WARSAW TIMELINE-Join here !!

[Bynming]

My advice is pay up and send it to Warsaw. Just get your COPR, you never know what could happen in the near future with cases rising here in Canada.

I'm going to agree at this point. Just get it done and land ASAP, $300 is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Edit: Unfortunately my wife has some business to tend to before she leaves so she probably can't fly over until late Nov -_-

 

[Canuck_Morb]

I'm going to agree at this point. Just get it done and land ASAP, $300 is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Agreed. I believe we will see restrictions coming back this fall/winter. Land as soon as you can and be happy

 

[Bynming]

Agreed. I believe we will see restrictions coming back this fall/winter. Land as soon as you can and be happy

Well if that's the case hopefully we make it through...

 

[Canuck_Morb]

Well if that's the case hopefully we make it through...

Here in Ottawa, the French school board started a few weeks ago, and they already have cases in 5 different school. 200 teachers/students ordered into quarantine.
Now the English board goes back this week...it’s just a matter of time. In my opinion, get here the sooner the better.

 

[Bynming]

Here in Ottawa, the French school board started a few weeks ago, and they already have cases in 5 different school. 200 teachers/students ordered into quarantine.
Now the English board goes back this week...it’s just a matter of time. In my opinion, get here the sooner the better.

I agree, but they never sealed the border entirely to people who have their papers. I hope they can keep this thing under control.

 

[bossmon]

My advice is pay up and send it to Warsaw. Just get your COPR, you never know what could happen in the near future with cases rising here in Canada.

Moscow is open on Monday. It will be faster and cheaper through Moscow. We got an email from Warsaw that said it's ok to send to Moscow instead.

 

[armoured]

I'm going to agree at this point. Just get it done and land ASAP, $300 is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

If you're more or less ready to travel then I'd also tend to agree, particularly since the experience of others who have submitted to Warsaw has been rather quick return. In theory the VAC could/should be quicker but who knows how fast it will be in practice. Given the confusion so far and rather poor instructions, it's only realistic to expect their may be some teething problems as the VAC re-opens.

We won't be able to submit immediately (spouse out of town with passport), and won't be able to travel until at least a month later. So given that, I may as well try to save some money too.

But if not urgent in terms of travel, it's just a personal choice.

Side note: I was surprised at the cost, I don't remember exactly, but as I recall it only cost me 7-10k rubles (I thought fairly reasonable at the time) to submit my full application sending the entire package from Moscow to Nova Scotia. Okay, only one direction, but still.

 

[armoured]

Moscow is open on Monday. It will be faster and cheaper through Moscow. We got an email from Warsaw that said it's ok to send to Moscow instead.

The one thing I'd caution here is we don't know (yet) whether it will be faster from Moscow. It should be, but practice can be different. ONly perhaps an issue if in a hurry, but if I were in a hurry, I'd go the relatively proven route. Cheaper - definitely.

This is one reason I drew attention to the odd two-days a week thing at VFS (and implying they'd only accept passports on Mondays and return them on Wednesdays) - hit the exact timing to get it delivered Monday, presumably it goes to the Embassy, the visas printed, get it back Wednesday/Thursday. Off by a day - that's ten days instead of four or five. And that's assuming they're actually working efficiently when just opening with no surprises or screwups. (Of course we might also find that since this is all back office stuff, that their end of it is always three or four days, regardless of which day the docs are delivered).

In contrast reports from others have been that Warsaw has been pretty quick, and presumably their back office is working five days a week.

Frankly I'd be more concerned about screw-ups when re-opening than the difference of a few days or even a week.

Hope whoever tries reports. I'm going to ask Warsaw about this Appendix B thing.

 

[passenger19]

The one thing I'd caution here is we don't know (yet) whether it will be faster from Moscow. It should be, but practice can be different. ONly perhaps an issue if in a hurry, but if I were in a hurry, I'd go the relatively proven route. Cheaper - definitely.

This is one reason I drew attention to the odd two-days a week thing at VFS (and implying they'd only accept passports on Mondays and return them on Wednesdays) - hit the exact timing to get it delivered Monday, presumably it goes to the Embassy, the visas printed, get it back Wednesday/Thursday. Off by a day - that's ten days instead of four or five. And that's assuming they're actually working efficiently when just opening with no surprises or screwups. (Of course we might also find that since this is all back office stuff, that their end of it is always three or four days, regardless of which day the docs are delivered).

In contrast reports from others have been that Warsaw has been pretty quick, and presumably their back office is working five days a week.

