2012 Quebec Inland Applicants

[Chickadee]

Hi! Haven't caught up on all of the posts in this thread yet, but I'm an American who lives in Saguenay with my Canadian husband. Application was received by CIC October 23, 2012. Received a letter from CIC January 28, 2013, stating they'd received his app to sponsor, and directing us to submit the undertaking to MICC. Sent that in on February 1 of this year. MICC has charged our credit card for the associated fee, and that's all I know at this point.

I'm a little frustrated, because I miss my family and don't feel safe visiting until I get my PR. Also, I'm trying REALLY hard to learn french. There's an excellent full-time language program for immigrants, but I won't be eligible for it until I get my PR. Who knows when that will be, and I live here NOW. Saguenay isn't Montreal. You assume people speak no english here, and are just pleasantly surprised when someone can help out a bit in english. I really need all the help I can get with french so I feel like I can meet people, have a social life, and be a real grown up again. *le sigh* It's been a long, cold winter for this displaced girl from Oklahoma. The husband's lucky he's so cute!

Good evening QuebecOkie!

I am originally from Saguenay, so I sympathize. It is very cold, there (although the Saguenéens are very warm), and nobody speaks English... and I mean nobody!

My husband is in the same situation as you are (stuck here until he gets his PR), and it's been quite awhile as you can see from my profile. He really misses his family. At least, we live in Montreal, so he gets to speak English.

He is currently learning English with Pimsleur, and it helps a bit.

Good luck and stay warm! 8)

 

[wilsonsdad]

Yeah...Oui! learn your verbs. Avez-vous, Ya'll. That Didn't sound right. Hmmm! Back to my French.

 

[Chickadee]

Yeah...Oui! learn your verbs. Avez-vous, Ya'll. That Didn't sound right. Hmmm! Back to my French.

... that was my husband ... being his funny self.

Go back to your French!!!

 

[QuebecOkie]

Merci! J'apprends, lentement mais sûrement.

And "Ya'll"?? NOW you're speaking my language! ;D I really have pretty decent english for an "Okie." Some new Quebecois friends who are basically conversational in english say my english is easier to understand than my husband's, haha! Of course, he's not used to speaking english to francophones. He just switches to french. The jerk! I've enjoyed Montreal when we've visited (my brother-in-law lives there), but you can KEEP your traffic!

 

[Chickadee]

The y'all part is from South Carolina We lived there for a few years.

I don't like traffic either, that's why we sold the car before me moved here. I love the metro!

 

[Chickadee]

One thing I'd like to know is : Once they've received your CSQ, what is it that they need to review exactly?

In our case, they've had our file for 9 months. That's enough time to make a baby, for crying out loud! What else is there that they need more time to review????

I worked as a computer systems analyst/programmer for 40 years, and to me things need to be logical, to make sense. Well, nothing about all this makes sense. Nothing.

Sorry for blabbering, but I have been awake since 6, thinking about this, and I can't get this foolishness out of my mind.

 

[QuebecOkie]

UGH! I do NOT need to hear that they've been sitting on the file for 9 months after getting the CSQ.

I really wish there was some help with this from the military. We know several other couples up here dealing with immigration issues because when you station your citizens abroad for prolonged periods of time, they often come home with foreign national spouses. I also wish I knew then what I know now....I'd have applied outland from the US. At least then I wouldn't put my app at risk by visiting family. My only nephew doesn't even know who I am...I've been gone almost half his life.

 

[Chickadee]

UGH! I do NOT need to hear that they've been sitting on the file for 9 months after getting the CSQ.

No! I am sorry if I confused you! It has been sitting for 9 months since they received the application. They received CSQ 2 weeks ago. (look down on my page)

I also wish I knew then what I know now....I'd have applied outland from the US. At least then I wouldn't put my app at risk by visiting family.

I feel the same as you do. If we had known what we know now, we would have done it outland. We have a nice home in Myrtle Beach, where we were hoping to spend winter, and we are stuck here, waiting for those monkeys to take care of things.

 

[QuebecOkie]

Ah, I see. Looks like they stalled out longer at CIC on your app materials. You sent stuff in last May? And didn't get the email from CIC until January? I started in October and got the CIC email in late January.

I did at least get my app for extension of temporary residency approved. We submitted that in early December, and my passport stamp expired in mid-January. Last week I finally got the approval...I'm legal here through the end of December. No clue if I'll have PR by then or not.

