IP doesn’t mean one's file is placed in regional office (although the CIC website said so), but based on people’s chat with the agents and the GCMS report , a lot of people got IP while their files are still in Sydney
Most applications with IP status have, at the least, been referred to the local office. Even if the call centre agent reports the application is still in Sydney.
It is my impression that the call centre agents rely on what it shows in GCMS and that GCMS may not show the application is in the local office until the local office has, in effect, logged the file in locally. Does NOT mean that in the meantime it is not there. Indeed, it probably is in the local office.
This, I believe, is similar to the gap in time between when an application arrives in Sydney and the AOR date . . . which can range from a few weeks to several months (my application was in Sydney nearly four months before AOR). The application is in fact in Sydney when the courier's records show it was delivered to Sydney. And even though there is NOTHING, nothing at all in GCMS to show the application is in Sydney unless and until AOR, it is indeed physically in Sydney.
Likewise, it is my impression, as to the gap in time between IP and when GCMS shows the application in a local office: it is there, in the local office, but the local office has not taken any action on it, has not in effect acknowledged receiving it.
There are undoubtedly some exceptions.
For the vast majority of applicants, however, what matters is AOR (so the applicant knows the application has been opened, a file started, the completeness check passed) and then waiting and watching for further communication from IRCC. For the majority of applicants there will be nothing the applicant needs to do (other than wait and, if not exempt, prepare for the test) until there is notice to attend the PI Interview and the test (unless exempt). Periodically checking eCas is a good idea. Take note of the IP date if that interests you. But it is relatively unimportant. It does not even illuminate much, if anything, about the prospective timeline.
So it's worse than I thought for us that it's still waiting for the IP " to come" ...
I thought the delay was due to the regional office to move to IP status...
Perhaps it is worse than you and many others were anticipating.
IP happens in Sydney. There are indeed some indications that the timeline from receipt to AOR and then to IP (the Sydney process) is indeed getting longer, and that will mean a longer overall timeline.
It takes a long while for the evolution of timeline changes to become apparent. Unfortunately, whatever is causing a slowdown at the front end (that is, in Sydney), will likely also cause a slowdown in local office processing, especially if a big part of the cause is due to the size of the workload, that is, due to a surge in the number of applications.
So unfortunately the impact will likely accumulate.
Again, there is
NO REASON TO FEAR IRCC IS FAILING TO PROPERLY FUNCTION. What appears to be happening was predictable and indeed many in this forum were in fact forecasting this a year ago, when Bill C-6 was finally adopted, and again with more emphasis last September and October. Large bureaucracies are particularly slow to adapt to big changes, and IRCC is among Canada's larger bureaucracies and also a bureaucracy dealing with more complex matters than most (other than, perhaps, CRA).
It could take a full year longer, still, perhaps even a bit more, for IRCC to fully adapt and for the overall timeline to fall back toward long-term historical norms.
No need to fasten your seat belt. Application will be sitting in this or that parking lot (that is, in queue) for awhile, and then move to another parking lot for another wait. Unless you are lucky. Hard to say how or why some applicants appear to sail through significantly faster than the majority. All we know is that for the majority it will take time, and for the near future it appears that that amount of time is increasing.