Canadian Immigration and Citzenship, CIC for short.

[Rasputin]

If someone asked me to help with an inland application.  I would first recommend they don't leave the country...and if they did...to make damn well sure they CAN get back and get back in time.

That is the whole idea behind the inland application: you stay in the country while it is being processed. If you are planning on leaving, it is best that you do not do the inland application as you will at least have the option of appealing a negative decision. Not the brightest bulbs on the porch I take it 

[Voyager]

Ok, so we are dealing with idiots here.

[Donhollio]

 My file was started in January 2011 they sent the letter saying I was eligibile, and is being done in Moscow. From what I gather they have four sections once you log in to view the latest status on the sponsorship. I am currently in the 3rd section, they say they have recieved her medical results.
 Now, the last two sections is the; ''Approval Status Determined''  and the ; ''Permanent Residence Status Determined''
 After that there is the ; Applicant Arrives in Canada and is Granted Permanent Residence.'' That one I understand is completed once she arrives at the airports passport control area.
 My curiousity is what is the expected timeline from the medical reports being recieved, to them telling me I have ''approval status''?
Am I over the biggest hurdle, or does this slow right down?  Can anyone give me some idea if it's getting close?

[welder]

Don my experience with Canadian embassy in Kiev was about 30days maximum.  From the time they upgraded our file from medical report received to approval status determined we had already been called by the embassy to come pick up the visa.

If I were in your shoes I would be prepared for feedback within the next few weeks.  Don the Kiev embassy gave us a short window, 3 months, to get to Canada from the time the visa was placed in the passport.   We were not living in Kiev at the time so the wife had to fly to Kiev pick up the passport/visa, ensure it was correct before we booked tickets.  Time will fly when she gets the visa so best make some preliminary plans, check flights etc.

The entry into Canada was a breeze.  If you go to the CIC website you can download the appropriate lists required for items she is bringing with her and the items which come later.  You don't have to do this but it definitely helped greatly expedite the time spent going through customs and immi.  Honestly I couldn't have asked for better service entering Canada.  All the folks were very very helpful and informative.  I'd say we took no more than 30 minutes getting processed.  They will mail you the permanent resident card to your home address within 4 weeks of arrival. 

Once she arrives you can apply for her social security number with the entry visa...no need to wait for the permanent resident card.  Go to your local government services office and it is easier than getting a bank card.   Within three weeks she will have her social security card, again mailed to your home address.

I just finished this process in March so I believe the info I am passing along should be accurate.

Good luck, hope it goes smooth.

Jerry

[BCKev]

Hi Don!

My experience was similar to Jerry's. Within a month of receiving the medical results in Kiev, they sent out a letter telling Arina to go to the embassy to pick up the PR visa. So you're close!!

You may want to look into medical insurance. Every province has its own rules. In Alberta, Arina was covered from the day she arrived. As Jerry mentioned, the entry into Canada was a piece of cake, just make sure she has the address to have the PR card mailed to!

Kevin

[froid]

Waiting sucks Don.  I feel your pain.

If you need to keep busy come to Toronto in August and help me move.  

[fireeater]

Waiting sucks Don.  I feel your pain.

If you need to keep busy come to Toronto in August and help me move.

Sounds like someone got what she wanted. 

I can recommend a good movers, fast, efficient, and do what you ask. Have used them before and will be using them myself soon. Much better to sit and have that beer, while they do the lugging.    Save your energy for the unpacking afterwards, and for how many times you have to adjust the furniture till she is satisfied.   

[Donhollio]

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-10-26.asp



 In an ongoing effort to deter people from using marriages of convenience to cheat their way into Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) introduced a new regulation that requires certain sponsored spouses live in a legitimate relationship with their sponsor for two years or they risk losing their permanent resident status.


