April 2012 applicants, join here.

[misskay]

I feel quite foolish for sending the photocopies of my passport via international registered mail, rather than courier. I lost track of my package on September 7th, when it entered Australia and the tracking stopped. Now all I can do is wait, hope that it has been received, and hope that COPR will arrive this week.

I would certainly recommend going the courier route for anybody else sending passport copies.

 

[R151NG5UN]

I feel quite foolish for sending the photocopies of my passport via international registered mail, rather than courier. I lost track of my package on September 7th, when it entered Australia and the tracking stopped. Now all I can do is wait, hope that it has been received, and hope that COPR will arrive this week.

I would certainly recommend going the courier route for anybody else sending passport copies.

I did the same but with documents going from Canada to my visa office (UK). You can still track it however if you find out as much info as you can. Most likely your package was handed over to Canada Post (or whatever their national postal service is called). If you call them they can still trace via the tracking number you were given when you sent your package away.

I had to call Royal Mail (Uk postal service) and the woman on the phone did a little jigging about and confirmed my package arrived at London VO. Try Canada post and give them your reference number

 

[BCgirl2012]

I feel quite foolish for sending the photocopies of my passport via international registered mail, rather than courier. I lost track of my package on September 7th, when it entered Australia and the tracking stopped. Now all I can do is wait, hope that it has been received, and hope that COPR will arrive this week.

I would certainly recommend going the courier route for anybody else sending passport copies.

When I have an international registered mail coming in or going out, the local website (in my case CanadaPost) only shows it till the border. The rest you can track on the local post office's website in the country the package is entering. Let's say if I have a letter coming in from the States, I can track it in the USPS website till it reaches the border. As soon as it enters Canada, USPS won't update it anymore. But when I go to CanadaPost's website and use the same tracking number, it actually shows my the route from the Canadian border onwards.
Maybe you can try it this way? I know it's really nerve wrecking when you're waiting for such an important piece of documents. I hope you receive it very soon. Best of luck

 

[Creampop]

So glad the 2nd stage is moving so much faster then we all expected! Congrats to everyone with their Visa and PPR's!!

Today my E-CAS was updated to "in process" September 14th 2012. thats the same day I got the e-mail request for RPRF, 5 days to update E-Cas so maybe they just ask for it whenever : seriosuly can't tell anything to be fact or fiction with CIC LOL

 

[Sweden]

Congrats - email request and in process is definitely a good sign; your visa should be ready quite soon!
congrats to the others that got their visa already - New Delhi seems to be the fastest VO by far! London has been asleep for the past 4 weeks more or less....
Good luck!
Sweden

 

[Sunshine87]

Congrats to all those who received their COPR's! Keep us updated when you've successfully landed in the promise land!

 

[bbccanada]

Respect to the New Delhi Visa office! I am very amazed by the way they work...........Nice job. What my visa office does is schedule you for interview before they even review your file and they treat people like criminals.

 

[dkera]

Hello all,

even though i applied in early May if anyone from this thread would be kind enough to tell me if he knows any of the answers to my questions i would be grateful.

here goes

a few minutes ago i received this:

Dear Sir/Madam,
This refers to your application for permanent residence in Canada.

We are ready to undergo the final review of your application. Please mail us the original passports (not photocopies) valid for international travel for yourself and for each member of your family who will be accompanying you to Canada (not including Canadian citizens). Each individual must have his/her own passport.

We expect to receive the required documents within 30 days from the date of this e-mail. Your visas will be issued for entry to Canada before: 18/4/2013.

No changes or extension to your visa will be possible after it is issued.

If you wish to use a courier service for return of your passport or documentation, you must provide a pre-paid, pre-addressed courier airwaybill when you send your passport. We will advise you when your visa is ready so you can contact your courier with pick up instructions. You should record the airwaybill number that you provided for return delivery so that you may track the delivery yourself. We will not contact courier companies on your behalf.

If you do not include notification of a prepaid courier your passports/visas will automatically be returned to you by registered mail.

For residents of Albania only

We strongly recommend you use ALBANIAN COURIER for your documents delivery and prepaid pick up. For information please consult: www.albaniancourier.al

For residents of Greece only

We strongly encourage you to consult the DHL GREECE website ( please link the words DHL GREECE to http://www.dhl.gr/en.html ) - you can also contact them by phone +302109890000 or by email at athcustserv @ dhl.com . DHL GREECE offers discounts for customers shipping to and from the Canadian Embassy in Rome and their delivery services are extremely fast.


