Applications filed through NS --> Buffalo (Filed from USA)

[professional 1]

Sorry Professional, did not mean to offense you I was just joking, my apologies

Oh no man, no need for appology ! there is no offense at all, on the contrary, you said the right thing "those barcodes are the least thing we can think about"


your comments are always more than welcome.


Good luck

 

[rahmanrahat]

Congrats Igtar!
My file was transferred from Buffalo to Detroit on April 7 and they still haven't completed the review yet.

Mean while, I am seeing more and more people who were transferred after me are being handed medical requests, makes me wonder if there's something wrong with my application.

Igtar, would you mind sharing your lock-in date with us please (It is the date Buffalo received your complete application and supporting documents, it is usually indicated in the email sent from Buffalo along with the new Visa Office File Number). Mine was October 1, 2009.

Also, who was your visa officer? Mine is Immigration and Visa - 02

 

[beauhoe]

Hello all,
This could hurt kids from Nepal. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2010/2010-06-04.asp

 

[igtar]

Congrats Igtar!
My file was transferred from Buffalo to Detroit on April 7 and they still haven't completed the review yet.



Mean while, I am seeing more and more people who were transferred after me are being handed medical requests, makes me wonder if there's something wrong with my application.

I see lots of postings here and my quess is that they still doing your background check. What country are you from? How much travel did you have? I heard it all affect the timelines...
Igtar, would you mind sharing your lock-in date with us please (It is the date Buffalo received your complete application and supporting documents, it is usually indicated in the email sent from Buffalo along with the new Visa Office File Number). Mine was October 1, 2009.

End of October

Also, who was your visa officer? Mine is Immigration and Visa - 02

I'm note sure where I can find it

Good luck!!!

 

[Honolulu]

Hi Rahmanrahat,

"Lock in" date is a new term I am hearing?
How is this different from AOR?
And if I do not get an email but a printed letter, where can I find the lock in date?
More importantly, what is its significance?
Thanks.

 

[garian4u]

Guys, here is some statistical info that has been floating around on another thread titled "very important secret statistics from cic ( not published before )" whose URL is http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/very-important-secret-statistics-from-cic-not-published-before-t43573.0.html

Actually it is not a secret file and can be requested from CIC via http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/statistics/data-release/2009-Q4/index.asp

I was pretty disheartened by seeing those statistics as it showed that FSW1 cases which were received after 26th November 2008 (C-50, M01) at Buffalo, only 6 were approved while 300+ were refused resulting in an approval rate of just 2% at Buffalo. However, later I saw that the statistics were dated January 2010 and were till Dec 2009 in which case they would look to be true as Buffalo sped up only after March 2010. And I realised that when it is said that statistics are released only where 10 or more cases were finalized it could mean another thing - 10 visas rather than 10 cases. Difference is 1 case can result in more than 1 visa. E.g. the 6 that were approved resulted in 15 visas (maybe some cases were a family of 2 or 3). Professional1, MarkCan, Honololulu, Torontonian2010, and others, any thoughts??

 

[professional 1]

Guys, here is some statistical info that has been floating around on another thread titled "very important secret statistics from cic ( not published before )" whose URL is http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/very-important-secret-statistics-from-cic-not-published-before-t43573.0.html

Actually it is not a secret file and can be requested from CIC via http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/statistics/data-release/2009-Q4/index.asp

I was pretty disheartened by seeing those statistics as it showed that FSW1 cases which were received after 26th November 2008 (C-50, M01) at Buffalo, only 6 were approved while 300+ were refused resulting in an approval rate of just 2% at Buffalo. However, later I saw that the statistics were dated January 2010 and were till Dec 2009 in which case they would look to be true as Buffalo sped up only after March 2010. And I realised that when it is said that statistics are released only where 10 or more cases were finalized it could mean another thing - 10 visas rather than 10 cases. Difference is 1 case can result in more than 1 visa. E.g. the 6 that were approved resulted in 15 visas (maybe some cases were a family of 2 or 3). Professional1, MarkCan, Honololulu, Torontonian2010, and others, any thoughts??

unfortunatly i am unable to open the file on 4 shared because it is not supported by my computer softwares.

Anyway, i am not surprised about the refusal rates at Buffalo visa office, and yes actually i personally noticed that they just started speeding up their processing time on march 2010, and even i noticed that many cases transfered from Buffalo to the partner offices in the USA are getting refused based on the eligibility review or after they start the processing by one week.

If they have refused 300 and approved only 6 as you mentioned, that would not be a good indicator about Buffalo. I have no clue what would be the reason of it !

 

[garian4u]

Hi balu0427,

Good news! Change of address is done almost "instantly" by Buffalo!!

You need to send them that information via the change of status format at the back of their letter to you giving your AOR.
Follow that format exactly.Send your letter via recorded delivery and delivery confirmation.
That way you will know eactly and reliably when it reached Buffalo.

Monitor the change in your ecas.
Your new address should show up typically in a few days after your letter reaches them.
Mine did.

