New Instructions from IRCC for applications before 7th Sep 2021

[GS Virk]

Hi All,

Still waiting for ANY response from any VO on my 1st or 2nd application. 1st is pending from Dec 2020 & 2nd is pending since 13 sep.. Hell long of a wait...

 

[Gayathry]

Reapply only if your situation has changed in any way OR if you haven't told IRCC earlier about your urgency to travel. This could be either by indicating purpose of travel as "Other - COVID-19" in your application form or by filling out a separate webform for travel exemption.

How to submit a travel exemption webform

 

[gomez999]

IRCC Portal - Ottawa
GC Account - Local embassy

are your sure from this information?

 

[San050403]

Hi All,

Still waiting for ANY response from any VO on my 1st or 2nd application. 1st is pending from Dec 2020 & 2nd is pending since 13 sep.. Hell long of a wait...

1st - July 10 2021 - GC Key
2nd - Sep 14 2021 - Portal

Am still waiting as well.

 

[GS Virk]

1st - July 10 2021 - GC Key
2nd - Sep 14 2021 - Portal

Am still waiting as well.

hopefully our wait will end soon.

 

[swordenium]

Hello, all you beautiful people! I come bearing good news!

Received PPR for my mom's TRV just now.

Key application details

• City/country of residence and application: Mumbai, India
• Relation with applicant: Mother
• Purpose of visit: Essential [indicated purpose of travel as ‘Other - COVID-19’ on IMM5257E, since we submitted the application before new guidelines were issued]
• Vaccination status: Fully vaccinated with COVISHIELD
• My status in Canada: Permanent Resident
• Applied through: GC Key account

The detailed timeline of our visa application is as follows. We did not reapply after the Sep 7 update.
Note: All dates and times indicated below are in IST.

• Aug 20, 2021, 3:40 pm : Application submitted
• Aug 20, 2021, 3:45 pm : Payment receipt received
• Aug 23, 2021, 8:20 pm : Application receipt confirmation
• Aug 24, 2021, 8:20 pm : Ghost update
• Aug 24, 2021, 8:50 pm : Biometrics letter received
• Sep 10, 2021, 10:00 pm : Wrote to IRCC - Delhi VO seeking clarification on the new Sep 7 and Sep 10 guidelines for TRV. I was confused if we should reapply. Submitted general inquiry webform.
• Sep 14, 2021, 12:30 pm : Biometrics appointment at Mumbai VFS
• Sep 14, 2021, 7:00 pm : Biometrics updated online and linked to account
• Sep 15, 2021, 4:50 pm : Received reply from IRCC - Delhi VO on the inquiry I sent them. They told me I should only reapply if my situation has changed. In the same email, there were a bunch of other helpful links. Among those, one was for the travel exemption webform. In the same email, they further stated: "Online Temporary Resident applications will not be prioritized unless you contact IRCC through the travel exemption webform to indicate how you meet the exemption criteria, and in most cases why you are travelling for a non-discretionary/essential purpose, and provide acceptable documentation.” After reading this, I thought it was worthwhile to submit the webform instead of just waiting to hear back on the application.
• Sep 15, 2021, 10:05 pm : Filled webform for travel exemption, attached all relevant documents including vaccination certificate showing she's eligible to travel
• Sep 15, 2021, 10:07 pm : Received acknowledgement email saying they will respond in 14 business days
• Oct 6, 2021, 11:30 am : Ghost update to application status; it changed to “Application/Profile updated”. It was clickable only once. After viewing application details (nothing had changed) and returning to the main application home screen, it was back to normal and changed to “Submitted”.
• Oct 9, 2021, 11:00 pm : Eligibility status changed. Correspondence letter and PPR received. All updates to the account happened within a span of 10 mins. Overall, took 16 business days (or 25 calendar days) from the time of submitting biometrics.

Notes:

• My mom has no prior travel history, minimal financial savings to show, has been a homemaker all her life, and doesn't have any strong ties to home country. That's why I was very skeptical of the visa being approved.
• I showed full sponsorship with notarized invitation letter + notarized proof of means of financial support letter + notarized proof of financial resource of supporter. Total of 3 notarized documents - in retrospect, it does seem like an overkill but I didn't want to take any chances. Basically included all documents typically required for a super visa, minus the insurance and medical test report.
• In the webform, I did mention the travel date as Oct 15. So, it was approved well within the acceptable travel timeframe. However, considering that we have to factor in additional days for the passport to be stamped, I don't think my mom will be able to fly out on the 15th.

Happy to answer any specific questions you may have about information that hasn't been covered here.

This has been such a pleasant surprise. Given that it's the Thanksgiving long weekend, I was not expecting this at all.
I want to thank everyone on this forum for sharing their insights, timelines and personal experiences; it helped me learn a lot and even calm my nerves while keeping hope alive.

It has been a stressful year for most of us, but hang in there. You'll get through soon enough. Here's wishing everyone the very best with their applications. Cheers!

