****SEPTEMBER 2018**** OUTLAND SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP OUTSIDE OF CANADA

[laraibarrola]

which country?

Philippines, Visa office is Manila

 

[gelairiz]

Cant link my app online. Tried do many times

 

[ruanp28]

Hi guys. Hope someone can shed some light here. I received AOR on 17 December, biometrics was on 8 January, sponsor approval e-mail on 10 January. Yesterday, I received an e-mail stating that my application is now being sent to PA's visa in home country (Pretoria, South Africa).

What are usually the next things to look out for/get ready for? Timeline wise, are we at a good place? I have not received medical requests, I assume it will be requested once the application is in South Africa. I really hope they courier it here in stead of normal mail, since our country's mail services are really sub-par.

Will I get the AOR2 next? Not exactly sure what to expect or where we are at the moment. Thanks in advance

 

[WYWH]

That’s the date when you linked your application on Gckey

Is that what it shows for you as well, the date you linked yours? It was odd that it showed Dec 18th on Dec 17th, when I linked it. I am just being cautious because CIC is notorious for making mistakes. I did a spousal sponsorship years ago and they transferred my file to the wrong VO that had nothing to do with us. We lost 7.5 months because of this mistake and then instead of entering us into a queue based on the initial AOR2 (lock-in date), they put us in the queue as of the new date and wouldn't do anything to correct this. It was a nightmare.

 

[FaheemQazi]

All those who have gotten their medical exam done, is it mandatory to upload the medical receipt that you get after getting the medical examination done? I was told by the doctor that they will send my medical results themselves, but on many other threads on here I found many people say that although the doctor upload the results but the applicants have to upload the receipt. is that true ?

 

[WYWH]

Hi guys. Hope someone can shed some light here. I received AOR on 17 December, biometrics was on 8 January, sponsor approval e-mail on 10 January. Yesterday, I received an e-mail stating that my application is now being sent to PA's visa in home country (Pretoria, South Africa).

What are usually the next things to look out for/get ready for? Timeline wise, are we at a good place? I have not received medical requests, I assume it will be requested once the application is in South Africa. I really hope they courier it here in stead of normal mail, since our country's mail services are really sub-par.

Will I get the AOR2 next? Not exactly sure what to expect or where we are at the moment. Thanks in advance

I don't believe CIC uses regular mail for file transfers. It is their responsibility to make sure that local VOs receive files, so they will make it happen. They send files in a diplomatic bag. Not sure how often they do it, they may try to consolidate files, but I have read in one of the CIC operation manuals that AOR2 should happen within 4 weeks. I would say you are in a good place right now (especially compared to us -not even an SA yet, and our timelines are similar)
Medical request will come to PA shortly. Keep checking e-mails and online status. After you receive AOR2, be prepared for a period of silence. Unless they have to request additional documents, for example, you will most likely not be getting any updates from them until in the later stages.
Wish you luck!

 

[ruanp28]

I don't believe CIC uses regular mail for file transfers. It is their responsibility to make sure that local VOs receive files, so they will make it happen. They send files in a diplomatic bag. Not sure how often they do it, they may try to consolidate files, but I have read in one of the CIC operation manuals that AOR2 should happen within 4 weeks. I would say you are in a good place right now (especially compared to us -not even an SA yet, and our timelines are similar)
Medical request will come to PA shortly. Keep checking e-mails and online status. After you receive AOR2, be prepared for a period of silence. Unless they have to request additional documents, for example, you will most likely not be getting any updates from them until in the later stages.
Wish you luck!

Thank you very much. Do you perhaps know what they assessed before sponsor approval? One of our main concerns is the "proof that sponsor will move to Canada" section. I was under the impression Canadians would look at this section, and not the guys in South Africa.

 

[WYWH]

All those who have gotten their medical exam done, is it mandatory to upload the medical receipt that you get after getting the medical examination done? I was told by the doctor that they will send my medical results themselves, but on many other threads on here I found many people say that although the doctor upload the results but the applicants have to upload the receipt. is that true ?

You do not need to upload anything. Your panel physician will send the results in. Just make sure there is an update on your GcKey that says "Medicals Received" after several days. If there are any issues, you can upload your copy of the results as proof that you did your medical exam.

 

[Happy_mjr]

Still no SA here...126 days and counting. (31 days since AOR). No idea what could be taking so long. It should be a routine application.
One thing caught my attention though. When I received AOR on Dec. 17th, I was able to link to GcKey and ECAS right away on the same day.
But this is what confused me. Under "View the applications you submitted" it reads:
App type: Permanent Residency
App # : F000******
Applicant Name: M.K.
Date submitted: December 18th
Current Status: Submitted
Messages - None
Action: Check Full App Status

What do they mean by "submitted Dec 18th"? What does everyone else's status say?
If anyone can shed some light, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Same here. AOR received on Dec 19th and linked to GCkey the same day. Still waiting for SA and medical request.

 

[WYWH]

Thank you very much. Do you perhaps know what they assessed before sponsor approval? One of our main concerns is the "proof that sponsor will move to Canada" section. I was under the impression Canadians would look at this section, and not the guys in South Africa.

