A spousal application has to be submitted before removal arrangements are made. The removal arrangement starts by calling someone into the office for a pre-removal interview. At that time, the person is asked if they'd like to make a pre-removal risk assessment. We look at their travel documents. We look at all the arrangements that need to be made before they're removed. That process takes about a year.
The pre-removal interview is not the beginning of the enforcement process. The beginning of the enforcement process starts when a report is written because there are grounds to believe the person is inadmissible. In most cases they're entitled to a hearing, especially if the case is complex, and the Immigration and Refugee Board makes a decision on whether or not someone is admissible and will issue a removal order.
In that process, because we live in Canada, there are many avenues of appeal available. Some cases go to the Immigration and Refugee Board, and some cases go to the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. These things take time and often can take years.