Visa Section / Section des Visas
Canadian Embassy / Ambassade du Canada
Via Zara, 30
00198 Rome
e-mail: romevisa @ international.gc.ca
internet site: www.italy.gc.ca


for me this seems like a PPR, exactly 42 days after sponsor approval.

if someone thinks otherwise, please tell me.

a couple of questions though:

a) i was under the impression that visa-exempt citizens were not required to surrender passports any more !!! I am from Greece and am visa-exempt. I actually was in Canada from May 15 until August 10th and did not need a visa to get in the country. So why are they asking about my passport?

b) Does anybody have any idea about the average time between the time you send the passport until the visa is issued and returned to you ? I think that the 18/4/2013 date they mention in the email is the expiry date of my medicals (i took the medicals in 18/4/2012) so i don't think that they will actually hold my passport for 8 months until april 2013! what do you think ?

c) i have a ticket to visit my wife in Canada this Sunday (23/9) with return flight early november. I think I might have to forfeit the ticket and lose 700 euros because i don't think it would be legal or safe to travel to Canada, send my passport in Greece and be in a foreign country without a passport. I wouldn't think this is legal so I wouldn't do it.

d) all in all do you think that this mail 42 days after approval is a good thing or not ? wouldn't they require an interview or whatever ? does that mean that the interview may come after ?

i again would like to thank anyone from the april thread who would find the time to answer any of these.
i am sure you all understand me and will not be frustrated with me but please be as thorough as you can be in your answers.

kindest regards,

 

[tamtam123]

Hi.. just a question to all who received the sponsorship approval letter from CIC..

Was there an application number/UCI mentioned in the letter? If the letter was not received, but decision confirmed over telephone - will CIC call centre agent be able to tell the sponsor the application number of the applicant?

We want to send some more documents to VO - but need the application number, which we dont have..

tamtam123

 

[Fencesitter]

Hello all,

even though i applied in early May if anyone from this thread would be kind enough to tell me if he knows any of the answers to my questions i would be grateful.

here goes

a few minutes ago i received this:

Dear Sir/Madam,
This refers to your application for permanent residence in Canada.

We are ready to undergo the final review of your application. Please mail us the original passports (not photocopies) valid for international travel for yourself and for each member of your family who will be accompanying you to Canada (not including Canadian citizens). Each individual must have his/her own passport.

We expect to receive the required documents within 30 days from the date of this e-mail. Your visas will be issued for entry to Canada before: 18/4/2013.

No changes or extension to your visa will be possible after it is issued.

If you wish to use a courier service for return of your passport or documentation, you must provide a pre-paid, pre-addressed courier airwaybill when you send your passport. We will advise you when your visa is ready so you can contact your courier with pick up instructions. You should record the airwaybill number that you provided for return delivery so that you may track the delivery yourself. We will not contact courier companies on your behalf.

If you do not include notification of a prepaid courier your passports/visas will automatically be returned to you by registered mail.

For residents of Albania only

We strongly recommend you use ALBANIAN COURIER for your documents delivery and prepaid pick up. For information please consult: www.albaniancourier.al

For residents of Greece only

We strongly encourage you to consult the DHL GREECE website ( please link the words DHL GREECE to http://www.dhl.gr/en.html ) - you can also contact them by phone +302109890000 or by email at athcustserv @ dhl.com . DHL GREECE offers discounts for customers shipping to and from the Canadian Embassy in Rome and their delivery services are extremely fast.


Visa Section / Section des Visas
Canadian Embassy / Ambassade du Canada
Via Zara, 30
00198 Rome
e-mail: romevisa @ international.gc.ca
internet site: www.italy.gc.ca


for me this seems like a PPR, exactly 42 days after sponsor approval.

if someone thinks otherwise, please tell me.

a couple of questions though:

a) i was under the impression that visa-exempt citizens were not required to surrender passports any more !!! I am from Greece and am visa-exempt. I actually was in Canada from May 15 until August 10th and did not need a visa to get in the country. So why are they asking about my passport?

b) Does anybody have any idea about the average time between the time you send the passport until the visa is issued and returned to you ? I think that the 18/4/2013 date they mention in the email is the expiry date of my medicals (i took the medicals in 18/4/2012) so i don't think that they will actually hold my passport for 8 months until april 2013! what do you think ?