Frankly I'd be more concerned about screw-ups when re-opening than the difference of a few days or even a week.

Hope whoever tries reports. I'm going to ask Warsaw about this Appendix B thing.

This is how I see it:
1) Sent the package on Saturday or even Sunday
2) Delivered on Monday morning
3) Sent by VFS to the embassy in Moscow on Monday afternoon
4) Received back from the embassy on Thursday morning
5) Sent the package on Thursday afternoon
6) Received passports on Friday or Saturday
7) Fully ready to travel on Monday

 

[armoured]

This is how I see it:
1) Sent the package on Saturday or even Sunday
2) Delivered on Monday morning
3) Sent by VFS to the embassy in Moscow on Monday afternoon
4) Received back from the embassy on Thursday morning
5) Sent the package on Thursday afternoon
6) Received passports on Friday or Saturday
7) Fully ready to travel on Monday

Sure. In theory. Possibly faster, if Embassy returns to VFS late Tuesday/Early Wednesday, they could/should send it Wednesday for delivery Thursday.

I just wouldn't book non-refundable plane tickets based on that.

 

[passenger19]

Sure. In theory. Possibly faster, if Embassy returns to VFS late Tuesday/Early Wednesday, they could/should send it Wednesday for delivery Thursday.

I just wouldn't book non-refundable plane tickets based on that.

Yes that’s for sure. But the thing is that something unexpected can happen with the package which sent to Warsaw. So in this theory you can travel “on Monday“ but you shouldn’t, hehe.

 

[armoured]

Yes that’s for sure. But the thing is that something unexpected can happen with the package which sent to Warsaw. So in this theory you can travel “on Monday“ but you shouldn’t, hehe.

FYI and as an example of the type of thing that can come up: VFS on their site says you must submit the Appendix B.

So I wrote to warsaw to ask what this is, because it's not mentioned in the passport request letter.

Warsaw responded fairly quickly - but their answer was "Please contact the VAC office to clarify what an Appendix B form is." WTF?

So if the embassy doesn't know, and they didn't request, do they need it or not? The VAC must be asking for things only because the Canadian government requires it, right? Well, good luck figuring it out.

Which would only be a bit humorous instead of important, except that if you submitted to the Moscow VAC and they don't accept it because you didn't submit the Appendix B (which frankly may or may not exist), now it's your problem. And if they don't actually need it, why is it there?

I want to be a bit forgiving to Canadian bureaucracy - they're human beings, too - but sometimes you just shake your head and think what the hell is going on. I mean, if I were working in Warsaw, I'd be embarrassed to send such a stupid response.

 

[passenger19]

FYI and as an example of the type of thing that can come up: VFS on their site says you must submit the Appendix B.

So I wrote to warsaw to ask what this is, because it's not mentioned in the passport request letter.

Warsaw responded fairly quickly - but their answer was "Please contact the VAC office to clarify what an Appendix B form is." WTF?

So if the embassy doesn't know, and they didn't request, do they need it or not? The VAC must be asking for things only because the Canadian government requires it, right? Well, good luck figuring it out.

Which would only be a bit humorous instead of important, except that if you submitted to the Moscow VAC and they don't accept it because you didn't submit the Appendix B (which frankly may or may not exist), now it's your problem. And if they don't actually need it, why is it there?

I want to be a bit forgiving to Canadian bureaucracy - they're human beings, too - but sometimes you just shake your head and think what the hell is going on. I mean, if I were working in Warsaw, I'd be embarrassed to send such a stupid response.

I don’t understand their answer. CORP includes the information about colours of your hair and eyes and other stuff so you need to somehow provide this. Where would they find this info? Looking at the pics you sent them with the passport? Like “ok, it’s brown hair, blue eyes, nice T-shirt”.

 

[armoured]

I don’t understand their answer. CORP includes the information about colours of your hair and eyes and other stuff so you need to somehow provide this. Where would they find this info? Looking at the pics you sent them with the passport? Like “ok, it’s brown hair, blue eyes, nice T-shirt”.

Yes, their answer makes no sense. It's also pretty simple, is there an Appendix B or not? What, does VFS Moscow make up their own version of this appendix? Where do they get the info on the COPR (as you note) without this appendix?

I want to be nice but time and again the (in)competence of Canadian bureaucracy makes that very difficult.

 

[passenger19]

I remember @Belarusian had to fill out that form. Maybe she can explain where to find and how to fill this.