Ankara Visa Office Applicants Check in here! :)

[Mrs.Asag]

There hasn't even been any news on the strike or what is happening, when they are going back to work, etc.

 

[Melisaa]

Some Iranian applicant got her visa last week. Saw her message on another forum site. Ankara is moving, not as fast as before tho.

 

[SooMazi]

Hi Everyone. I’m a long-time reader of this form and sponsoring my husband to come to Canada.

With our application sitting in the Ankara office and with all this waiting, lately I feel like I’ve been second-guessing EVERYTHING we put in our file and how the VO might interpret it. So I’ve come here seeking a bit of advice/support.

For proof of our relationship/marriage we included photos (60 of them - from vacations together, celebrations of his family I attended, marriage ceremony, honeymoon, etc.), airplane tickets/hotel receipts/visas, phone bills, proof of our first attempt to get married in Iran (which we couldn’t complete because of the bureaucratic process. We married the next year in Turkey), beneficiary/insurance policies on each other, and also notarized letters of support from individual family members (showing they were aware of our relationship from the beginning, supportive of it, etc.)

But the one thing we didn’t include were any letters, e-mails, chat or SMS logs. We didn’t really have any letters but I’m now thinking we could have included a few facebook messages and Oovoo/WhatsApp chat logs. I’m actually kicking myself as to why we didn’t do this! Do you think what was included above is fine? Should I use the “Case Specific Enquiry” form for Ankara and attach all those chat logs and e-mails? Or would that be overkill and delay our process or they would think it's strange we are sending it now? I thought if he is asked for an interview those are things he could bring with him, but I’m slightly paranoid that the VO will deny us or something before an interview and maybe those chat logs could have made a difference….

Now that I got that off my chest…ha ha, sorry to vent! Any words of advice?

Background: I’m a Canadian citizen (by birth) and my husband is Iranian. First marriage for both of us, no children, close in age, and dated for almost 3 years before we married. I was also very good friends with some of his family members before they introduced us.

 

[Melisaa]

Hi Everyone. I'm a long-time reader of this form and sponsoring my husband to come to Canada.

With our application sitting in the Ankara office and with all this waiting, lately I feel like I've been second-guessing EVERYTHING we put in our file and how the VO might interpret it. So I've come here seeking a bit of advice/support.

For proof of our relationship/marriage we included photos (60 of them - from vacations together, celebrations of his family I attended, marriage ceremony, honeymoon, etc.), airplane tickets/hotel receipts/visas, phone bills, proof of our first attempt to get married in Iran (which we couldn't complete because of the bureaucratic process. We married the next year in Turkey), beneficiary/insurance policies on each other, and also notarized letters of support from individual family members (showing they were aware of our relationship from the beginning, supportive of it, etc.)

But the one thing we didn't include were any letters, e-mails, chat or SMS logs. We didn't really have any letters but I'm now thinking we could have included a few facebook messages and Oovoo/WhatsApp chat logs. I'm actually kicking myself as to why we didn't do this! Do you think what was included above is fine? Should I use the “Case Specific Enquiry” form for Ankara and attach all those chat logs and e-mails? Or would that be overkill and delay our process or they would think it's strange we are sending it now? I thought if he is asked for an interview those are things he could bring with him, but I'm slightly paranoid that the VO will deny us or something before an interview and maybe those chat logs could have made a difference....

Now that I got that off my chest...ha ha, sorry to vent! Any words of advice?

Background: I'm a Canadian citizen (by birth) and my husband is Iranian. First marriage for both of us, no children, close in age, and dated for almost 3 years before we married. I was also very good friends with some of his family members before they introduced us.

Hi,

You should be fine. CIC understands that every relationship is unique and different. You don't have to have phone bills or Skype calls in order to qualify as a couple. Since you have many photos of your ceremony, honeymoon, trips, etc... I don't think there would be any concern for CIC. Furthermore, CIC will almost never refuse you without an interview, unless if there is a really serious issue that raises so many questions for them such as fraud, misrepresentation, etc... If they have any concern regarding your relationship they will surely either book you for an interview or somehow ask for an explaination letter or request more docs.

Never send anything to them without them asking for it. They don't like it. Unless if you for instance made a mistake when filling the forms, eg: wrong dates, mis spelled a name, and so on...