 

[Chickadee]

Ah, I see. Looks like they stalled out longer at CIC on your app materials. You sent stuff in last May? And didn't get the email from CIC until January? I started in October and got the CIC email in late January.

They supposedly sent us the okay to proceed with MICC end of October but it got lost, so they had to resend it, and it took them 4 weeks to resend the exact same letter. Knowing it was late, they did not even bother to change the deadline for the CSQ. The deadline for sending them the CSQ had been originally set to January 29, and even though I ended up receiving the okay to go ahead on January 11, they still did not change the date.
That's why I am so not trusting them. :'(

I did at least get my app for extension of temporary residency approved. We submitted that in early December, and my passport stamp expired in mid-January. Last week I finally got the approval...I'm legal here through the end of December. No clue if I'll have PR by then or not.

We asked an extension as well, and we received the extension 14 weeks after asking for it.
But now that I know how slow they are I regret not asking for an extension thru the end of 2014, instead of end of 2013! :-[

 

[QuebecOkie]

Oh wow. That would piss me right off, the dropped ball on the letter. Did they have your email address on file? I'm not sure we've received any hard mail from CIC. I think the letter came by email. Hell, I don't remember. I'm wondering if the involvement of the MICC slows things down or speeds them up, compared with applying from other provinces. One of my husband's coworkers is married to a Swiss partner. It took her a total of 22 months to get her PR. Just in the nick of time, too, as the husband is being posted to the U.S. this summer, and it would have complicated things in a huge way if she didn't have Canadian residency.

I wonder how long they will extend a temporary residency visa? I requested just over a year (applied on Dec. 6 or 8, asked for extension through Dec 31, 2013), stating I wished to stay with my husband while my PR app was processed. And I didn't even have a file number from CIC yet at that time.

 

[Chickadee]

Oh wow. That would piss me right off, the dropped ball on the letter. Did they have your email address on file?

Yes, they had my email address on file, and when I called them, they said to expect the letter by e-mail, which never happened.

The way they work has no consistency, which makes it very unsettling.

Canada is my country, and I am very embarrassed by the way they handle things.

I left Canada in 2000 and came back in 2012, and I feel this is not the country I left 12 years ago. It is sad.

 

[QuebecOkie]

It does seem like there's a marked lack of consistency in how these apps are handled, just from what I read here on the forum. It's frustrating. I'm just happy to have my temporary resident paperwork in order now, and that I have a client number with CIC. The silence from CIC was deafening from October to late last month!

I should probably stop reading on this forum for a while, haha. I feel my anxiety amping up. Not sure why, really. We have a pretty straightforward app, and I'm American who met my spouse while he was posted in the U.S., so we shouldn't face undo scrutiny. Just worried I left an i undotted or a t uncrossed, I suppose.

 

[Chickadee]

It does seem like there's a marked lack of consistency in how these apps are handled, just from what I read here on the forum. It's frustrating. I'm just happy to have my temporary resident paperwork in order now, and that I have a client number with CIC. The silence from CIC was deafening from October to late last month!

I should probably stop reading on this forum for a while, haha. I feel my anxiety amping up. Not sure why, really. We have a pretty straightforward app, and I'm American who met my spouse while he was posted in the U.S., so we shouldn't face undo scrutiny. Just worried I left an i undotted or a t uncrossed, I suppose.

I feel the same way as you: not sure if coming on this board and chatting about things is helping, or making me more nervous. On the other hand, had it not been from this forum and Kidvicious in particular, I would not even had known in December that they were late on sending me the letter to go ahead with MICC.

So ... coming here is good. But we need to make sure we are not totally obsessed about the whole thing.

I believe our case should be straightforward as well. I lived in this country for 48 years, then moved to US in 2000 to be with my boyfriend at the time, whom I married one year later. There is no question that our marriage is legitimate, so it should be easy peasy. Right? 8) ... right ...

 

[wilsonsdad]

yes, CIC has strange rules. A very welcoming process.
I want to take French classes. I am forbidden. I would like to visit my sister who lives 100 miles from Montreal. I can do it. Sure. Just plan on starting the whole process again if you do.

It depends on how the agent at the border is feeling that day.
If his hemmoroids are flairing up that day you will probably have to start from the beginning again.