Just in case that does not happen (a rare chance) and you know when your communication reached them, send them a case specific enquiry mentioning the exact date when your letter reached them. Attach a scanned copy of your original letter in that case specific enquiry email.

balu0427 and Honolulu, there is a faster way for Change of Address. Refer to this link: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/buffalo/imm/change_address-changement_adresse.aspx?lang=eng Within 24-48 hours you get a reply and typically the address change happens within 2-3 days or instantaneously in many cases.

 

[garian4u]

hii frnds...

i got my AOR from Buffalo on April 23rd, am a FSW3 applicant (in Canada from May 2008)
I am moving to another city inside the same province, so i need to change my address. could someone please let me know the process of changing the address

I received my AOR via mail with some barcode stickers, they mentioned in the letter that those barcodes can be used to change address and also to be used for sending passports in future.

so, if i send them to change address in this way, how long it will take to update it. because i am expecting some reply from Buffalo in next 3 to 4months.

please and thanks.

balu0427, I also received AOR via mail with the long list of usable stickers for use on correspondence. Professional1, since you received your AOR via e-mail so you are not able to see this. These are usable stickers each with the BXXXXX number barcoded I don't remember the number of stickers but there are quite a few. They used 2 to stick (1) on the envelope and (1) on the hard copy AOR, rest are usable. But, still you can use the e-mail method to get your address changed.

 

[MarkCan]

Guys, here is some statistical info that has been floating around on another thread titled "very important secret statistics from cic ( not published before )" whose URL is http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/very-important-secret-statistics-from-cic-not-published-before-t43573.0.html

Actually it is not a secret file and can be requested from CIC via http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/statistics/data-release/2009-Q4/index.asp

I was pretty disheartened by seeing those statistics as it showed that FSW1 cases which were received after 26th November 2008 (C-50, M01) at Buffalo, only 6 were approved while 300+ were refused resulting in an approval rate of just 2% at Buffalo. However, later I saw that the statistics were dated January 2010 and were till Dec 2009 in which case they would look to be true as Buffalo sped up only after March 2010. And I realised that when it is said that statistics are released only where 10 or more cases were finalized it could mean another thing - 10 visas rather than 10 cases. Difference is 1 case can result in more than 1 visa. E.g. the 6 that were approved resulted in 15 visas (maybe some cases were a family of 2 or 3). Professional1, MarkCan, Honololulu, Torontonian2010, and others, any thoughts??

Here is my thought on statistics. While they help you get an idea about how much time it will take to process an application on an average, they are in no way an indicator to your application. I mentioned this before and I am repeating this again. As long as you have followed CIC's instructions to the "T", you won't have to worry about statistics. Now, you are the best judge of your application. If any documents are missing or incomplete, chances are that CIC will either ask for further proof or if they are convinced the documents have been falsified or the score not correctly counted (67 and above), chances are they will reject.

If your file is stuck on a particular stage for some reasons (In Process/After Medical), chances are your b/g checks are taking long. Or that some documents are missing from your application and CIC is determining if they want to ask you for additional documents or reject the case right away.

My personal suggestion -- do not let stats bother you. Each and every case is different and unique. One case is no indicator of another. Many a times you will find folks who applied after you did getting ahead of you. Take it with a pinch of salt and don't let it bother you. Patience is synonymous with immigration. Cheers.

Mark

 

[Honolulu]

I think I concur with Mark.

 

[Honolulu]

@garian4u

Hi Garian,
I just think it is better to follow up with the paper copy via surface mail.
In any case the web site clearly states that this method is preferable.
Also you can document the communication when sent in the manner suggested.
However one can of course also check the change in address by revisiting the ecas.
But when stakes are high better safe than sorry.
Thanks for the info though. It adds to the valuable list of pointers on the subject that a single person cannot ever collect alone!!

 

[balu0427]

Have they sent you this sticker as a usable sticker or they just pasted it on the AOR letter ? because in my medical request letter, they pasted a barcode sticker on it but did not mention anything about it, and it is even unusable in my case because it is already pasted on the letter, how about yours ?

i got the stickers pasted on a separate sheet which can be detachable and can be used on stick on any paper or envelope. i checked with few others who got their AOR this year, they all got in the same way i received. i think as you said this is the new process.

all the best for ur final stages

 

[balu0427]

Hi balu0427,

Good news! Change of address is done almost "instantly" by Buffalo!!

You need to send them that information via the change of status format at the back of their letter to you giving your AOR.
Follow that format exactly.Send your letter via recorded delivery and delivery confirmation.
That way you will know eactly and reliably when it reached Buffalo.

Monitor the change in your ecas.
Your new address should show up typically in a few days after your letter reaches them.
Mine did.

Just in case that does not happen (a rare chance) and you know when your communication reached them, send them a case specific enquiry mentioning the exact date when your letter reached them. Attach a scanned copy of your original letter in that case specific enquiry email.

Thanks much Honolulu!!!

 

[Pasi]

I am really taken back with the speed of USPS. Today I checked the status of my medical report delivery and it shows At Foreign Delivery Unit as of today morning, which means it is yet to be delivered. My DMP sent the results on May 25 and it is June 7 today. Awesome..