Montreal Visa Office ... Let's connect here.

[Ra1234cha5678]

Thank you for this post. I was just told by a CIC agent on the phone that my eligibility is review required. I've already requested notes so I can understand what the problem is. I was really confused because my all my money in the POF is sufficient according to their request and it has been sitting in a Canadian bank, meaning no exchange rates fluctuations and my reference letter matches my NOC and has all job duties and details requested (in my opinion, of course). I was wondering what could have triggered RR then after reading about your situation I feel a little less nervous because my partner had a visa refusal years ago for Canada and that can be the reason (it must be!). I hope it's only that because I don't know what else I could do if it is something related to POF or reference letter.

Called the agent a while ago and its Review Required.but I got to know that foreign experience needs verification. So, thinking about submitting a fresh set of job duties.

 

[Ra1234cha5678]

Hello All, need your opinion on the NOC code. I have applied under NOC 2171 . Is there anything that I need to change and submit afresh?

Your inputs are greatly treasured.

Experience 1: (Generic document provided for every ex-employee). Though the title is software engineer, the job duties sounded like 2171(IT Analyst)


Date: February 18, 2019

Ref: AB/2019/ 1234
TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN

This is to certify that Mr. XYZ was employed from 28 June 2011 to 13 September 2013 with XYZ in the role of Software Engineer as a full time employee for approximately 40 hours per week.

Roles and Responsibilities  Understand and analyse the technical specifications and suggest code optimization ideas. Fill timesheets and complete invoicing process on or before the deadline.  Interact with customers on need basis and flag any requirements or issues raised by the customer to seniors in the team.  Develop software code as per specifications, by understanding customer requirements. Track open tickets/ incidents in queue and allocate tickets to resources.  Constantly review if there is a better way of doing things, which may help with economizing time or money or deliver better to the customer.  Adhere to quality process – update the defect logs, test scripts, and comply with quality processes and timelines.  Perform self-code reviews as per standards.  Develop project consolidated status reports and perform all activities related to re-usage, accuracy and efficiency. Work alongside others, delivering own goals, and supporting team members in meeting theirs, thereby contributing to the overall satisfaction of the team.  Provide application production support as per process/RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed) Matrix.

Sincerely,


Experience 2: IBPS -2013 IT OFFICER

Mr. XYZ, worked full-time as an Officer-IT/Systems (Compliance) in the bank for 2 years 10 months between 24/09/2013 until 16/07/2016 for approximately 40 hours/week. During his tenure with XYZ Bank (amalgamated with Bank of Baroda effective 01 April 2019), he was involved in the following activities:


1) Coordinated with the vendors in finalizing the Requirements Scope Document for procurement of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) system for the bank.


2) Analyzed RBI/FIU regulatory business requirements and translated them to appropriate FINNACLE system/software requirements.


3) Involved in writing test cases and end-end Quality Assurance (QA) aspects for the 51 IBA/FIU Alerts code developed by the AML vendor.


4) Conduct JAD sessions with the team, the AML software users, and the AML software developers to customize the software to cater the requirements specific for the bank.


5) Generated data/reports from bank database server using SQL/PLSQL and structuring the same in proper report format using MS-Access.


6) Worked on gathering requirements, analyzing change requests, advising process improvements and developing the SAR, CTR, CCR, and CBWTR reports.


This certificate is issued as per specific request of the Ex-Staff Mr. XYZ

Please do not hesitate to reach me at the undersigned contact numbers for any further information.

 

[cansha]

Hello everyone.

Finally, I decided to come back to this forum and telly my story that I believe will give some people good advice and hope for better.
I applied in November 2018 for EE Federal Skilled Worker program. In May 2019, my application was rejected by the Montreal office because the officer wasn’t convinced that I had one year of work experience. Even though I received the GCMS notes, there was no indication that something was wrong with my job reference letter.
The day after I went to this forum and I read M_A story about her rejection due to the mistake. She submitted her reconsideration inquiry through raising CSE. I submitted the CSE claim a day after rejection.
I went to the consultant and she suggested that my reference letter didn’t have enough information about my work duties. I decided to ask my boss back in my home country to sign the new reference letter. As soon as I received the new letter, I went to a translator and he translated the document. I applied again... but the EE score was much higher than a few months ago...
I was waiting for hope. On August 30, 2019, I received an email from IRCC to check my account, the one message was RRFP request and the other was information letter that asked me to update the information and prepare two pictures and a passport.. The local Calgary office set up an appointment and I’ve got the COPR.
Until I called the agent, I felt that IRCC made a mistake and my COPR is illegal. But the agent told me that because I raised CSE and asked for reconsideration, my claim was approved after three months.
Thanks a lot to M_A and cansha for giving me hope. I’m really glad I read this forum.