Overall I think you will have a normal process. Since your husband is Iranian and you are not, and considering the fact that getting married under Sharia law in Iran, and being a foreigner has its many restrictations, CIC is totally understanding of why you chose to marry elsewhere. My husband and I also got married in Turkey, we are both Iranian, and we got married abroad simply because we didn't want to go under a religious system of registering a marriage. As a couple it's solely your choice on how and where to get married. The only thing that matters to CIC is to make them believe you have a genuine and ongoing relationship.

Good luck.

 

[SooMazi]

Hi,

You should be fine. CIC understands that every relationship is unique and different. You don't have to have phone bills or Skype calls in order to qualify as a couple. Since you have many photos of your ceremony, honeymoon, trips, etc... I don't think there would be any concern for CIC. Furthermore, CIC will almost never refuse you without an interview, unless if there is a really serious issue that raises so many questions for them such as fraud, misrepresentation, etc... If they have any concern regarding your relationship they will surely either book you for an interview or somehow ask for an explaination letter or request more docs.

Never send anything to them without them asking for it. They don't like it. Unless if you for instance made a mistake when filling the forms, eg: wrong dates, mis spelled a name, and so on...

Overall I think you will have a normal process. Since your husband is Iranian and you are not, and considering the fact that getting married under Sharia law in Iran, and being a foreigner has its many restrictations, CIC is totally understanding of why you chose to marry elsewhere. My husband and I also got married in Turkey, we are both Iranian, and we got married abroad simply because we didn't want to go under a religious system of registering a marriage. As a couple it's solely your choice on how and where to get married. The only thing that matters to CIC is to make them believe you have a genuine and ongoing relationship.

Good luck.

Thanks so much for your detailed reply Melisaa. I think you're right - sending additional info without them asking for it is probably not the best thing to do and might actually do more harm then good.

I think this "waiting game" coupled with the strike has my nerves a bit frazzled and on edge so that's why I keep second guessing myself. I was really confident when we first sent everything to Mississauga. In August I think I only saw 2 people getting visas and one person's file changed to "in process". Looks like Ankara has really slowed down. Even people in New Delhi are seeing more movement than we are (then again, there are way more applicants in New Delhi than Ankara).

Thanks again for your response and good luck to you too!

 

[Vanman]

Hi,

You should be fine. CIC understands that every relationship is unique and different. You don't have to have phone bills or Skype calls in order to qualify as a couple. Since you have many photos of your ceremony, honeymoon, trips, etc... I don't think there would be any concern for CIC. Furthermore, CIC will almost never refuse you without an interview, unless if there is a really serious issue that raises so many questions for them such as fraud, misrepresentation, etc... If they have any concern regarding your relationship they will surely either book you for an interview or somehow ask for an explaination letter or request more docs.

Never send anything to them without them asking for it. They don't like it. Unless if you for instance made a mistake when filling the forms, eg: wrong dates, mis spelled a name, and so on...

Overall I think you will have a normal process. Since your husband is Iranian and you are not, and considering the fact that getting married under Sharia law in Iran, and being a foreigner has its many restrictations, CIC is totally understanding of why you chose to marry elsewhere. My husband and I also got married in Turkey, we are both Iranian, and we got married abroad simply because we didn't want to go under a religious system of registering a marriage. As a couple it's solely your choice on how and where to get married. The only thing that matters to CIC is to make them believe you have a genuine and ongoing relationship.

Good luck.

I read these posts and thought I'd offer up my opinions, right or wrong.

I agree that chat logs don't "qualify" you as a couple however I DO think that any documentation or proof that you can provide to support the ongoing nature of your relationship will weigh in your favor. This seems to be one of the KEY focal points of their investigation. It's great that you've been able to support the legitimacy of your relationship with marriage certificates, travel docs, etc. but I do believe that it's important to demonstrate the ongoing nature of your relationship such as the day to day communication between the two of you where ever possible.

As for the advice to "Never send anything to them without them asking for it. They don't like it." I'm curious why you would say that as I've never read nor heard that anywhere. In fact the opposite is true from what I've seen in that several options are available to us to send additional documents, etc. to add to our file after the initial submission has been made. My opinion on this is just that....an opinion and not a particularly informed opinion either so take it with a grain of salt! It just seems reasonable that the officers would want to have as much information in front of them as possible in order to make a well informed decision. Personally, 'd send what ever additional documentation you have. I'd sooner take the risk of delaying the process a week or two (which is unlikely depending on what your dates are and at what stage of the waiting process you are at) rather than risking either an interview or refusal. MORE IS BETTER from my experience and opinion.

