Starting a new thread for all those who have received their AoR in April 2020, or anticipate filing their application in April 2020. Please join here, post your timeline, share your progress and ask any questions that you may have.
Sharing some useful info here:
• 6 months processing time
IRCC states that most applications are processed within 6 months or less. The 6 months processing time starts when your application meets the completeness check and NOT from the AoR date. The completeness check is the first stage of the application processing, and usually happens around when your medicals are passed. To know the exact date of the completeness check (R10), you will need to see your GCMS notes.
• Tracking your application
Unfortunately the only thing that you see is your MyCIC account are:
a. Review of eligibility - Will continue to be in progress until you receive the COPR
b. Review of medical results - Will change to the date when the Medicals are passed, usually 20-45 days post AOR.
c. Review of additional documents - Will show "We do not need additional documents," unless you receive any documents request and submit documents, when it will change.
d. Interview - For most this is remain as "[Y]ou do not need an interview. We will send you a message if this changes"
e. Biometrics - Will change when you are requested for biometrics and later when you have submitted the biometrics
f. Background check - Will change twice for most applicants. First it will change in the initial few weeks, and then go back to not applicable and later in the processing again change to, "we are processing your background check. We will send you a message if we need more information." This happens because criminality and security are both a part of BGC, and when these checks happen, the status changes. It will continue to be in progress the second time until you receive the COPR.
g. Final decision - This will remain the same until you receive the COPR.
There has been a growing trend of speculation where change of status on MyCIC has been attributed to eligibility being passed, etc. The whole NA, IP IP2 is speculation and has no bearing on determining which stage your application is at. While any change of status is a good sign, but merely relying on NA and IP is not the correct way.
Most applicants will find it irrelevant, as their applications will be processed and approved within the first 3-4 months. It is those who wait for more than 4 months, where things go crazy as they keep relying on NA, IP etc, and see no movement or progress. Many other are stuck on so called IP2, and the PPR never seems to come.
So put these speculative theories to rest. As per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, regulations and the ministeral instructions every application goes through the following stages:
R10 (Completeness check)
Medicals
Criminality
A11.2 Eligibility (The most important stage)
Security
• How to send a Case Specific Enquiry / Webform -
During the processing fo your application you may need to update your application and send additional documents. You can send updates and documents by webform (CSE) using the link -
https://secure.cic.gc.ca/enquiries-renseignements/canada-case-cas-eng.aspx
When IRCC asks for any additional documents, and there is no upload slot in your MyCIC account, you will then once again have to send those documents via CSE using the link above.
You can also use this link to enquire about the status of your application if it exceeds 6 months.
• Visa Office
There has been an obsession of finding which visa office the application is at. Many threads on this forum start with explaining how to find your visa office. Let's get to the crux of it. Finding the visa office was very relevant pre- express entry. Even after the introduction of express entry in 2015, the same practice was followed which usually was for the paper based application, but that is no longer the case. Earlier all application followed the following trajectory:
Central Intake Office - Case Processing Centre - Local Visa Office
However, this has radically changed and for all express entry, all application follow the following:
1.
Central Intake Office - The R10 (completeness check) is done at the Central Intake Office for all classes (FSW / PNP / CEC). Now even the criminality and medicals are done at CIO.
2.
Case Processing Centre - These are 4 CPCs in Canada
CPC in Edmonton
CPC in Mississauga
The case processing centre in Mississauga processes applications to sponsor family members living in Canada and abroad.
CPC and CIO in Sydney
CPC in Ottawa
The case processing centre office in Ottawa (CPC-O) processes:
visitor visa (temporary resident visa) applications from within Canada for applicants with valid status (students or temporary foreign workers only).
permanent resident visa applications from the United States and Canada, after they have been received and deemed complete by CPC-M or CIO-S.
OSC in Ottawa
The Operations Support Centre (OSC) processes the following applications:
International Experience Canada work permits
In-Canada temporary resident applications submitted online
Verification of Status (VOS)
Replacement of valid temporary resident documents
Amendment of immigration documents and of valid temporary resident documents
Local Visa Office - This is the office where you will be asked to submit your passport after your application has been approved. Usually the consulate in your home country.
These days all application after starting at CIO (where R10 is met), either start the processing of eligibility at CIO itself, or move to CPC (wither Ottawa, Sydney, or Vegreville), or are straight sent to the LVO. The trend has been to complete most of the processing between CIO and CPC. Since the applications are electronically stored, there is no movement of physical files.
SUGGESTION - There is no point sending emails to ask which VO your application is at, as that process is moot since the eligibility can even start at CIO. So save yourself some time and efforts and also save the human resources of IRCC and stop sending emails. Even if you know which VO your application is at, it means nothing. Most applications which are processed within weeks and get PPR, are processed at CIO, and this is a much faster way.
A few applications will see eligibility passed, and then go to not started when the application is sent to the LVO. This is because the final review is done at the LVO, and the local agent may decide to conduct additional review, or identification before the eligibility is finally set to PASSED.
• ECAS (Electronic Client Application Status) -
This was the most important tool pre EE to track an application and provided much more in-depth status than what MyCIC does. However, after the IRCC moved to the Global Case Management System (AKA GCMS) applications are no longer linked to
ECAS.
So there is no point going there and checking.
• Letter of Explanation -
As the name suggests, the LoE is exact what it sounds like. It is not an idea for the documents and you do not have to explain each document you are submitting in your application.
The simple rules to follow for LoE -
- Should be 1-2 pages in length. If you cannot explain it in 1-2 pages, it is probably not worth it.
- Only use LoE to explain an issue. Eg. you could not obtain a reference letter on letterhead, could not meet PoF 6 months avg balance, seeking exemption or extension from PCC, or to explain something in your application which is not clear.
- IRCC Agents do read LoE, but if its too long and not to the point, it loses its importance.
- You DO NOT need an index for your documents. There are placeholders for the documents just put each document there and when it is stored on the IRCC system it is names and stored in an organized way.
All the best!!
Stay Safe and do your bit to fight the spread of COVID-19.