@Ness_Fern Congratulations for getting your mother's visa. I assume you applied for Super Visa since you mentioned you didn't attach insurance and medical report. I am also in a similar boat, except that my mother applied back in February 2021. I have few questions regarding submitting the travel exemption webform.

1. Do you also have to fill the following file (even though it clearly mentions for extended family member whereas mother is an immediate family member).

• Application for authorization and statutory declaration (IMM 0006) (PDF, 2.2 MB)

and attach with the other documents you provided in your attachment?

2. Do I need to update insurance effective date and attach as a new document since the original date was effective from July 2021 and valid till June 2022?

3. "They told me I should only reapply if my situation has changed." -- is it change of situation as a sponsor or applicant?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Ness_Fern]

How to submit a travel exemption webform

I mentioned the details and linked the form in the original post. However, I would suggest you wait for a couple of days and not rush it. I believe, we both received the ghost update last week at the same time. If that's the case, you should hear from IRCC anytime now.

 

[Ness_Fern]

@Ness_Fern Congratulations for getting your mother's visa. I assume you applied for Super Visa since you mentioned you didn't attach insurance and medical report. I am also in a similar boat, except that my mother applied back in February 2021. I have few questions regarding submitting the travel exemption webform.

1. Do you also have to fill the following file (even though it clearly mentions for extended family member whereas mother is an immediate family member).

• Application for authorization and statutory declaration (IMM 0006) (PDF, 2.2 MB)

and attach with the other documents you provided in your attachment?

2. Do I need to update insurance effective date and attach as a new document since the original date was effective from July 2021 and valid till June 2022?

Thank you in advance.

Thank you!

I did not apply for a super visa; ours was a regular TRV. For a super visa, you have to purchase insurance and do medicals. I didn't do any of it because it wasn't a super visa.

My understanding is that the travel exemption webform that I linked in my post is meant for regular TRVs only, not super visa applications. So, if yours is a super visa application, use the form with caution.

Answers to your questions:

1. Re: the form you shared – I haven't seen this form before. Never used it and was never asked to. So, cannot comment. My guess is that this is one of those forms they ask you to fill if you're managing someone's application on their behalf. I'm just speculating, so don't take my word on it.
2. No idea about insurance as I didn't have to include any of that information. Again, reiterating that my mom's application was a regular TRV and not a super visa.

 

[swordenium]

Thank you!

I did not apply for a super visa; ours was a regular TRV. For a super visa, you have to purchase insurance and do medicals. I didn't do any of it because it wasn't a super visa.

My understanding is that the travel exemption webform that I linked in my post is meant for regular TRVs only, not super visa applications. So, if yours is a super visa application, use the form with caution.

Answers to your questions:

1. Re: the form you shared – I haven't seen this form before. Never used it and was never asked to. So, cannot comment. My guess is that this is one of those forms they ask you to fill if you're managing someone's application on their behalf. I'm just speculating, so don't take my word on it.
2. No idea about insurance as I didn't have to include any of that information. Again, reiterating that my mom's application was a regular TRV and not a super visa.

okay, thank you.

 

[PrasannaGTA]

I mentioned the details and linked the form in the original post. However, I would suggest you wait for a couple of days and not rush it. I believe, we both received the ghost update last week at the same time. If that's the case, you should hear from IRCC anytime now.

Don't worry, you have me and @GS Virk who have been waiting for a month applied through GC Key and IRCC portal respectively

 

[hsrad]

Hi Everyone

Sorry if this is a duplicate questions, I couldn’t find relevant information here.
We had applied for my sisters TRV originally back in March on the old portal and we had sent the attestation form to request COVID exemption as well. On Sep 20, we submitted the new application on the new portal. There has been no emails, but today I logged in to the new portal and saw this :
“Final decision - October 8, 2021: Your application was withdrawn. We will send you a letter or email with details.”

This is on the NEW application. And I cannot even login to the old portal to figure out what’s happening there.

I was expecting the old application to be withdrawn, not the new one. Anyone has similar experience? Thanks for helping

 

[Hooeful]

Hi Everyone

Sorry if this is a duplicate questions, I couldn’t find relevant information here.
We had applied for my sisters TRV originally back in March on the old portal and we had sent the attestation form to request COVID exemption as well. On Sep 20, we submitted the new application on the new portal. There has been no emails, but today I logged in to the new portal and saw this :
“Final decision - October 8, 2021: Your application was withdrawn. We will send you a letter or email with details.”

This is on the NEW application. And I cannot even login to the old portal to figure out what’s happening there.

I was expecting the old application to be withdrawn, not the new one. Anyone has similar experience? Thanks for helping

Just wait for the said email. You wouldn’t want IRCC to mess with your brain again and again. So, just wait until you get the email or you can login to the old portal.

 

[akheya]

Anyone here reapplied using IRCC portal for super visa? is anyone here applying for super visa from UAE?