A little background on our situation:
She's Iranian born and living in Tehran
I'm Canadian born and living in Vancouver
We were introduced through her sister, my landlord

We communicated via internet and telephone for 9 months, met in Ankara for 2 weeks, married under Turkish law and also married under Iranian law through the Iranian embassy in Ankara, Traveled together to Tehran for 5 day, Honeymooned in Shiraz for 3 days.

We communicated several times daily before and after our wedding and in December of 2012 submitted our application. We submitted 11.5 kilos or 22 pounds of various support documentation with our application forms. Included were phone bills, chat logs, emails, photos, travel docs, an 11 page letter of explanation I wrote describing how we met, how our relationship grew, how our cultural and religious differences are dealt with,etc., etc. Our thinking was submit EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO SUPPORT OUR ONGOING RELATIONSHIP and let THEM decide what is or is not important.

We received our visa on July 10 this year. No interview was requested. No additional support documentation was requested. We were very grateful that we were spared these things as well as more waiting. As it happened we met again in Istanbul in April 2013 for 3 weeks but CIC was not aware of this.

I'm telling you all this because as you can see....it's probably a lot clearer to them that you guys had a prolonged relationship prior to your marriage unlike my wife and I. You can see both sides of the coin here now...we had a brief but well documented relationship before our wedding and documented contact via phone etc. several times a day since then where as you guys had the luxury of a prolonged courtship prior to getting married. As was mentioned earlier....no two relationships are the same so it's difficult to say if more documentation is necessary...I'd say err on the side of caution when ever possible. Of course I've left out a lot of details but you probably get the picture.
Best of luck to you both and if there's anything we can do to help you through this process or the waiting don't hesitate to ask!!

 

[lboxixodl]

hi

i recived my capis and i confused that my security pass or not. can someone help me in this case?

in page 2 security is blank but in assessments detail security is 1
my capis:

ASSESSMENTS
Eligibility: Passed
Security
HIRV:
Criminality: Passed
Org Crime:
Medical: Passed
Misrepresentation:
Other Reqs:
Final:
.
.
.

ADMISSIBILlTIES
SECURITY
SECURITY: 1

 

[Abe1004]

Submitted my info in spreadshet(great idea,ty for creating one).

Just wondering why is there only two nationalities in nationality charter? Not to mention there are 4-5 countries tied to Ankara office, there is also a plenty of ethnicities that carry either Turkish or Iranian (for that matter also Georgian or Azerbaijani passports) who arent necessarily Iranian or Turkish like myself. Just saying haha.

 

[lboxixodl]

i add other nationality to spreadsheet

tanks for your advice

Submitted my info in spreadshet(great idea,ty for creating one).

Just wondering why is there only two nationalities in nationality charter? Not to mention there are 4-5 countries tied to Ankara office, there is also a plenty of ethnicities that carry either Turkish or Iranian (for that matter also Georgian or Azerbaijani passports) who arent necessarily Iranian or Turkish like myself. Just saying haha.

 

[SooMazi]

I read these posts and thought I'd offer up my opinions, right or wrong.

I agree that chat logs don't "qualify" you as a couple however I DO think that any documentation or proof that you can provide to support the ongoing nature of your relationship will weigh in your favor. This seems to be one of the KEY focal points of their investigation. It's great that you've been able to support the legitimacy of your relationship with marriage certificates, travel docs, etc. but I do believe that it's important to demonstrate the ongoing nature of your relationship such as the day to day communication between the two of you where ever possible.

As for the advice to "Never send anything to them without them asking for it. They don't like it." I'm curious why you would say that as I've never read nor heard that anywhere. In fact the opposite is true from what I've seen in that several options are available to us to send additional documents, etc. to add to our file after the initial submission has been made. My opinion on this is just that....an opinion and not a particularly informed opinion either so take it with a grain of salt! It just seems reasonable that the officers would want to have as much information in front of them as possible in order to make a well informed decision. Personally, 'd send what ever additional documentation you have. I'd sooner take the risk of delaying the process a week or two (which is unlikely depending on what your dates are and at what stage of the waiting process you are at) rather than risking either an interview or refusal. MORE IS BETTER from my experience and opinion.

