Application might be lost in mail?

[Plynn]

Hello!
I sent in my family class sponsorship application to Canada from France on May 23rd via expensive certified mail with tracking. The lady at the post office told me it would get there in a week max. The tracking stops May 24th when the application left France. I've contacted both the French and Canadian postal services and no one can tell me where it is. Basically - "We might have lost it. Or not. The French post office can file an appeal and we'll know within 3 months."

Is there any way to contact CIC from abroad to find out whether or not they received the application?

We tried the general CIC mailing address but didn't get a response. I know the AOR comes 45-60 days after they receive it generally. But I really want to know as quickly as possible because if we have to redo the whole thing several of the documents we need to provide take over a month to get to us.

 

[Plynn]

Hello! if postal service can not tell wher your parcel is, than I am not sure if cic will be able to find it so fast. Aren’t they supposed to give you some tracking number, so you can check if it is received or not??? when our lawyer sent our application she gave us confirmation that application was received in certain day. So I assume there has to be some tracking in the postal system... this is the only way I think u can check if your application got to Sydney. Rather than that just wait, call center won’t be able to give you answers as of so fast... mostly only after aor they can see it in the system...
Here is a phone number I found. You can try calling them... but don’t know if they will reply: +1 888 242 2100 good luck to you!

Thank you. I have the tracking number but the envelope stopped showing up in the system two weeks. There have been no updates since. We know it left France May 24 and then there are no updates.

French & Canada post both said that the only way to know whether or not it’s been received is to contact CIC and ask they if they got it. The other option is to open a dossier (which we decided to do), but it will take the Post about three months to find out whether cic received it or if it’s been lost.

To be honest, i’m really ticked. We paid a lot of money to send it with the most secure option - international tracking included and neither post knows where it is.

 

[Plynn]

Okay, i got it now. I think u need to calm down and just wait for your Aor.
When I used to send letters from my county to Canada through Canada post they do not track small parcels, envelopes since they do not get paid for it. Basically your letter just gets delivered and you can not track it. That’s Canada post rules. From Ukraine to Canada with regular Ukrainian post and Canada post it took 2-3 weeks to deliver letters or parcels to my husband.

If it was Dhl or some other postal service you could track it even in Canada or if you paid extra for tracking in Canada. I am pretty sure it was delivered and you just need to wait for Aor. Calling cic wont help, since they are not there where they receive applications. Only after someone will take it in their hands, look at it... only then it will show in their system.
P.s. Aor for me got 16 weeks.

I paid extra for tracking - special certified international mail. I wouldn't be worried if the post office hadn't specifically said, "We might have lost it. No idea where it is. The only way you can know if they received it is to ask them directly."

 

[Hurlabrick]

I paid extra for tracking - special certified international mail. I wouldn't be worried if the post office hadn't specifically said, "We might have lost it. No idea where it is. The only way you can know if they received it is to ask them directly."

Rule number 1 - do NOT use national postal services, even with their super-duper tracking, coz it always does this. Use a proper courier (DHL / FEDEX / UPS) as you mail stays within their organisation and tracking all the time. Having said that, your package is almost certainly not lost, just hung up in customs. It can take 3 weeks or more to actually arrive at CIC (couriers seem to have their own customs clearance facility, so take 3 / 4 days max).

 

[Bs65]

Plus even normal mail or envelopes still probably go through customs adding to any delay.

 

[Luthien]

Our tracking also failed when we sent the application. I know how you are feeling and I also contacted Canada Post and our German post. In the end we just waited for our AOR because as you mentioned filing an appeal takes way longer. I am sure they received your application. Ours arrived on the 12th of April according to the AOR and I sent it on the 2nd of April.

 

[Western Mountain Man]

Rule number 1 - do NOT use national postal services, even with their super-duper tracking, coz it always does this. Use a proper courier (DHL / FEDEX / UPS) as you mail stays within their organisation and tracking all the time. Having said that, your package is almost certainly not lost, just hung up in customs. It can take 3 weeks or more to actually arrive at CIC (couriers seem to have their own customs clearance facility, so take 3 / 4 days max).

