The Outland Sponsorship Process

[StellaArtois]

Hi ,the remaining time period for my application is 16 weeks .my medical was passed in 4th of nov after that they have asked me additional documents .and I provide that.can any one tell me when will the waiting process is going to end

I don't think anyone has any idea what to expect of timelines given how the pandemic has undoubtedly caused delays in processing for all cases. Sadly we can only keep waiting and hoping for a happy end...

 

[superTine]

Been waiting for PPR since I got Decision Made on ECAS last March 13, 2020. I'm just hoping for the best and may we stay safe!

 

[lanka1204]

hey everyone , on my processing time 2 day left but any massage...??? did somone have same situation

 

[Ksavier]

hey everyone , on my processing time 2 day left but any massage...??? did somone have same situation

Processing time is just a count for 12 months, doesnt mean anything regarding the completion of the process.

 

[anujcuce]

I've seen many questions asked about the outland process and its various stages, so I created this post to try to provide a detailed breakdown.

The beginning of the process - AOR1

• Complete your application and send it in.
• CPC-Sydney receives the application. This is the start date for your application, you can input it on the google tracker if you like: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Gm315tmNKWoywb7PwZBiE67fUmznYQrNhYVWXPXXJBw/edit#gid=2079961909
• CPC-Sydney then sends AOR1 as a PDF letter to the sponsor's email, this contains the application number and UCI:

  http://imgur.com/a/DydaI

• You can now check the progress of your application in ECAS using your application number. Using the Sponsor's details will show you both sides of the application's status:
  • https://services3.cic.gc.ca/ecas/security.do

Creating a GCKEY account

• You can then create a GCKEY account, this stage is optional and letters for biometrics and medical will come to your email if you don't create an account. It is, however, strongly advised to create a GCKEY account - and the rest of this process will read as if you did create an account.
  • Create a GCKEY account: https://onlineservices-servicesenligne-cic.fjgc-gccf.gc.ca/mycic/gccf?lang=eng&idp=gckey&svc=/mycic/start
  • Link your application to the account via the following guide (Credit to @alaria) : https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/how-to-link-an-application-to-cic-account-step-by-step-instruction.619724/

Sponsorship Approval

• Sponsorship approval will be sent as a PDF letter to the Sponsor's Email address.

  http://imgur.com/a/P0yOD

• ECAS will also show Decision Made under the Sponsor section:

  http://imgur.com/Cf4fZGU

CIC sends requests

• Biometrics and Medical request letters are then sent to your GCKEY account, where you can log in and download them. They can come in any order and in some instances can come after your application has been transferred:

  http://imgur.com/oTNo6O1

  • Your biometrics collection letter will need to be printed off and taken to your nearest VAC for processing, it's a good idea to search the forums for your local VAC to see other users experiences: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/where-to-give-biometrics.asp
  • Medical request letters need to be printed off and an appointment needs to be made with a CIC approved physician: https://secure.cic.gc.ca/pp-md/pp-list.aspx
• Once the medical and biometrics are complete/passed, your account will change to show: https://i.imgur.com/p4tYUJi

PA Processing

• Your application will then be transferred to your local VO, or in some instances CPC-Mississauga. CIC will send an email to the sponsor confirming which VO it has gone to.

  http://imgur.com/a/fjKRY

• Once the VO begins to process the application, they will send the PA an email to confirm they have receipted the application, this is known as AOR2. Not all VO's send this email, however. https://imgur.com/3KAwhoK.
• In some instances, for AOR2 you need to reply on ECAS to update to show when the application began to process under the applicant's details: https://imgur.com/Evp18Ca - this shows when your local VO began to process your application and is commonly referred to as 'Line 2 on ECAS'.

GCKEY Updates

• GCKEY goes through various changes during the final stages, again, this doesn't happen for everyone, unfortunately, and you may find your application show eligibility and background checks in progress from the moment you link your account. You'll see the following towards the end of the process: https://imgur.com/a/nSDvwQt
• This is the slowest part of the entire process as background and eligibility checks can take a long time to process. Some people get ghost updates on GCKEY as the application is worked on. This is shown when the status shows as Application/Profile Updated.

Checking ECAS

• ECAS allows you to check for updates on the application and during the final stages will show decision made under the principal applicant's section: https://imgur.com/F3yPtfD

Passport Request (PPR) & Confirmation of Permanent Residency (COPR)

• Once you've received 'decision made', you'll get a passport request emailed to you: https://imgur.com/a/RRL6H
• You'll send your passport to the address listed in the email, along with two pictures and the document. If you're from a visa exempt country, they will request photocopies of your passport rather than the passport itself. Send this along with a signed Annex A to the address outlined in the PPR.
• Once this has been processed, your GCKEY will update to show 'Approved'. You'll be issued with your COPR: https://imgur.com/a/f79qD
• COPR will then be mailed to the address you listed in your PPR: https://imgur.com/a/gTdTl

You're then free to land with your COPR.