A little background on our situation:
She's Iranian born and living in Tehran
I'm Canadian born and living in Vancouver
We were introduced through her sister, my landlord

We communicated via internet and telephone for 9 months, met in Ankara for 2 weeks, married under Turkish law and also married under Iranian law through the Iranian embassy in Ankara, Traveled together to Tehran for 5 day, Honeymooned in Shiraz for 3 days.

We communicated several times daily before and after our wedding and in December of 2012 submitted our application. We submitted 11.5 kilos or 22 pounds of various support documentation with our application forms. Included were phone bills, chat logs, emails, photos, travel docs, an 11 page letter of explanation I wrote describing how we met, how our relationship grew, how our cultural and religious differences are dealt with,etc., etc. Our thinking was submit EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO SUPPORT OUR ONGOING RELATIONSHIP and let THEM decide what is or is not important.

We received our visa on July 10 this year. No interview was requested. No additional support documentation was requested. We were very grateful that we were spared these things as well as more waiting. As it happened we met again in Istanbul in April 2013 for 3 weeks but CIC was not aware of this.

I'm telling you all this because as you can see....it's probably a lot clearer to them that you guys had a prolonged relationship prior to your marriage unlike my wife and I. You can see both sides of the coin here now...we had a brief but well documented relationship before our wedding and documented contact via phone etc. several times a day since then where as you guys had the luxury of a prolonged courtship prior to getting married. As was mentioned earlier....no two relationships are the same so it's difficult to say if more documentation is necessary...I'd say err on the side of caution when ever possible. Of course I've left out a lot of details but you probably get the picture.
Best of luck to you both and if there's anything we can do to help you through this process or the waiting don't hesitate to ask!!

Vanman, thank you very much for offering your advice and sharing your experience with me. I think my main concern is whether or not to utilize the "Case Specific Inquiry" form and attach additional evidence to support our relationship (and indicate it is continuing) when an immigration/visa officer has not asked for it. I may be reading far too much into the psyche of an immigration officer here, but I worry that if I send the additional docs they will "flag" or question my file, thinking: "Why did they send this now? What are they trying to prove/cover up here." At any case, we'll need to use this Case Specific Inquiry form in the next month or two when my husband changes his place of residence.

I definitely understand that each relationship is different and therefore the documents needed to satisfy the immigration officer would differ as well. When we first put the application together I was happy with the amount of evidence we gave. I suppose with this waiting I've got myself into quite a state critiquing our file and kicking myself for not including some facebook messages/IMs. Granted these docs wouldn't tell a whole lot, but I don't think they would have hurt anything had I included them in my file in the beginning. Question is, would it hurt to include them now? I though of calling the CIC Call Centre but I doubt they would be helpful with this situation and probably direct me to call Ankara.

 

[Mrs.Asag]

Does anyone have any good news?? REALLY hoping for some movement

 

[Turkey2013]

Does anyone have any good news?? REALLY hoping for some movement

NOTHING, NADA, .... :'(

Mrs Asag, does your lawyer have any news? Is he telling or adivse you on anything????

 

[Mrs.Asag]

NOTHING, NADA, .... :'(

Mrs Asag, does your lawyer have any news? Is he telling or adivse you on anything????

No All he said is that he doesn't know if any of the applications are moving or not and he doesn't know when the strike will be over

I am so sad

 

[Abe1004]

No All he said is that he doesn't know if any of the applications are moving or not and he doesn't know when the strike will be over

I am so sad

Clearly applications are moving because people are getting their SAs and etc. Just gotta be patient.

 

[Turkey2013]

No All he said is that he doesn't know if any of the applications are moving or not and he doesn't know when the strike will be over

I am so sad

I understand you so perfectly and we are all in the same boat...I cannot wait, i booked for Turkey to go see my hubby, it has been 9 months...just thinking about it makes me want to cry and puke at the same time...When I look at the spreadsheets, and the one in march is moving but at a slow pace, the april one is on a freezing level, sorry to say...I guess they have to do that month first....anyways we will keep the faith and continue praying for each one of us here ..