c) i have a ticket to visit my wife in Canada this Sunday (23/9) with return flight early november. I think I might have to forfeit the ticket and lose 700 euros because i don't think it would be legal or safe to travel to Canada, send my passport in Greece and be in a foreign country without a passport. I wouldn't think this is legal so I wouldn't do it.

d) all in all do you think that this mail 42 days after approval is a good thing or not ? wouldn't they require an interview or whatever ? does that mean that the interview may come after ?

i again would like to thank anyone from the april thread who would find the time to answer any of these.
i am sure you all understand me and will not be frustrated with me but please be as thorough as you can be in your answers.

kindest regards,

Congrats! It is most definitely a passport request. Our letter was similar, but the wording was different and they did not specify the date we needed to land, only that it would be before the one year anniversary of my wife's medical.

a) Not sure about this...

b) I think the average is about a month for most cases.

c) Try changing the date...though you will probably have to pay some kind of penalty.

d) Interviews are the exception, not the rule. You should be happy that a potential interview has been waived. I think it is a good thing...if they were not satisfied, they would have called you for an interview or requested further evidence.

You're good to go...and again, congrats!!

FS

 

[dkera]

so you think that this mail means that the interview has been waived ???

i already cancelled the airplane ticket. out of 690 euros they returned the 94 back to me. the rest are non refundable.

on top of that DHL wants 150 euros to get my passport to Rome and back. In comparison I paid 20 euros to ship the whole sponsorship package (1kg) to my wife in Toronto with UPS back in May... laughable!

so all in all fencesitter you think this is a good thing ? i should not be worried about the process happening so fast ?

 

[Sweden]

Hello all,

even though i applied in early May if anyone from this thread would be kind enough to tell me if he knows any of the answers to my questions i would be grateful.

here goes

a few minutes ago i received this:

Dear Sir/Madam,
This refers to your application for permanent residence in Canada.

We are ready to undergo the final review of your application. Please mail us the original passports (not photocopies) valid for international travel for yourself and for each member of your family who will be accompanying you to Canada (not including Canadian citizens). Each individual must have his/her own passport.

We expect to receive the required documents within 30 days from the date of this e-mail. Your visas will be issued for entry to Canada before: 18/4/2013.

No changes or extension to your visa will be possible after it is issued.

If you wish to use a courier service for return of your passport or documentation, you must provide a pre-paid, pre-addressed courier airwaybill when you send your passport. We will advise you when your visa is ready so you can contact your courier with pick up instructions. You should record the airwaybill number that you provided for return delivery so that you may track the delivery yourself. We will not contact courier companies on your behalf.

If you do not include notification of a prepaid courier your passports/visas will automatically be returned to you by registered mail.

For residents of Albania only

We strongly recommend you use ALBANIAN COURIER for your documents delivery and prepaid pick up. For information please consult: www.albaniancourier.al

For residents of Greece only

We strongly encourage you to consult the DHL GREECE website ( please link the words DHL GREECE to http://www.dhl.gr/en.html ) - you can also contact them by phone +302109890000 or by email at athcustserv @ dhl.com . DHL GREECE offers discounts for customers shipping to and from the Canadian Embassy in Rome and their delivery services are extremely fast.


Visa Section / Section des Visas
Canadian Embassy / Ambassade du Canada
Via Zara, 30
00198 Rome
e-mail: romevisa @ international.gc.ca
internet site: www.italy.gc.ca


for me this seems like a PPR, exactly 42 days after sponsor approval.

if someone thinks otherwise, please tell me.

a couple of questions though:

a) i was under the impression that visa-exempt citizens were not required to surrender passports any more !!! I am from Greece and am visa-exempt. I actually was in Canada from May 15 until August 10th and did not need a visa to get in the country. So why are they asking about my passport?

b) Does anybody have any idea about the average time between the time you send the passport until the visa is issued and returned to you ? I think that the 18/4/2013 date they mention in the email is the expiry date of my medicals (i took the medicals in 18/4/2012) so i don't think that they will actually hold my passport for 8 months until april 2013! what do you think ?

c) i have a ticket to visit my wife in Canada this Sunday (23/9) with return flight early november. I think I might have to forfeit the ticket and lose 700 euros because i don't think it would be legal or safe to travel to Canada, send my passport in Greece and be in a foreign country without a passport. I wouldn't think this is legal so I wouldn't do it.