Landing in Canada

• Depending on your situation, there are multiple options for landing in Canada:
  
  • The most common is for PA's that have remained outside of Canada during their full outland process outlined here: https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Landing_as_PR-Canada.
  • Flagpoling - this is the act of going to the nearest land border to have your PR activated. This is commonly used when the PA is already within Canada under dual intent. https://www.immigroup.com/news/flagpoling-your-way-new-work-or-study-permit-or-permanent-residence
  • Land at a local CIC office: This method can take a long time depending on how busy your local office is. Again, this is suited to applicants that are currently living in Canada. To book an appointment once you have COPR, call +1 888 242-2100 and request an appointment, you will then be contacted by your local office to arrange a date. Or for anyone who’s worried about toll-free not being included on their plan.

Credit to @haXudon and @svilli for a few of the images.

Thanks JoshC for this informative thread, really appreciate it! I had a quick question about the PPR stage. What is the procedure to submit PA's passport if PA is already in Canada on a TRV? Is there a specific address (usually CPC Ottawa as seen on multiple blog entries) mentioned on the PPR email where PA's passport could be sent instead of sending to the PA's home country address? Could you also share a picture of a standard PPR email which mentions this Canadian address?

Thanks again for your help in this matter.
Regards
Anuj

 

[seedifly]

Hi everyone! Thank you for all the info. We send our spousal sponsorship application in on Oct. 15 and our tracker shows it arrived. We have not heard anything since. Is this normal?

 

[Shahida1825]

I've seen many questions asked about the outland process and its various stages, so I created this post to try to provide a detailed breakdown.

The beginning of the process - AOR1

• Complete your application and send it in.
• CPC-Sydney receives the application. This is the start date for your application, you can input it on the google tracker if you like: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Gm315tmNKWoywb7PwZBiE67fUmznYQrNhYVWXPXXJBw/edit#gid=2079961909
• CPC-Sydney then sends AOR1 as a PDF letter to the sponsor's email, this contains the application number and UCI:

  http://imgur.com/a/DydaI

• You can now check the progress of your application in ECAS using your application number. Using the Sponsor's details will show you both sides of the application's status:
  • https://services3.cic.gc.ca/ecas/security.do

Creating a GCKEY account

• You can then create a GCKEY account, this stage is optional and letters for biometrics and medical will come to your email if you don't create an account. It is, however, strongly advised to create a GCKEY account - and the rest of this process will read as if you did create an account.
  • Create a GCKEY account: https://onlineservices-servicesenligne-cic.fjgc-gccf.gc.ca/mycic/gccf?lang=eng&idp=gckey&svc=/mycic/start
  • Link your application to the account via the following guide (Credit to @alaria) : https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/how-to-link-an-application-to-cic-account-step-by-step-instruction.619724/

Sponsorship Approval

• Sponsorship approval will be sent as a PDF letter to the Sponsor's Email address.

  http://imgur.com/a/P0yOD

• ECAS will also show Decision Made under the Sponsor section:

  http://imgur.com/Cf4fZGU

CIC sends requests

• Biometrics and Medical request letters are then sent to your GCKEY account, where you can log in and download them. They can come in any order and in some instances can come after your application has been transferred:

  http://imgur.com/oTNo6O1

  • Your biometrics collection letter will need to be printed off and taken to your nearest VAC for processing, it's a good idea to search the forums for your local VAC to see other users experiences: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/where-to-give-biometrics.asp
  • Medical request letters need to be printed off and an appointment needs to be made with a CIC approved physician: https://secure.cic.gc.ca/pp-md/pp-list.aspx
• Once the medical and biometrics are complete/passed, your account will change to show: https://i.imgur.com/p4tYUJi

PA Processing

• Your application will then be transferred to your local VO, or in some instances CPC-Mississauga. CIC will send an email to the sponsor confirming which VO it has gone to.

  http://imgur.com/a/fjKRY

• Once the VO begins to process the application, they will send the PA an email to confirm they have receipted the application, this is known as AOR2. Not all VO's send this email, however. https://imgur.com/3KAwhoK.
• In some instances, for AOR2 you need to reply on ECAS to update to show when the application began to process under the applicant's details: https://imgur.com/Evp18Ca - this shows when your local VO began to process your application and is commonly referred to as 'Line 2 on ECAS'.