 The above link contains the full press release. It's a step closer to getting things cleaned up, but its still lacks enough teeth to really fix this sad system we Canucks have when sponsoring a spouse.
 I suppose those 'marriages' that wind up being a sham, (guys fleeing within a day of getting their PR card in the mail) will have a harder time having an easy ride, but I'm sure the years of endless appeals will have little effect on the overall numbers, who abuse the system.  Once the changes to the appeal system are in place, I will then hold out hope.

[welder]

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-10-26.asp



 In an ongoing effort to deter people from using marriages of convenience to cheat their way into Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) introduced a new regulation that requires certain sponsored spouses live in a legitimate relationship with their sponsor for two years or they risk losing their permanent resident status.


 The above link contains the full press release. It's a step closer to getting things cleaned up, but its still lacks enough teeth to really fix this sad system we Canucks have when sponsoring a spouse.
 I suppose those 'marriages' that wind up being a sham, (guys fleeing within a day of getting their PR card in the mail) will have a harder time having an easy ride, but I'm sure the years of endless appeals will have little effect on the overall numbers, who abuse the system.  Once the changes to the appeal system are in place, I will then hold out hope.

Thanks for posting the article Don, had not seen it.  I hope this doesn't open the flood gates for reports of domestic violence.  As it goes for every action there is an equal an opposite reaction.

[Donhollio]

 I probably should of made this post some months back, however I was thinking it may be just a short strike. It has been since mid June that the officials in charge of handing out visas have been on strike. No visas have been issued, and I'm sure the backlog is only going to continue. So if you have someone who is waiting for their visitor visa to get processed, you'll be in for a wait.

Alert – Strike Action

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) union is currently taking strike action. PAFSO union members responsible for processing visa applications have been walking out of offices in Canada and overseas without advance notice.

Posted processing times for both temporary and permanent resident visa applications do not take into account work stoppages. Anyone applying for a visa should anticipate delays and submit their application online as far in advance as possible.

To avoid delays, please submit a complete application. Some countries require additional documents that may not be listed in your application package. Find out if you need to submit country-specific documents by consulting the website of your visa office.

Contingency plans are already in place to ensure all offices remain open and are providing at least a minimum level of service. Priority will be placed on urgent humanitarian applications.

CIC continues to closely monitor the situation.


http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/temp.asp

[NS1]

At this point it is a rotating strike ( walk outs)  and the wait times of increased not halted ( as of yet)
Visitor visa now 21 days and for permanent it has increased as much as 4 months on wait times.

[Donhollio]

At this point it is a rotating strike ( walk outs)  and the wait times of increased not halted ( as of yet)
Visitor visa now 21 days and for permanent it has increased as much as 4 months on wait times.

 My MIL's visa has yet to be touched, she sent it in early June. they said it were not going to be processing it anytime soon. That's word from Moscow.

[NS1]

Don could be, not sure about Moscow. From what I checked, they are still processing in Ukraine.
But much slower. I guess I am about to learn much more in coming days.

Not sure if anyone has done recent Documents from Ukraine to Canada.
but any new info would be helpful?
Thanks in advance.

[NS1]

Don it appears to have now hit Kiev also.
Canadian embassy is closed. no one knows for how long.

[d672]

At this point it is a rotating strike ( walk outs)  and the wait times of increased not halted ( as of yet)
Visitor visa now 21 days and for permanent it has increased as much as 4 months on wait times.

 Iryna somehow lost her Permanent Resident card somewhere. I just spent the day going through the CIC website filling out the forms to apply to get a replacement one.... what a pain!!!   

 The estimated time for her to get the replacement one is 106 days, but with this strike who knows how long it can take. 
 All you guys with Canadian wives with PR cards... tell them to treat them like passports and take good care of them. Trust me, you don't want to go through even more paperwork after finally getting through with all the immigration!

[Manny]

I split off Trev's marriage into a fresh topic: http://ruadventures.com/forum/index.php?topic=19610.0

[cdnexpat]

As an update, we have done a TR tourist visa request online this year, and the turn around time was about 10 days for a rejection, and another 10 days for a subsequent approval.
They have really improved with the online system.