Hello all
I've used this forum so many times since I decided to apply for Canada PR via Express Entry under FSW. Now that my application have finally been approved, I thought I'd put my application's timeline up with all the hurdles I faced so that it would help someone else the same way it had helped me. Since I applied on my own and from abroad, I hope this might help people from similar situation.
Updating new IELTS results
I took two IELTS exams and when I tried to update the second one's results, my first profile was deemed invalid. I panicked and then realised that I had to now create a new profile. However, in the new profile, I still had to add my old IELTS's reference number. Just thought I'd add it in.
Timeline
I received my ITA in mid-April 2017 and submitted my application by second week of May 2017. The issues that I faced here was that CIC website can be a pain and does not save some info in certain pages. So I found myself going back and filling the same form time and again. Anyway, it took me good 3-4 hours to be done with it. So I'd suggest taking a day off from work so that you don't have to rush.
Submitting the application
I'd suggest to collect few documents beforehand. I've listed some examples below.
Police report(s) - If you had lived abroad, getting it might take longer than you think. I lived in England for more than 6 months so needed Police Report from there. It takes quite a bit of time to get it with standard price unless you're willing to fork out extra to speed up the process. I did the latter one but avoided high international delivery charges by getting it posted to local address.
Work experiences letters - Collect them from your employers if you have had multiple jobs like I did. The key thing is the job description / roles needs to be listed which should match with your NOC. It's crucial you follows instructions on what's needed in the letter. Your application page tells you exactly what you needed in these letters - job roles, job position, duration of the employment, employers details etc. I made them all myself so the content of the letters were alright. However, one the them didn’t sign for a week! So if you have past employers, get them signed asap.
Bank statements - You need to show bank balance of $12,300 (current year) for the last 6 months with daily balance of that amount. It doesn't matter how many bank accounts it is divided into. The total counts. I also added bank balance certificates from the banks.
I had about 7k in Fixed Deposit and rest in Savings Account if it matters. Banks normally don't care or know what info you need. So you need to persuade them to do so.
Most of the infos of what you need in the documents are provided in CIC'S website.
Standard medical check up
This is where I struggled a lot as not a lot of people face this issue. As a part of the application, I had to do upfront medical check up before submitting my application. I had Lymphnode Tuberculosis 5 years ago which has since been treated. When I went for my medical check up, which was very basis, I had a dilemma if I should write it down or not in the form since I do not have an active TB. Anyway, I spoke to the doctor at the medical centre and disclosed my medical history in the form. She wasn't helpful and asked me to get a letter from my doctor detailing my history. My medication was done four years ago so I didn't know how I could get the doctor of a public hospital to remember me and help me with it. Thankfully, I had seen the same doctor couple of times after that for my allergies so he remembered me. He was nice enough to sit down with me to write a letter detailing my TB history as per my medication report which I had saved. I'm from Nepal so there no database recording the patient's history. I guess some fancy hospital does that now. After I submitted the letter, the medical clinic uploaded all the results and my letter to CIC from there end. After they did that, they gave me a letter that I had to upload with my application.
CIC posted the letter to my home address whilst I have given them my PO Box address as my mailing one. How the post arrived to my house is a mystery to me.
Specific medical check up
One day I received a post in mid-June asking me to do further tests - Sputum test and high definition CT scan of my chest. This letter was dated late April 2017. It was generated couple of days after my first medical check up was uploaded to CIC by the medical clinic. However, the letter gave me 30 days to comply with the tests or my application would be rejected. So, I made a complain to Delhi Visa section (that's where our application gets processed) that I received the letter late and there was no update in my CIC account which suggested I should have the tests. I contacted the medical clinic who told me I have been asked to do those tests and I went the very next day to do them. Sputum test results takes 6 weeks to come! After the results came out, I had to do the CT scan which said that the patches in my lungs were from previous illness. All the results were then given to the original medical clinic who uploaded them to CIC, which we do not have the access to. Just to add, I never got a response from the Delhi embassy about my complain. However, couple of days after the medical results were uploaded, my CIC was updated to 'you passed the medical exam'. That was mid-August 2017.
Moral of the story - If you don't see the Medical Exam's status changed in your CIC account in a week or so after the medical tests are done, call the medical centre to ask if they have received any instructions for you to have additional tests. They can check via your IME/UCI but they won't contact you on their own as they don't get notifications as such.
Request for passport
I received this on 16 Nov in an email which is way better than in post. I posted it on 20 Nov. I had to take a new photo since it had been 6 months since I took the last one for the application. One of the photo had to be stamped with the photographer's details along with my name and DOB.
The passport has to be submitted via VFS which charges less than $30 for the courier to Delhi embassy from Kathmandu.
My application got approved on 5 December and my CIC also got updated on the day. The passport also got stamped with one way visa and dispatched from the embassy on the same day. I collected my passport from VFS on 8 December. In addition to the passport, I also received Confirmation of Permanent Resident, a letter asking me to do a medical check up within 30 days of landing and list of contact numbers for it in all provinces.
Post-landing medical check up
I haven't landed in the country yet so any input regarding this would be greatly appreciated. I understand that once landed, I have to contact the number provided to me to schedule an appointment to do a medical check up. I'm not sure how much the fees would be since I read somewhere that the universal healthcare doesn't kick in until after 3 months of residency in most of the province.
I didn’t intend to make it this long but I’m just writing down my experience. I hope this is helpful.