GCKEY Updates

• GCKEY goes through various changes during the final stages, again, this doesn't happen for everyone, unfortunately, and you may find your application show eligibility and background checks in progress from the moment you link your account. You'll see the following towards the end of the process: https://imgur.com/a/nSDvwQt
• This is the slowest part of the entire process as background and eligibility checks can take a long time to process. Some people get ghost updates on GCKEY as the application is worked on. This is shown when the status shows as Application/Profile Updated.

Checking ECAS

• ECAS allows you to check for updates on the application and during the final stages will show decision made under the principal applicant's section: https://imgur.com/F3yPtfD

Passport Request (PPR) & Confirmation of Permanent Residency (COPR)

• Once you've received 'decision made', you'll get a passport request emailed to you: https://imgur.com/a/RRL6H
• You'll send your passport to the address listed in the email, along with two pictures and the document. If you're from a visa exempt country, they will request photocopies of your passport rather than the passport itself. Send this along with a signed Annex A to the address outlined in the PPR.
• Once this has been processed, your GCKEY will update to show 'Approved'. You'll be issued with your COPR: https://imgur.com/a/f79qD
• COPR will then be mailed to the address you listed in your PPR: https://imgur.com/a/gTdTl

You're then free to land with your COPR.

Landing in Canada

• Depending on your situation, there are multiple options for landing in Canada:
  
  • The most common is for PA's that have remained outside of Canada during their full outland process outlined here: https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Landing_as_PR-Canada.
  • Flagpoling - this is the act of going to the nearest land border to have your PR activated. This is commonly used when the PA is already within Canada under dual intent. https://www.immigroup.com/news/flagpoling-your-way-new-work-or-study-permit-or-permanent-residence
  • Land at a local CIC office: This method can take a long time depending on how busy your local office is. Again, this is suited to applicants that are currently living in Canada. To book an appointment once you have COPR, call +1 888 242-2100 and request an appointment, you will then be contacted by your local office to arrange a date. Or for anyone who’s worried about toll-free not being included on their plan.

Credit to @haXudon and @svilli for a few of the images.

Hi. I applied for my husband in September 2019. CIC starter processing the file in January 2020. February 2020 we received an email for medical. My husband did his medical in March 2020. Since the medical we haven't heard anything from the CIC. I always check the online tools to check for any updates on the application but the last thing cic updated was how they have received the medical results. It doesn't say anything else. I also called the client support center on 1-888-242-2100. I got the information saying they are doing a background check and wether he meets all the eligible requirements also says he doesn't need an interview. So recently about 3 weeks ago I sent an email to Singapore and they replied back saying his file is on pending for an interview once they schedule a date they will let us know. Now we are very confused because we actually don't know what's happening.
Is my husband going to be interviewed? Approximately how long we have to wait for the interview date to be scheduled. Please help me with some information. We are really stressed and worried because it's been almost 2yrs since I applied and it's very hard for us to stay like this as we are both very far away from each other. Please help me.

 

[Shahida1825]

expand...

Hi. I applied for my husband in September 2019. CIC starter processing the file in January 2020. February 2020 we received an email for medical. My husband did his medical in March 2020. Since the medical we haven't heard anything from the CIC. I always check the online tools to check for any updates on the application but the last thing cic updated was how they have received the medical results. It doesn't say anything else. I also called the client support center on 1-888-242-2100. I got the information saying they are doing a background check and wether he meets all the eligible requirements also says he doesn't need an interview. So recently about 3 weeks ago I sent an email to Singapore and they replied back saying his file is on pending for an interview once they schedule a date they will let us know. Now we are very confused because we actually don't know what's happening.
Is my husband going to be interviewed? Approximately how long we have to wait for the interview date to be scheduled. Please help me with some information. We are really stressed and worried because it's been almost 2yrs since I applied and it's very hard for us to stay like this as we are both very far away from each other. Please help me.

 

[StellaArtois]

Hi. I applied for my husband in September 2019. CIC starter processing the file in January 2020. February 2020 we received an email for medical. My husband did his medical in March 2020. Since the medical we haven't heard anything from the CIC. I always check the online tools to check for any updates on the application but the last thing cic updated was how they have received the medical results. It doesn't say anything else. I also called the client support center on 1-888-242-2100. I got the information saying they are doing a background check and wether he meets all the eligible requirements also says he doesn't need an interview. So recently about 3 weeks ago I sent an email to Singapore and they replied back saying his file is on pending for an interview once they schedule a date they will let us know. Now we are very confused because we actually don't know what's happening.
Is my husband going to be interviewed? Approximately how long we have to wait for the interview date to be scheduled. Please help me with some information. We are really stressed and worried because it's been almost 2yrs since I applied and it's very hard for us to stay like this as we are both very far away from each other. Please help me.

