Applications processed in Pretoria

[nurse_85]

Hi All

I am from Toronto sponsoring my husband from Zambia. I have sent off our application today we are applying outbound. I was wondering if anyone has recently had their PR application approved and how long it took? I am just wondering how the strike has effected this office,

thanks!

 

[Musimbi]

I also sponsored my husband from Zambia. Ours took one year from application to landing, but they told my husband at his interview that it would have been done sooner if they didn't have concerns about the sincerity of our relationship. Not sure if that's what you want to hear, but that was our experience. All the best in your immigration/sponsorship journey - the unknown can be tough.

 

[nurse_85]

I also sponsored my husband from Zambia. Ours took one year from application to landing, but they told my husband at his interview that it would have been done sooner if they didn't have concerns about the sincerity of our relationship. Not sure if that's what you want to hear, but that was our experience. All the best in your immigration/sponsorship journey - the unknown can be tough.

Thanks for the response its good to hear about peoples experiences who have been through it

 

[Ms Malawi]

I know there are two of us who recently were approved through Pretoria. For myself, my husband is from Malawi and we submitted in November and following an interview my husband had his ppr in May. Another couple from South Africa who had to send in an additional document submitted in November and recieved their ppr in June.

 

[JLJGR]

Hi again!
So my boyfriend and i are finally almost ready to submit our application after lots and lots of hard work and I have some more detailed questions now that I am confident we have all the correct documents:

How do i bind all my information together? For instance, for evidence of trips and an ongoing relationship i have lots of photographs which ive organised in word documents with subtitles explaining where/ when the photo was taken and who is in it. Do i organise all the forms (for instance all the forms which form "evidence" of a trip such as photos an emails) in a plastic sleeve?

How do i collate my final application? Forms first, then photos of trips, then evidence of common law relationship? Im just not sure if there is a specific way to send all these pieces of paper in!

Thanks again, HOPEFULLY from the timelines i read above we will be reunited in less than 8 months!!! heres holding thumbs.

 

[nurse_85]

Hi again!
So my boyfriend and i are finally almost ready to submit our application after lots and lots of hard work and I have some more detailed questions now that I am confident we have all the correct documents:

How do i bind all my information together? For instance, for evidence of trips and an ongoing relationship i have lots of photographs which ive organised in word documents with subtitles explaining where/ when the photo was taken and who is in it. Do i organise all the forms (for instance all the forms which form "evidence" of a trip such as photos an emails) in a plastic sleeve?

How do i collate my final application? Forms first, then photos of trips, then evidence of common law relationship? Im just not sure if there is a specific way to send all these pieces of paper in!

Thanks again, HOPEFULLY from the timelines i read above we will be reunited in less than 8 months!!! heres holding thumbs.

When I submitted our application I separated it into three sections my part as the sponsor and all the documents required for that part, then my husbands documents for his part of the application and the last part was the documents and pictures to support our relationship. I seperated each section with a piece of paper folded on the outside with a clip and wrote on the paper what it was. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to organize it as long as you include everything and follow the guidelines for the pictures like no frames. Hope that helps a bit, good luck with your application!

 

[JLJGR]

Almost there!

Paying online probably within the next couple of days before I send the app off- just wanted to double check, if i am sponsoring my common law partner and neither of us have dependents then the amount for me (the sponsor) is $75 and the amount for my common-law partner is $475+$490?

Also I have all the documents and just realized that we need 8 photographs for my common-law partner (who is currently in SA)- am I right about this. it says on the package for the outland sponsorship specifically in South Africa that we need this.

After I get the photos, we're ready to send in!

 

[JLJGR]

For outland applications processed in Pretoria- do the (8) photos of the principle applicant need to be signed, stamped or dated?
Thanks!

 

[Ms Malawi]

Hope you were able to get your application sent in! If not. Our photos were not signed or dated. I had written the name and birthdate of my husband on the photos. I don't know what was right or wrong in that case!

Good Luck!

 

[basketballfan]

Hi all,

I called CIC and they have indicated that my Mississauga application has been received, approved and is currently en-route to Pretoria (my husband is Zambian, living in Zambia). My question is how can we track the application from his end and who receives the AOR (my husband, me, our representative)?

I am using a representative and was a little bit disappointed that my representative did not inform me of the status of my application and that I had to call CIC for that information (lawyer was on vacation). On the online portal I can see that a decision was made but when I called my representative's office to ask them to send the letter of approval, instead they sent me the email confirming receipt in Mississauga (with the assumption that they haven't received the letter of approval yet). Anyways, in short, all correspondence thus far appears to be directed to my representative. I would like to have my husband track the application and to keep a close eye on the status of the application in Pretoria, in case Pretoria requires additional documentation and my lawyer doesn't get back to me immediately (as I'm not sure that my lawyer will keep as close an eye on it as we would). How are you all tracking your applications in Pretoria? Is anyone else using a lawyer, and if so how has correspondence been done.