This is a wonderful story and so glad to see it ended on a positive note. All the best for rest of your journey in Canada

 

[Jalil8882]

yeah no other choice but wait ... My last call earlier today with the agent call got disconnected in between so I called again now.
And this time agent mentioned similar things about Medicals and Criminality being passed. Security not yet started.
But she mentioned eligibility is REVIEW REQUIRED (since Aug 8th). I am not sure what that means....
Agent just mentioned in some cases officer passes the file to other officer with REVIEW REQUIRED but nothing to worry about.
Can anyone throw some light on it? As I did not recieve any email on this? And agent also mentioned that no documents are required from you.

My agent also told me in September that i have a review required and the same story he told you about nothing to worry.
And he was right , when i called in oct i was told that all the assessments are passed including eligibility.

 

[Jalil8882]

I was wrong. It seems that 100% complete does not means application is approved. However if you have been told by the agent that the final decision has been made, and every assessment is passed, your application has been approved.

Yes i have been told by agent that all assessment have been passed and recently received the webform response that the decision hasbeen made.
Will call tomorrow to check from agent .
Hopefully will get some good news.

 

[Mia_0113]

I applied in FSW-O stream.
AOR: Mar 14
Med: Apr 29
Criminality is in progress
Eligibility is recommended passed
Security is not started.
I have paid all the Fees including RPRF on Mar 14.
File was transferred from Montreal to Edmonton IRCC in July last week .

I haven't received Biometric request yet. in GCMS notes, my biometric status shows as "Cancelled/Error". It's been more than 8 months and I'm worried since I didn't receive the Biometric request yet.

Anyone has any suggestions/ideas regarding this?

Same here. My AOR is March 12, medical got passed on May 1, but nothing about Biometrics was received. I ordered GCMS notes and got to know that Eligibility is Review Required, Criminality is in progress, and Security is not started. I guess there's nothing we could do but wait...

 

[pawanpanjwani_march2019]

@pawanpanjwani_march2019

Below is a post from @legalfalcon on review required. Unfortunately only GCMS notes can tell you why there is review required on eligibility.Review required does not mean there is something wrong on your file. I had reviewed required for statutory questions because I had prior visa refusals. My eligibility got passed by the officer almost 3 months after the analyst put review required for statutory questions. I had to order GCMS notes again to make it happen though. I requested GCMS notes on October 5 and eligibility got passed on October 10. Sometimes GCMS notes do help move the file forward. It is not always the case but it is worth the try.

Below @legalfalcon post on review required



Understanding “Review Required”

A lot of applicants see “review required” in their GCMS notes for eligibility. There are many theories floating around with regard to what “review required” means and if it is alarming.

Before I venture into explaining the significance, it is important to understand that each application goes through the following stages as per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the regulations (Canadian Immigration Law):

R10 – Completeness Check
Criminality
Medicals
A11.2 – eligibility
Security

Out of the above, the most important stage is eligibility. This is also the most time-consuming stage because your documents have to be verified, evaluated and assessed to ascertain that you meet the eligibility criteria for the program you have applied (FSW / CEC / FTW). To stream line this process and make it easier for an immigration officer (decision making authority), all applications are first evaluated by case analysts or program assistants. They review the documents and summarize it in the GCMS. If they have any concerns with any document or want the immigration officer to carefully look into a specific document, they will flag it as “review required.” It is the content of the note that is important here. If the review required is for a specific document, while the summary of the note says that an applicant has met the eligibility, or “ready to finalize” it simply means that while the applicant has met the eligibility criteria, but the specific document needs a careful examination form the officer before promoting (eligibility pass) by the officer.

However, if there are concerns, there will be a review required for the eligibility, and there will be no text to the effect “ready to finalize” or pass. The note will specifically state job duties do not match, or the employment cannot be verified, or the number of years of work experience claimed cannot be verified. This is where an application can land in muddy waters. But the final decision rests on the immigration officer. He may override the decision of the analyst / assistant or go with the analysis of the analyst / assistant.

Even in cases where the analyst / assistant is of the opinion that the applicant has met the eligibility, and there is no “review required,” the officer can replace it with his own opinion. Though rare, but it does happen. This is why the eligibility is only passed when an officer conclusively marks the eligibility as passed.