Words from past experience. Stay away from DHL!
Canada Post Xpresspost is good if shipped within Canada, not international. It will be transferred to another carrier.
UPS is ok depending on the area you are shipping from.
Pay the extra money and use Fedex. They have their own customs clearance channels.

 

[Plynn]

Rule number 1 - do NOT use national postal services, even with their super-duper tracking, coz it always does this. Use a proper courier (DHL / FEDEX / UPS) as you mail stays within their organisation and tracking all the time. Having said that, your package is almost certainly not lost, just hung up in customs. It can take 3 weeks or more to actually arrive at CIC (couriers seem to have their own customs clearance facility, so take 3 / 4 days max).

Thanks for your reponse! I wish I'd known that earlier!

 

[Plynn]

Our tracking also failed when we sent the application. I know how you are feeling and I also contacted Canada Post and our German post. In the end we just waited for our AOR because as you mentioned filing an appeal takes way longer. I am sure they received your application. Ours arrived on the 12th of April according to the AOR and I sent it on the 2nd of April.

I'm crossing my fingers that ours has already arrived then! How long did it take for you to get AOR?

 

[Luthien]

I'm crossing my fingers that ours has already arrived then! How long did it take for you to get AOR?

It took 41 days.

 

[Western Mountain Man]

Ours took 102 days for AOR......So don't hold your breath.

It's most likely held up somewhere getting sorted out.
Give IRCC a call after some time to see if it's in their processing queue.

 

[Plynn]

Just to update: It's been over a month since we sent it and no one has any idea where the application is. CIC never responded to my email. I've look online about contacting them but apparently you can only call from within Canada.

Not sure what to do.... Should we send in another application? My husband was born on a small island and it takes over a month for documents from there to get to us... :/ If we do have to start over, it will take about 2 months to get everything together and I'm so sick of wasting time and money.

If anyone who hasn't sent in their application reads this - DO NOT SEND YOUR APPLICATION VIA NATIONAL POST.

 

[Hurlabrick]

Just to update: It's been over a month since we sent it and no one has any idea where the application is. CIC never responded to my email. I've look online about contacting them but apparently you can only call from within Canada.

Not sure what to do.... Should we send in another application? My husband was born on a small island and it takes over a month for documents from there to get to us... :/ If we do have to start over, it will take about 2 months to get everything together and I'm so sick of wasting time and money.

If anyone who hasn't sent in their application reads this - DO NOT SEND YOUR APPLICATION VIA NATIONAL POST.

Sit tight. I made the mistake of sending via 'signed for' national mail from the UK. Tracked all the way until it was put on a plane for Canada, then disappeared with no tracking for 4 weeks, then reappeared on tracking as delivered after 5 weeks. AOR took longer of course. I would be pretty sure it is still 'in the system' (probably stalled in customs). Wait another 2 / 3 weeks at least I suggest.

 

[glen1990]

Just to update: It's been over a month since we sent it and no one has any idea where the application is. CIC never responded to my email. I've look online about contacting them but apparently you can only call from within Canada.

Not sure what to do.... Should we send in another application? My husband was born on a small island and it takes over a month for documents from there to get to us... :/ If we do have to start over, it will take about 2 months to get everything together and I'm so sick of wasting time and money.

If anyone who hasn't sent in their application reads this - DO NOT SEND YOUR APPLICATION VIA NATIONAL POST.

I'm sorry this is happening and can only image how stressful it is. Are u currently in Canada. if not the number for calling outside is 1+613-944-4000

 

[nespinoza]

Just to update: It's been over a month since we sent it and no one has any idea where the application is. CIC never responded to my email. I've look online about contacting them but apparently you can only call from within Canada.

Not sure what to do.... Should we send in another application? My husband was born on a small island and it takes over a month for documents from there to get to us... :/ If we do have to start over, it will take about 2 months to get everything together and I'm so sick of wasting time and money.

If anyone who hasn't sent in their application reads this - DO NOT SEND YOUR APPLICATION VIA NATIONAL POST.

do You have an update did you re send your application?