouble based on things I'd confided in her. I called my mother immediately after I received the email and explained the situation. My mother and I have really been closer than ever since then. Lesson learned. Never confide in a person your fiancé immediately recognizes as insane. Oh the stories I could tell.
Luckily, I didn't tell this roommate very much about immigration, only that I had to do it. I never went into specific details. I just said I had to do this and that, and I couldn't even get the application sent until after I left. Ever since she erased my profile off her computer, which had a lot of important immigration documents (which I backed up), I knew not to tell her anything. Even now, I'm a bit hesitant to tell people anything because of that experience.