Finally, there is “review required” for PoF. This is the most common in many applications. This is because, the financial and banking practices of each country are different. Eg. Fixed deposits are know as Certificate of Deposit (CD) in the US. Similarly, treasury bonds, mutual funds, stocks, and many other investment vehicles are there. If your PoF anything other than a bank deposit, it is more likely that it will be marked as “review required.” Also, IRCC does not go by day to day fluctuations in FOREX. Instead, the Canadian federal government issued a quarterly conversion rate for all FOREX vis-a-via CAD. If your PoF is in a foreign currency, then you may have “review required” for the officer to make a determination.

Just because you have “review required” does not mean that you hit the panic mode. Instead, read the context in which it is there. If there is a concern regarding a document, you can send a replacement document via CSE. The most common reasons for RR are:

1. Work reference letter without job duties
2. Work reference letters missing all the details requested by IRCC
3. If you submitted a letter from a colleague because you were unable to get one from your employer, but did not have a LoE on file, this too will lead to RR.
4. Not sufficient work experience in the primary NOC.
5. Inability to verify your employment as your employer details are missing.

There are just some of the scenarios.

Thanks for such a helpful post. I will wait for my GCMS notes to give more clarity on the status.
I had requested GCMS via GETGCMS and its already been more than a month since they raised the request.
Is there any one else who is facing difficulties in gettting the GCMS notes?

 

[pawanpanjwani_march2019]

My agent also told me in September that i have a review required and the same story he told you about nothing to worry.
And he was right , when i called in oct i was told that all the assessments are passed including eligibility.

I will try calling back in 2-3 weeks if there is a change. Agent also said mostly update with agents Vs update on the account is in sync but sometimes account is not updated on time and calling the agents is better.

 

[pawanpanjwani_march2019]

@pawanpanjwani_march2019

Below is a post from @legalfalcon on review required. Unfortunately only GCMS notes can tell you why there is review required on eligibility.Review required does not mean there is something wrong on your file. I had reviewed required for statutory questions because I had prior visa refusals. My eligibility got passed by the officer almost 3 months after the analyst put review required for statutory questions. I had to order GCMS notes again to make it happen though. I requested GCMS notes on October 5 and eligibility got passed on October 10. Sometimes GCMS notes do help move the file forward. It is not always the case but it is worth the try.

Below @legalfalcon post on review required



Understanding “Review Required”

A lot of applicants see “review required” in their GCMS notes for eligibility. There are many theories floating around with regard to what “review required” means and if it is alarming.

Before I venture into explaining the significance, it is important to understand that each application goes through the following stages as per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the regulations (Canadian Immigration Law):

R10 – Completeness Check
Criminality
Medicals
A11.2 – eligibility
Security

Out of the above, the most important stage is eligibility. This is also the most time-consuming stage because your documents have to be verified, evaluated and assessed to ascertain that you meet the eligibility criteria for the program you have applied (FSW / CEC / FTW). To stream line this process and make it easier for an immigration officer (decision making authority), all applications are first evaluated by case analysts or program assistants. They review the documents and summarize it in the GCMS. If they have any concerns with any document or want the immigration officer to carefully look into a specific document, they will flag it as “review required.” It is the content of the note that is important here. If the review required is for a specific document, while the summary of the note says that an applicant has met the eligibility, or “ready to finalize” it simply means that while the applicant has met the eligibility criteria, but the specific document needs a careful examination form the officer before promoting (eligibility pass) by the officer.

However, if there are concerns, there will be a review required for the eligibility, and there will be no text to the effect “ready to finalize” or pass. The note will specifically state job duties do not match, or the employment cannot be verified, or the number of years of work experience claimed cannot be verified. This is where an application can land in muddy waters. But the final decision rests on the immigration officer. He may override the decision of the analyst / assistant or go with the analysis of the analyst / assistant.

Even in cases where the analyst / assistant is of the opinion that the applicant has met the eligibility, and there is no “review required,” the officer can replace it with his own opinion. Though rare, but it does happen. This is why the eligibility is only passed when an officer conclusively marks the eligibility as passed.

Finally, there is “review required” for PoF. This is the most common in many applications. This is because, the financial and banking practices of each country are different. Eg. Fixed deposits are know as Certificate of Deposit (CD) in the US. Similarly, treasury bonds, mutual funds, stocks, and many other investment vehicles are there. If your PoF anything other than a bank deposit, it is more likely that it will be marked as “review required.” Also, IRCC does not go by day to day fluctuations in FOREX. Instead, the Canadian federal government issued a quarterly conversion rate for all FOREX vis-a-via CAD. If your PoF is in a foreign currency, then you may have “review required” for the officer to make a determination.