You are right, it would make more sense that "Proof of intent to move back" would be done in Canada, but local visa offices abroad are like small parts of Canada. It is still officers who are employed by the Canadian Government who would process your application
It is not easy to prove this, but sit down with your spouse and brainstorm. Have you discussed this with your family, friends, even your spouse IN WRITING? If so, submit some e-mails, text messages, letters etc. that show this as a part of conversation. If you haven't already done so, start looking at jobs and places to live. You may want to contact them by e-mail to send a resume and inquire about possible future employment and contact realtors if buying property or rental offices if renting. Also, contact a bank to inquire about opening accounts for you and your spouse, ask them what is required for, let's say, a joint account and how to go about it. Print your correspondence and show this as proof as well.... and anything else you can think of....the more the better!
Before SA, they mostly look at eligibility (your status, whether you have any debts to the government, if you are on social assistance, if you have ever been convicted, if you declared bankruptcy, if you've ever been detained etc). After AOR2, it is the applicant's turn for a thorough background check once they start processing.

 

[WYWH]

Same here. AOR received on Dec 19th and linked to GCkey the same day. Still waiting for SA and medical request.

Wow. I just can't think of why they would need this much time. Mine says "We started processing your app on Dec. 13th" I honestly have a hard time believing that they have. It doesn't take this long to check eligibility. I have been really patient and calm so far, but am starting to worry about the delay this will cause in overall processing time.

 

[gordiewow]

Wow. I just can't think of why they would need this much time. Mine says "We started processing your app on Dec. 13th" I honestly have a hard time believing that they have. It doesn't take this long to check eligibility. I have been really patient and calm so far, but am starting to worry about the delay this will cause in overall processing time.

I feel the same way. It really is a black box, totally unaccountable and seemingly arbitrary.

I received sponsorship approval on January 4, and nothing since then. After several tries using different information, I was able to link the application online but it's status hasn't changed at all from day one -- all of the fields are in their default starting position.

Being that my application was received on September 10, the AOR came in late December and the SA on January 4, I'm really concerned about how long this total process will drag out.

Ironically, the CIC has just posted this public relations release, extolling the great progress being made in welcoming new arrivals to Canada:

https://www.cicnews.com/2019/01/canadas-goal-of-1-million-new-permanent-residents-turning-heads-worldwide-0111743.html#gs.TD8iErXo

And yet a straightforward case of family sponsorship (in my case, the wife of a Canadian citizen and the mother of one) drags on. I hope the government is investing in greater resources at CIC to make this more than just PR bluster.

 

[laport2018]

I feel the same way. It really is a black box, totally unaccountable and seemingly arbitrary.

I received sponsorship approval on January 4, and nothing since then. After several tries using different information, I was able to link the application online but it's status hasn't changed at all from day one -- all of the fields are in their default starting position.

Being that my application was received on September 10, the AOR came in late December and the SA on January 4, I'm really concerned about how long this total process will drag out.

Ironically, the CIC has just posted this public relations release, extolling the great progress being made in welcoming new arrivals to Canada:

https://www.cicnews.com/2019/01/canadas-goal-of-1-million-new-permanent-residents-turning-heads-worldwide-0111743.html#gs.TD8iErXo

And yet a straightforward case of family sponsorship (in my case, the wife of a Canadian citizen and the mother of one) drags on. I hope the government is investing in greater resources at CIC to make this more than just PR bluster.

Mine is the same. App received Sept 12,2018. AOR December 17, 2018. SA Jan 7th Medical request Jan 8. Medicals completed January 14th and my gc Key still states they have requested medicals? I know it takes some time but the doctor sends via Emedical. My husbands eligibility has been is process since I linked the gc Key and background has not started. I Have given up trying to figure it all out.

 

[gordiewow]

I hear you and it's unacceptable that there is such a lack of accountability. Why are the steps not more clearly laid out with specifics as to why some cases take longer than others and what is being done every step along the way. The answer, I fear, is because there is no standardized process - the arbitrary wildcard thrown in is the speed at which the individual case officer works.

We're footing the bill for all of this as Canadian taxpayers, and this system should be more responsive, accountable and transparent.

 

[WYWH]

I hear you and it's unacceptable that there is such a lack of accountability. Why are the steps not more clearly laid out with specifics as to why some cases take longer than others and what is being done every step along the way. The answer, I fear, is because there is no standardized process - the arbitrary wildcard thrown in is the speed at which the individual case officer works.

We're footing the bill for all of this as Canadian taxpayers, and this system should be more responsive, accountable and transparent.

That is exactly what I have been saying the last couple of months. If their process was more transparent and applicants made aware of certain steps involved in each stage and how long on average they take, we would be more at peace and they wouldn't have to pay so many call centre agents who cannot even handle the volume of the frantic calls coming in, nor can they provide any meaningful info to us.
We all understand that each app is different and that the same steps for some may take longer than usual, but tell us why this could be and we will all shut up an wait! I feel really bad for those applicants who wait 4 months or more only to have their packages returned to them because something is missing. There should be an initial check for completeness within the first month or so and if there is a backlog and the actual process starts a couple months later, so be it.
CIC did improve some of their steps, but there is still a lot to be done. Processing times have not gone down from 12 months for years now. When they change it to 10 months, then I will believe that some real improvements have been made.