For the sponsorship applications we don't have specific data from the overseas visa offices.
In 2015 we saw a troubling pattern, in that countries located in the global south, specifically those that are Muslim-majority countries, had longer processing times. This was particularly alarming, because when we were looking at conditional permanent residence, although on average 25% to 35% of sponsored spouses were getting the condition, people coming from Muslim-majority countries were receiving it on average 50% of the time.
I thus have concerns about the kinds of relationships that people who are evaluating the applications view as more valid. I have concerns about the kinds of documentation requirements people have that conform to Canadian constructions of a proper family.
I have heard from our caregiver advocates that the applications for permanent residency have been bogged down for many different types of bureaucratic reasons. Some family members who are overseas are being requested to do three or four medical examinations. I don't know whether the medical results are lost or whether they are inadequate. Often the caregivers are not provided information about why there is a delay. They are referred to the website, which just tells them that there is a delay.
I just learned yesterday, for example, of a caregiver who had to pay an exorbitant fee for transmitting the application of her spouse because the photo was not in regulation size. Some of these bureaucratic steps may seem minor, but when they contribute to multiple years of delay, I think they are unjust.