Transit on 17th November, VISA still not issued. Help !

[nil_saw]

Hi Guys,

I think I'm in a really tight spot. Would really appreciate if anyone can chip in with some advice.
I am traveling to Mumbai, India from Boston, USA on the 17th of November and have a transit via Montreal. Here is my timeline.

25 Oct 2017 - Passport Request
2 Nov 2017 - UPS confirmed package delivered to NY VAC
2 Nov 2017 - Missing document because I had not paid the VAC fees
3 Nov 2017 - Sent the money order via mail to the Boston lockbox.
6 Nov 2017 - The VAC received the money order.
7 Nov 2017 - Got the receipt from the visa application center.
9 Nov 2017 - Passport Received by the Visa Office - Under Consideration
13 Nov 2017 - No update.

I got in touch with VAC via phone and the guy was of no help. I asked him if I can get my passport back and he said I'll have to drop an email to the VAC to request a cancellation -- then the VAC will respond back in 24 - 48 hours with a cancelation form -- get the a cancellation form -- fill it -- submit it -- then the VAC will submit that cancelation form to the embassy -- then the embassy will return the passport to the VAC and the VAC will then ship it to me using the return label which I send. He said it will take 5 business days for this procedure. This level of bureaucracy was quite surprising.

Any slim chance of me getting my passport with the transit visa before the 17th, if not, any way I can get my passport back ASAP.

Any suggestions? Would really appreciate it. I am getting engaged so I HAVE to travel.

On hindsight, I booked this ticket thinking I'll save $150 in ticket fares lol. This might turn out to be the most expensive cheap flight deal I ever booked, provided I get my passport back on time.

 

[Nkj222]

@nil_saw Hey, Did you get back your passport in time?

I've booked my flight on Air Canada and requires a transit visa due to layover in Vancouver. I'm getting anxious as I'm still waiting for a request for my passport. I applied online on Oct 30 and current processing time is 19 days for applicants from USA (I assume 19 business days). Looks like if I don't get a response for my online application by next week, I'll not have enough time to get the visa stamp on passport.

Can you please share how long it took for you to get the request for passport after submitting your online application? Did you submit I-797 and Proof of Financial Support? I didn't see them in the supporting documents list.

Thanks!

 

[Bryanna]

@nil_saw Hey, Did you get back your passport in time?

I've booked my flight on Air Canada and requires a transit visa due to layover in Vancouver. I'm getting anxious as I'm still waiting for a request for my passport. I applied online on Oct 30 and current processing time is 19 days for applicants from USA (I assume 19 business days). Looks like if I don't get a response for my online application by next week, I'll not have enough time to get the visa stamp on passport.

Can you please share how long it took for you to get the request for passport after submitting your online application? Did you submit I-797 and Proof of Financial Support? I didn't see them in the supporting documents list.

Thanks!

The processing times published on the IRCC website are only estimates and not guaranteed time.

You may want to re-book your flights to avoid transiting through Canada if you're cutting it too close

 

[nil_saw]

@nil_saw Hey, Did you get back your passport in time?

I've booked my flight on Air Canada and requires a transit visa due to layover in Vancouver. I'm getting anxious as I'm still waiting for a request for my passport. I applied online on Oct 30 and current processing time is 19 days for applicants from USA (I assume 19 business days). Looks like if I don't get a response for my online application by next week, I'll not have enough time to get the visa stamp on passport.

Can you please share how long it took for you to get the request for passport after submitting your online application? Did you submit I-797 and Proof of Financial Support? I didn't see them in the supporting documents list.

Thanks!

Hey,

Luckily my application finished processing on the 14th of November. I drove to NYC that night and collected it from the VAC the next day.
Here's what you should know, the call center guys who receive your call when you call the VAC are 3rd party with no power to make any changes what-so-ever. The VAC might as well create a webpage and put all the protocols there because these guys have no power to do ANYTHING.

