Jacques and I decided to get married and I figured that it was probably a good time to apply for landed immigrant status in Canada. Since we were constantly on tour, finding any free time in Montreal was pretty much impossible. Luckily we were starting a cross-Canadian tour and I had a day off in Toronto. In Toronto I looked up the address of Immigration and went over to get the necessary forms. The officer there asked me where I lived. “Montreal” I replied. “You’re going to have to apply there because that’s another country.” I must have missed something in my geography lessons but I could have sworn that Quebec was in Canada. Then again – it is usually smarter not to argue with government officers. When I returned to Montreal, again I looked up the address for Immigration and went down to start the process. The officer asked me why I wanted to become a landed immigrant. “I’m getting married to a Canadian citizen” I told them. The officer looked at me and said “You’ll have to apply after you’re married”. OK. Jacques and I got married and again I made the trip to Immigration to start the process to get landed immigrant status. The officer asked me why I wanted to become a landed immigrant. “I’m married to a Canadian citizen”. The officer stared at me. “You have to become a landed immigrant before you get married.” I looked at the officer and she looked at me. There are moments when you know that you have stepped into the Twilight Zone. I called Jacques. He came to the office. He yelled a lot. I got my papers.
THE BLOG / DEBBIE WILSON