I will go through the recommendations very quickly.
It is recommended that the victims and survivors of abuse have easier access to the exception of abuse in cases of relationship breakdowns in conditional sponsorship cases, especially in cases where they experience immigration investigations triggered against them on false complaints by abusers and sponsors in retaliation, etc.
Currently the burden of proof of abuse lies on the victims and survivors. They are expected to provide evidence of cohabitation and abuse that can be virtually impossible due to lack of reporting or access to services. In many instances documents of proof of cohabitation are with the sponsor.
It is also our recommendation that there should be dedicated resources allocated under the settlement programming for spousal sponsorship programs that should not be restricted to language training alone but holistic counselling that includes financial independence. Violence against newcomer brides is a settlement issue.
Create a special pool of funds for sponsored spouses who are experiencing or have experienced abuse to access legal support or mental health support and to upgrade their skills—