 

[joeale89]

Hello, all you beautiful people! I come bearing good news!

Received PPR for my mom's TRV (regular tourist visa, not a super visa) just now.

Key application details

• City/country of residence and application: Mumbai, India
• Relation with applicant: Mother
• Purpose of visit: Essential [indicated purpose of travel as ‘Other - COVID-19’ on IMM5257E, since we submitted the application before new guidelines were issued]
• Vaccination status: Fully vaccinated with COVISHIELD
• My status in Canada: Permanent Resident
• Applied through: GC Key account

The detailed timeline of our visa application is as follows. We did not reapply after the Sep 7 update.
Note: All dates and times indicated below are in IST.

• Aug 20, 2021, 3:40 pm : Application submitted
• Aug 20, 2021, 3:45 pm : Payment receipt received
• Aug 23, 2021, 8:20 pm : Application receipt confirmation
• Aug 24, 2021, 8:20 pm : Ghost update
• Aug 24, 2021, 8:50 pm : Biometrics letter received
• Sep 10, 2021, 10:00 pm : Wrote to IRCC - Delhi VO seeking clarification on the new Sep 7 and Sep 10 guidelines for TRV. I was confused if we should reapply. Submitted general inquiry webform.
• Sep 14, 2021, 12:30 pm : Biometrics appointment at Mumbai VFS
• Sep 14, 2021, 7:00 pm : Biometrics updated online and linked to account
• Sep 15, 2021, 4:50 pm : Received reply from IRCC - Delhi VO on the inquiry I sent them. They told me I should only reapply if my situation has changed. In the same email, there were a bunch of other helpful links. Among those, one was for the travel exemption webform. In the same email, they further stated: "Online Temporary Resident applications will not be prioritized unless you contact IRCC through the travel exemption webform to indicate how you meet the exemption criteria, and in most cases why you are travelling for a non-discretionary/essential purpose, and provide acceptable documentation.” After reading this, I thought it was worthwhile to submit the webform instead of just waiting to hear back on the application.
• Sep 15, 2021, 10:05 pm : Filled webform for travel exemption, attached all relevant documents including vaccination certificate showing she's eligible to travel
• Sep 15, 2021, 10:07 pm : Received acknowledgement email saying they will respond in 14 business days
• Oct 6, 2021, 11:30 am : Ghost update to application status; it changed to “Application/Profile updated”. It was clickable only once. After viewing application details (nothing had changed) and returning to the main application home screen, it was back to normal and changed to “Submitted”.
• Oct 9, 2021, 11:00 pm : Eligibility status changed. Correspondence letter and PPR received. All updates to the account happened within a span of 10 mins. Overall, took 16 business days (or 25 calendar days) from the time of submitting biometrics.

Notes:

• My mom has no prior travel history, minimal financial savings to show, has been a homemaker all her life, and doesn't have any strong ties to home country. That's why I was very skeptical of the visa being approved.
• I showed full sponsorship with notarized invitation letter + notarized proof of means of financial support letter + notarized proof of financial resource of supporter. Total of 3 notarized documents - in retrospect, it does seem like an overkill but I didn't want to take any chances. Basically included all documents typically required for a super visa, minus the insurance and medical test report.
• In the webform, I did mention the travel date as Oct 15. So, it was approved well within the acceptable travel timeframe. However, considering that we have to factor in additional days for the passport to be stamped, I don't think my mom will be able to fly out on the 15th.

Happy to answer any specific questions you may have about information that hasn't been covered here.

This has been such a pleasant surprise. Given that it's the Thanksgiving long weekend, I was not expecting this at all.
I want to thank everyone on this forum for sharing their insights, timelines and personal experiences; it helped me learn a lot and even calm my nerves while keeping hope alive.

It has been a stressful year for most of us, but hang in there. You'll get through soon enough. Here's wishing everyone the very best with their applications. Cheers!

Hey that's good to hear.
We had also reapplied on September 23rd and wanted to know if it is important to send the webform. I am trying for my wife's TRV before we can try for the Spousal PR process once she gets here.

My question is What was the specific reason you gave in the webform for the essential purpose of travel. It would be great to know that if you could share?

 

[Ness_Fern]

Hey that's good to hear.
We had also reapplied on September 23rd and wanted to know if it is important to send the webform. I am trying for my wife's TRV before we can try for the Spousal PR process once she gets here.

My question is What was the specific reason you gave in the webform for the essential purpose of travel. It would be great to know that if you could share?

Hi there! I cannot comment on if it's important to send the webform, as each person's situation is different. The reason I quoted was that my mother needs to be with me for emotional support and a change of scenery as my father passed away recently. We also mentioned that I am currently in India, working remotely so I can be with my mom (in person) until the visa is approved. And due to the timezone differences, it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to continue working while being based outside Canada. Hence, we requested priority processing so we both could fly together. I will be accompanying my mother to Canada. Hope this helps!