Just because you have “review required” does not mean that you hit the panic mode. Instead, read the context in which it is there. If there is a concern regarding a document, you can send a replacement document via CSE. The most common reasons for RR are:

1. Work reference letter without job duties
2. Work reference letters missing all the details requested by IRCC
3. If you submitted a letter from a colleague because you were unable to get one from your employer, but did not have a LoE on file, this too will lead to RR.
4. Not sufficient work experience in the primary NOC.
5. Inability to verify your employment as your employer details are missing.

There are just some of the scenarios.

I guess very similar to your case, mine would have something to do with refused entry. Last year due to a wrong exit/turn on the highway me and my family ended up at the Canada border (niagara falls NY / ON) as there was no legal u turn before that. At that time officials were convinced that it was an honest mistake and issued us with "ALLOWED to LEAVE CANADA" form. It was very smooth process that time and we were back on our road in US in an hour from this....
I did not realize that it counts as "refused entry to canada" as we had no intentions to come to canada at the first place.
I submitted all these forms via CSE/webform to the officer.... Not sure if that could be the reason to review required....
But I had submitted those docs in Sept (mid) ... and this review required is as of Aug 8th.... (OVERTHINKING)

 

[a.misra89]

Hi all,
Hope all is well!!
My visa office is Montreal as well. And the timeline is:

AOR: 5th March; Applied from Boston, US
Eligibility: We are reviewing whether you meet the eligibility requirements.
Medical: April 18, 2019 You passed the medical exam.
Additional documents: Not applicable.
Interview: You do not need an interview. We will send you a message if this changes.
Biometrics: May 1, 2019 Completed.
Background check: Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start your background check. (Updated on 2nd Dec)
Final decision: Your application is in progress. We will send you a message once the final decision has been made.

Haven't heard since then. Anyone else from Montreal?

 

[pawanpanjwani_march2019]

Hi all,
Hope all is well!!
My visa office is Montreal as well. And the timeline is:

AOR: 5th March; Applied from Boston, US
Eligibility: We are reviewing whether you meet the eligibility requirements.
Medical: April 18, 2019 You passed the medical exam.
Additional documents: Not applicable.
Interview: You do not need an interview. We will send you a message if this changes.
Biometrics: May 1, 2019 Completed.
Background check: Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start your background check. (Updated on 2nd Dec)
Final decision: Your application is in progress. We will send you a message once the final decision has been made.

Haven't heard since then. Anyone else from Montreal?

We both have near by dates.
AOR : March 20th, 2019 from New Jersey, US
Review of eligibility : We are reviewing whether you meet the eligibility requirements.
Review of medical results : May 2, 2019 You passed the medical exam.
Review of additional documents - We do not need additional documents.
Interview : You do not need an interview. We will send you a message if this changes.
Biometrics :May 24, 2019 Completed.
Background check: We are processing your background check. We will send you a message if we need more information.
Final decision : Your application is in progress. We will send you a message once the final decision has been made.
Visa Office Montreal

 

[a.misra89]

We both have near by dates.
AOR : March 20th, 2019 from New Jersey, US
Review of eligibility : We are reviewing whether you meet the eligibility requirements.
Review of medical results : May 2, 2019 You passed the medical exam.
Review of additional documents - We do not need additional documents.
Interview : You do not need an interview. We will send you a message if this changes.
Biometrics :May 24, 2019 Completed.
Background check: We are processing your background check. We will send you a message if we need more information.
Final decision : Your application is in progress. We will send you a message once the final decision has been made.
Visa Office Montreal

It’s all pretty much the same dude.. except my background status says “we are processing your application”.. earlier it was the same as yours.. not sure if i should take it positively or ignore it..
good luck!

 

[pawanpanjwani_march2019]

It’s all pretty much the same dude.. except my background status says “we are processing your application”.. earlier it was the same as yours.. not sure if i should take it positively or ignore it..
good luck!

strange - as you got "we will let you know once we start background check" now after "we are processing your background check".......
not sure about these texts they update..
but you can also call IRCC and the agent can help you with little more accurate information than what you see on account.

 

[Jalil8882]

I called Ircc agent just now and it was not a very nice lady , she told me that your application is under process when the decision will be made they will let you know through your account.

I dont know what is happening, i received email that decision has already been made and the concerned officer will let us know through email but the agent is saying opposite

 

[pawanpanjwani_march2019]

I called Ircc agent just now and it was not a very nice lady , she told me that your application is under process when the decision will be made they will let you know through your account.

I dont know what is happening, i received email that decision has already been made and the concerned officer will let us know through email but the agent is saying opposite

Try again in sometime. Hard luck with these agents...