I think the normal passport stamping processing time for an approved visa for the NYC VAC and the canadian embassy is about 5-8 business days given the recent reports of actual applications minus the shipping time which you can find by just googling around. So I'd suggest to calculate the time accordingly, or physically go to the VAC and ask them. The call center guys scared the shit out of me. Again, the VAC is not connected to the call center, if you wish to request to make changes to your application I'd suggest to physically go there. All the best!

Edit: For a transit visa, I had to send them my i-797 not the proof of financial support, and yes, it was not mentioned upfront they asked me for it as a missing document after I applied for the visa.

 

[Nkj222]

@nil_saw Glad to hear that you were able to get your passport on time. It really puts lots of stress and I am realizing that it wasn’t worth the savings. Can you please provide me these 2 information - 1) time (in calendar days) it took to get an initial response for your online application 2) time it took to get the request to submit passport/online approval after you submitted the missing I-797.
Thanks and appreciate your prompt response.

@Bryanna - thanks for your response. Yes, I was exploring other options, but the ticket fares have went up very high on my travel dates and I would rather have to cancel my entire family trip if I don’t get the visa on time. It is crazy that transit visa processing could take this long.

 

[Bryanna]

@nil_saw Glad to hear that you were able to get your passport on time. It really puts lots of stress and I am realizing that it wasn’t worth the savings. Can you please provide me these 2 information - 1) time (in calendar days) it took to get an initial response for your online application 2) time it took to get the request to submit passport/online approval after you submitted the missing I-797.
Thanks and appreciate your prompt response.

@Bryanna - thanks for your response. Yes, I was exploring other options, but the ticket fares have went up very high on my travel dates and I would rather have to cancel my entire family trip if I don’t get the visa on time. It is crazy that transit visa processing could take this long.

You must send a Case Specific Enquiry/ IRCC web form + an email to the relevant visa office to request for expedited decisions. You should include your flight tickets

 

[Nkj222]

@Bryanna - Sure, I will open a case specific enquiry through the web form. Do I need to send the email address to los-angeles-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca ? Los Angeles is the nearest visa office as I live in California.

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[Bryanna]

@Bryanna - Sure, I will open a case specific enquiry through the web form. Do I need to send the email address to los-angeles-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca ? Los Angeles is the nearest visa office as I live in California.

Thanks a lot for your help!

Yes, that's the address

 

[Nkj222]

@Bryanna - I've submitted the case specific enquiry form and sent an email to Los Angeles consulate. Do you have any idea how long they usually take to response back? I know it's a Thanksgiving week, so I don't expect a quick response. Hopefully, I hear from them early next week.

Is there anything else I could do to reach someone in the visa processing office or try to have one of my friends in Canada call IRCC call centre locally? or any other suggestions to expedite this processing?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

@Bryanna - I've submitted the case specific enquiry form and sent an email to Los Angeles consulate. Do you have any idea how long they usually take to response back? I know it's a Thanksgiving week, so I don't expect a quick response. Hopefully, I hear from them early next week.

Is there anything else I could do to reach someone in the visa processing office or try to have one of my friends in Canada call IRCC call centre locally? or any other suggestions to expedite this processing?

There is nothing else you can do. There is no direct line to the VO and your friends cannot call on your behalf.

 

[Bryanna]

@Bryanna - I've submitted the case specific enquiry form and sent an email to Los Angeles consulate. Do you have any idea how long they usually take to response back? I know it's a Thanksgiving week, so I don't expect a quick response. Hopefully, I hear from them early next week.

Is there anything else I could do to reach someone in the visa processing office or try to have one of my friends in Canada call IRCC call centre locally? or any other suggestions to expedite this processing?

It would be best to re-book your flights without transiting in Canada.

There are no guesses to how long it could take for IRCC to respond to you (typical service times are up to 30 days for a case specific enquiry). You may have better luck as you've emailed the visa office. Plus, you'll need to factor in passport transmission time if you get a passport submission request

 

[Nkj222]

@canuck_in_uk , @Bryanna - thanks for your reply.