I've used this forum so many times since I decided to apply for Canada PR via Express Entry under FSW. Now that my application have finally been approved, I thought I'd put my application's timeline up with all the hurdles I faced so that it would help someone else the same way it had helped me. Since I applied on my own and from abroad, I hope this might help people from similar situation.
Updating new IELTS results
I took two IELTS exams and when I tried to update the second one's results, my first profile was deemed invalid. I panicked and then realised that I had to now create a new profile. However, in the new profile, I still had to add my old IELTS's reference number. Just thought I'd add it in.
Timeline
I received my ITA in mid-April 2017 and submitted my application by second week of May 2017. The issues that I faced here was that CIC website can be a pain and does not save some info in certain pages. So I found myself going back and filling the same form time and again. Anyway, it took me good 3-4 hours to be done with it. So I'd suggest taking a day off from work so that you don't have to rush.
Submitting the application
I'd suggest to collect few documents beforehand. I've listed some examples below.
Police report(s) - If you had lived abroad, getting it might take longer than you think. I lived in England for more than 6 months so needed Police Report from there. It takes quite a bit of time to get it with standard price unless you're willing to fork out extra to speed up the process. I did the latter one but avoided high international delivery charges by getting it posted to local address.
Work experiences letters - Collect them from your employers if you have had multiple jobs like I did. The key thing is the job description / roles needs to be listed which should match with your NOC. It's crucial you follows instructions on what's needed in the letter. Your application page tells you exactly what you needed in these letters - job roles, job position, duration of the employment, employers details etc. I made them all myself so the content of the letters were alright. However, one the them didn’t sign for a week! So if you have past employers, get them signed asap.
Bank statements - You need to show bank balance of $12,300 (current year) for the last 6 months with daily balance of that amount. It doesn't matter how many bank accounts it is divided into. The total counts. I also added bank balance certificates from the banks.
I had about 7k in Fixed Deposit and rest in Savings Account if it matters. Banks normally don't care or know what info you need. So you need to persuade them to do so.
Most of the infos of what you need in the documents are provided in CIC'S website.
Standard medical check up
This is where I struggled a lot as not a lot of people face this issue. As a part of the application, I had to do upfront medical check up before submitting my application. I had Lymphnode Tuberculosis 5 years ago which has since been treated. When I went for my medical check up, which was very basis, I had a dilemma if I should write it down or not in the form since I do not have an active TB. Anyway, I spoke to the doctor at the medical centre and disclosed my medical history in the form. She wasn't helpful and asked me to get a letter from my doctor detailing my history. My medication was done four years ago so I didn't know how I could get the doctor of a public hospital to remember me and help me with it. Thankfully, I had seen the same doctor couple of times after that for my allergies so he remembered me. He was nice enough to sit down with me to write a letter detailing my TB history as per my medication report which I had saved. I'm from Nepal so there no database recording the patient's history. I guess some fancy hospital does that now. After I submitted the letter, the medical clinic uploaded all the results and my letter to CIC from there end. After they did that, they gave me a letter that I had to upload with my application.
CIC posted the letter to my home address whilst I have given them my PO Box address as my mailing one. How the post arrived to my house is a mystery to me.
Specific medical check up
One day I received a post in mid-June asking me to do further tests - Sputum test and high definition CT scan of my chest. This letter was dated late April 2017. It was generated couple of days after my first medical check up was uploaded to CIC by the medical clinic. However, the letter gave me 30 days to comply with the tests or my application would be rejected. So, I made a complain to Delhi Visa section (that's where our application gets processed) that I received the letter late and there was no update in my CIC account which suggested I should have the tests. I contacted the medical clinic who told me I have been asked to do those tests and I went the very next day to do them. Sputum test results takes 6 weeks to come! After the results came out, I had to do the CT scan which said that the patches in my lungs were from previous illness. All the results were then given to the original medical clinic who uploaded them to CIC, which we do not have the access to. Just to add, I never got a response from the Delhi embassy about my complain. However, couple of days after the medical results were uploaded, my CIC was updated to 'you passed the medical exam'. That was mid-August 2017.
Moral of the story - If you don't see the Medical Exam's status changed in your CIC account in a week or so after the medical tests are done, call the medical centre to ask if they have received any instructions for you to have additional tests. They can check via your IME/UCI but they won't contact you on their own as they don't get notifications as such.
Request for passport
I received this on 16 Nov in an email which is way better than in post. I posted it on 20 Nov. I had to take a new photo since it had been 6 months since I took the last one for the application. One of the photo had to be stamped with the photographer's details along with my name and DOB.
The passport has to be submitted via VFS which charges less than $30 for the courier to Delhi embassy from Kathmandu.
My application got approved on 5 December and my CIC also got updated on the day. The passport also got stamped with one way visa and dispatched from the embassy on the same day. I collected my passport from VFS on 8 December. In addition to the passport, I also received Confirmation of Permanent Resident, a letter asking me to do a medical check up within 30 days of landing and list of contact numbers for it in all provinces.
Post-landing medical check up
I haven't landed in the country yet so any input regarding this would be greatly appreciated. I understand that once landed, I have to contact the number provided to me to schedule an appointment to do a medical check up. I'm not sure how much the fees would be since I read somewhere that the universal healthcare doesn't kick in until after 3 months of residency in most of the province.
I didn’t intend to make it this long but I’m just writing down my experience. I hope this is helpful.