Also FYI, here's my timeline:
Nov 2013 - Sent application to Mississauga for assessment of sponsor
Jan 2014 - Application returned (missing documents - a 'new' use of representative form needed to be signed; we failed to include his UK criminal record. I knew this was missing but it was running over a month late in the mail and if we waited any longer his Zambian criminal record would have expired so I sent it with the hope that they would request the additional document in Mississauga. Anyways it was returned).
Jan 2014 - Application re-sent with missing documents
Feb 2014 - Application processed and approved
Feb 2014 - Application en-route to Pretoria, yet to receive AOR

Thanks everyone and continued best wishes in your applications.

 

[PatientlyWaitingSpouse]

Hello everyone – I’m so happy there’s a thread with applicants who submitted to Pretoria. And the success stories inspire more hope!

My husband is South African and I am Canadian. We met in August 2012 during my volunteer expedition and we’ve had such a wonderful whirlwind of a romance. He visited me once when we were “friends” … the TRV was accepted immediately. We married July 1, 2013 and have now been denied 4 times for a TRV , even under dual intent. Does anyone know if this has negative implications for our sponsorship?

Here’s our timeline:

Sent Application: December 5, 2013
Approved as a Sponsor: January 9, 2014

We have received no other notice since. The 21-month wait period is scary. As they say in SA, we’re "holding thumbs" this doesn’t take that long.

For our 5th TRV, we’re taking the advice of another member in this forum and including extra documents. We also spoke to my MP’s office, who will also write us a letter and gave us pointers. Hope it works this time... I'd love nothing more than to have my hubby visit here for 9-days.

However... (dun dun dun)...

A new concern that has presented itself, especially after reading various topics throughout this forum… my husband has a 6-year old son who will NOT be accompanying him to Canada. We would love to have him live with us but understandably his mother has said no. I wouldn’t be able to let my son permanently move that young.

Anyhow, the medicals were not completed for his son despite attempts. His ex has been making it difficult to get a passport for their boy. Although all communication has been in writing (for reasons just like this) she does not outwardly indicate she won’t complete the passport application (does not reply to emails, raises other matters in response, has even signed the application but in the wrong spot, etc).

My husband does have his son’s unabridged birth certificate – will this work for the medical examination? Or must it be a passport? When my hubby asked the physician on the panel (where he completed his medicals) the doctor said “I don’t know”.

We would like to have the opportunity to sponsor his son in the future, well before he turns 18, to just provide him with that opportunity if he so wishes to come. If we do not provide medicals now, do we forfeit this chance? Even though it is not our doing? This will devastate my husband. But we must know so we can figure out a solution if this is the case.


All responses are welcomed!

ALSO – is there a spreadsheet on applications to Pretoria as of recent? I’d love to get on and see too!

Thank you in advance!

 

[PatientlyWaitingSpouse]

So to answer my own question... the doctor's office indicates a non-accompanying dependent MUST use a passport as identification. And after we sent a few emails back and forth to the child's mom, she agreed to allow us to apply for a passport and complete the medical exam ***phew***

Is there a spreadsheet started for this group of applications in Pretoria? I'd really like to compare how others are faring with their applications!

 

[basketballfan]

It's unfortunate that the TRVs did not work out - when my husband and I were dating we applied and were rejected for a TRV. We did not submit any supporting documents of our relationship. The letter stated that they did believe that we wanted to see for legitimate reasons (authenticity of our relationship) and that my husband would return to the UK (where he was studying/working part-time) but they did not think that it was an important enough reason to warrant a travel visa. So, I did all the traveling but it was hard with my work responsibilities and even when we had a child that my husband wanted to see (an important reason) I didn't want to go through the possibility of rejection again so continue to travel to him and he has yet to visit Canada.

As per our current spousal application, we were planning on applying earlier as a conjugate relationship but my lawyer said that they are more willing to grant permanent residence for married couples (unless couples have been living together for a while) so I think, in general, more weight is given to the sponsorship through marriage than TRVs, etc.

I also say this because on my Grenadian maternal side my family easily gets TRVs for Canada and the US. Two of my aunts purchase goods for their business whenever they come and my grandma and one of those aunts have traveled here for medical care. I never realized how expensive it is to pay out of pocket for medical services. I digress, in short, I think the government is more willing to issue TRVs for business purposes rather than personal (rel'p) reasons, and prefer people like us to get married or have a history of living together and apply for the spousal/conjugal sponsorship.

 

[HELP2012]

I have also just received an email stating that our application is received by cic in December, our status still reads application received, not too sure how long it will take for them to start processing in Pretoria

 

[Musimbi]

In my experience, the online status is way behind. We were several steps ahead before the online status ever indicated a change. I eventually didn't even bother checking.

There is process being made, likely, even though it may feel like there isn't! The waiting game and the unknowns are the hardest part of the journey. Hang in there!