Hi. I applied for my husband in September 2019. CIC starter processing the file in January 2020. February 2020 we received an email for medical. My husband did his medical in March 2020. Since the medical we haven't heard anything from the CIC. I always check the online tools to check for any updates on the application but the last thing cic updated was how they have received the medical results. It doesn't say anything else. I also called the client support center on 1-888-242-2100. I got the information saying they are doing a background check and wether he meets all the eligible requirements also says he doesn't need an interview. So recently about 3 weeks ago I sent an email to Singapore and they replied back saying his file is on pending for an interview once they schedule a date they will let us know. Now we are very confused because we actually don't know what's happening.
Is my husband going to be interviewed? Approximately how long we have to wait for the interview date to be scheduled. Please help me with some information. We are really stressed and worried because it's been almost 2yrs since I applied and it's very hard for us to stay like this as we are both very far away from each other. Please help me.

I am sorry to hear that you guys are in such a difficult situation.
If they say it's pending for an interview it sounds pretty clear that they your husband is going to be interviewed... Unfortunately however, I don't think anyone on these forums or in the IRCC can give you an idea of how long it would take for an interview to be scheduled merely due to how unpredictable things are with the pandemic.
Have you ordered your GCMS notes yet? Given that it sounds like they're going to interview, if you get a copy of the notes, you should be able to get an idea of what their concerns are so that you can prepare responses that will satisfy them and approve your application.

 

[deeds]

Hi everyone! Thank you for all the info. We send our spousal sponsorship application in on Oct. 15 and our tracker shows it arrived. We have not heard anything since. Is this normal?

We sent in ours pre-covid, it took almost 2 months from we sent it in til it was updated, so little extra covid time seems not too abnormal

 

[deeds]

I got my DM and PPR Dec 02 - we sent it to London UK instantly but we havent heard anything since then. We live in Copenhagen but my medical is running out in about 2 months.

We have contacted the UK office but we get no answer, its been almost 8 weeks and it states it should take no more than 4.

Does anyone know will they send my COPR via currier or simple snailmail form UK to Denmark ?
Will my timeline be updated so it shows my COPR has been dispatched?

 

[Shahida1825]

I am sorry to hear that you guys are in such a difficult situation.
If they say it's pending for an interview it sounds pretty clear that they your husband is going to be interviewed... Unfortunately however, I don't think anyone on these forums or in the IRCC can give you an idea of how long it would take for an interview to be scheduled merely due to how unpredictable things are with the pandemic.
Have you ordered your GCMS notes yet? Given that it sounds like they're going to interview, if you get a copy of the notes, you should be able to get an idea of what their concerns are so that you can prepare responses that will satisfy them and approve your application.

Sorry I'm unfamiliar with these words. What is GCMS notes? Where do I have to order them?

I have some other concerns. Since my husband's police clearance has expired does he have to make another one and also his medical will expire this March 2021.

 

[caipsnotes]

Sorry I'm unfamiliar with these words. What is GCMS notes? Where do I have to order them?

I have some other concerns. Since my husband's police clearance has expired does he have to make another one and also his medical will expire this March 2021.

You can see a sample GCMS at https://sample.gcmsnotes.com/?page=1 and more about how to request see https://bit.ly/34KNSLI

 

[StellaArtois]

Sorry I'm unfamiliar with these words. What is GCMS notes? Where do I have to order them?

I have some other concerns. Since my husband's police clearance has expired does he have to make another one and also his medical will expire this March 2021.

I see you already have an answer for how to order the GCMS notes so I won't repeat that. Here is a site about what GCMS notes are: https://www.justforcanada.com/gcms-notes-understand-guide.html

And regarding your husband's police clearance and medicals expiring, do not get new ones until IRCC asks. It will be up to IRCC whether they decide they want new ones and when they want it, but they will definitely communicate with you at the time that it is decided. If you get them too early they might expire again before they ask for it, so don't take that risk.

 

[StellaArtois]

I got my DM and PPR Dec 02 - we sent it to London UK instantly but we havent heard anything since then. We live in Copenhagen but my medical is running out in about 2 months.

We have contacted the UK office but we get no answer, its been almost 8 weeks and it states it should take no more than 4.

Does anyone know will they send my COPR via currier or simple snailmail form UK to Denmark ?
Will my timeline be updated so it shows my COPR has been dispatched?

My immigration lawyer said that different visa offices have been sending COPR differently due to varying COVID protocols - some of them have simply been sending the COPR digitally, in which case you need to print it yourself to have it when you land in Canada. Other offices have been using courier to send a physical copy of the COPR.

Our visa office in New York sent us physical COPR via courier, and it was not shown on ECAS or on GCKey. They did, however, have the FedEx tracking information available to us. I am not sure what the London office would do though since I do not have personal experience there.