You'll need to find a photo studio that will do foreign passport/visa photos. Do a google search for photographers in your area who can do custom sized (foreign) passport photos. We're near by Olympia, Washington and there were a few studios that could do it but the cost was close to $20 per set. This is the studio we used. You'll just have to find a similar service near you. http://www.contempostudio.com/passport-photos.html
No, we did not get an email about the transfer to Vienna. I'm not even sure if it can be called a 'transfer of our file', since Vienna clearly did nothing other than send out the passport request and COPR. I'm guessing that once Mississauga approved us (DM), Vienna was instructed to give us COPR.
In general, I believe it is just meant as a notification that they are going to process it there. It does not mean they have already started, only that the sponsorship application is complete and the PR application processing can start.
My app was originally in Ottawa and then sent back to Mississauga. They started eligibility in Ottawa before sending it back to Mississauga
Wow, I feel for you. When I saw you posted, I thought for sure that you were going to say you got PPR. Seems like you are in the same boat as me (also Jan 2017 applicants). The only thing for us is that we are waiting in queue for an interview (no date set, who knows when we will hear about that). It seems we have also gotten the short end of the stick with having to wait longer than most people at every stage of our application. Our criminal background check has also been in progress since February and his security check supposedly not started ... my partner has had one speeding ticket and that was his only misdemeanour in his whole life. There is nothing in the RCMP report nor his pcc from his home country which were submitted long ago. I can only speculate that his country's government is slow or else the VO is not following up with his app, likely the latter.
