Canada/Bulgaria: Whether Canadian authorities record in the passport of Bulgarian CVV applicants that their visa application is rejected, and if so, what is the procedure and how is it indicated in the passport; description of the notation (2000-2002)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 10 September 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZZZ39775.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Canada/Bulgaria: Whether Canadian authorities record in the passport of Bulgarian CVV applicants that their visa application is rejected, and if so, what is the procedure and how is it indicated in the passport; description of the notation (2000-2002), 10 September 2002, ZZZ39775.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4e4226.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was obtained from an official with the Immigration section at the Canadian embassy in Bucharest on 9 September 2002.
All refused visitor visa applicants handled by Bucharest (whether assessed in Bucharest or during an area trip to Sofia, Bulgaria) would normally have their passports stamped. The stamp is approximately 1" x 1", and it is a simple single-bordered box with the letters "BUCST". The officer would normally write inside the box "CVV" and underline either the "CVV" or "BUCST" to indicate that the file had been refused. The box would also normally contain the Bucharest file number (e.g., V011212345), where the first four digits indicate the year and month of the file (in this case, 2001, December). This stamp is normally placed on the last or the second-to-last page of the passport.
Currently, refused applicants seen in person (in Bucharest or Sofia) are advised at interview that they are refused, and the reasons explained. If for some reason the file has been pended, and the decision made after the interview, the applicant receives a letter explaining that s/he has been refused. It is possible that in 2000, and early 2001, some applicants were advised only in writing, because at one time the mission practice was to conduct the interview and then advise the applicant to return at the end of the day for the decision, at which time s/he would receive his/her passport with either a visa or a refusal letter.
Not all passports would necessarily contain a refusal stamp or be underlined, however. Because many Bulgarian passports are received via courier or mail, and Bulgarians require their passports if they wish to travel to Romania for interview, passports may be returned to a client (prior to final decision) without containing a stamp, or with a stamp but no underlining. In such a case, if the applicant does not appear for interview, or additional information is requested and provided (or not) without the passport, there may not have been an opportunity to stamp or underline the stamp in the passport at the time of refusal. In rare cases where an officer did not have access to a stamp in Sofia, it is possible that the stamp would be drawn in by hand, or that the passport would not indicate the refusal. However, in all of these cases, the applicant would have been advised verbally or in writing (or both) that s/he had been refused.
This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Embassy of Canada, Bucharest. 9 September 2002. Correspondence.