d) all in all do you think that this mail 42 days after approval is a good thing or not ? wouldn't they require an interview or whatever ? does that mean that the interview may come after ?

i again would like to thank anyone from the april thread who would find the time to answer any of these.
i am sure you all understand me and will not be frustrated with me but please be as thorough as you can be in your answers.

kindest regards,

Hey Dkera!

great news, congratulations! Rome is normally a slow VO but your case went fast; great to hear!
it's definitely the last stage.
a - no idea. maybe the process is in place for some embassies (London for example) but not all yet?
b- it seems to be the expiry of your medicals indeed so you have until that date to go and land, but i would agree with FS - average a month, sometimes less.
c- i don't know if it is legal but for sure not very comfortable situation; i would not risk it. best would be for postpone your trip if possible, and put it in a month, so you have time hopefully to get your passport back and you can land on your next trip. then you can come back to greece and tie up things and then move to Canada at a later date if you wish...
d-interview has been waived, as it clearly states that they are ready to issue the visa... some embassies ask for the passport at the beginning of the process and then evaluate the file, but in your case it says that they are ready to issue the visa - so it's great! no interview, and a very fast process - it's a compliment to the way you prepared your file I suppose!

You could try and contact them - asking about the pâssport thing, to see why they are requesting it, as you are visa exempt - it's worth a try because if the photocopies are enough, then you could go to Canada now and not worry about your ticket etc.
good luck - and congrats again!
Sweden

 

[Sweden]

so you think that this mail means that the interview has been waived ???

i already cancelled the airplane ticket. out of 690 euros they returned the 94 back to me. the rest are non refundable.

on top of that DHL wants 150 euros to get my passport to Rome and back. In comparison I paid 20 euros to ship the whole sponsorship package (1kg) to my wife in Toronto with UPS back in May... laughable!

so all in all fencesitter you think this is a good thing ? i should not be worried about the process happening so fast ?

I don' think you have to worry. for EU passports, the interview is rather the exception than the rule. If you are married for a while and you and your wife has similar background, have lived together etc, there is no reason for them to suspect that you are in a Marriage of convenience, hence no interview. If you have not travelled to many countries, then the background check is easy, so maybe your file is just straightforward.

it does look like very good news!
congrats!
Sweden

 

[dkera]

Hey Dkera!

great news, congratulations! Rome is normally a slow VO but your case went fast; great to hear!
it's definitely the last stage.
a - no idea. maybe the process is in place for some embassies (London for example) but not all yet?
b- it seems to be the expiry of your medicals indeed so you have until that date to go and land, but i would agree with FS - average a month, sometimes less.
c- i don't know if it is legal but for sure not very comfortable situation; i would not risk it. best would be for postpone your trip if possible, and put it in a month, so you have time hopefully to get your passport back and you can land on your next trip. then you can come back to greece and tie up things and then move to Canada at a later date if you wish...
d-interview has been waived, as it clearly states that they are ready to issue the visa... some embassies ask for the passport at the beginning of the process and then evaluate the file, but in your case it says that they are ready to issue the visa - so it's great! no interview, and a very fast process - it's a compliment to the way you prepared your file I suppose!



You could try and contact them - asking about the pâssport thing, to see why they are requesting it, as you are visa exempt - it's worth a try because if the photocopies are enough, then you could go to Canada now and not worry about your ticket etc.
good luck - and congrats again!
Sweden

do you really think that their wording means the visa is ready to be issued ? i maybe a little more anxious than i should be but i don't think it is so clear. why do you say that this is different than some VOs that require passports in the beginning? might that not be the case ? of course I would not want to be without a passport for 6-8 months !!!

 

[dkera]

I don' think you have to worry. for EU passports, the interview is rather the exception than the rule. If you are married for a while and you and your wife has similar background, have lived together etc, there is no reason for them to suspect that you are in a Marriage of convenience, hence no interview. If you have not travelled to many countries, then the background check is easy, so maybe your file is just straightforward.

it does look like very good news!
congrats!
Sweden

thanx m8.

we have been together since 2004 and have lived together but the marriage was only 3 months before the application. so all in all there was always the question whether they would believe us even though we supplied evidence that have lived together before and even gave them photos of us back from 2004 (huge difference m8, i mean even my hair are more grey than back then ouch!!!)