Hello! I am hoping to get some feedback about or information from others about application processing times at the Buffalo office and also the CSQ submission period.
My husband lives in Quebec and we submitted our application in early August 2010 (we paid the full Canadian fee in July 2010). When we submitted our application, we also included all the proof we could find such as pictures, receipts, stamped passports, cell phone records, etc. In late August I went to Canada as a temporary visitor to stay with my husband while our application is in process. In mid-September my husband received a letter from the Canadian Government saying he has been approved as a sponsor. In late October I received a letter from Buffalo (dated 21 October) saying all my information has been approved and they need my CSQ. We were told that my husband would receive a letter in the mail telling us to submit our CSQ. Well, we waited for a few weeks and no letter came. We called the CIC to find out if he should be getting a letter, and they informed us that the letter I received should be the only one we get.
After we learned that, we submitted our CSQ around 24 November. A week or two later we got a call from the Quebec Government and they told us I forgot to sign one part of the form. We faxed the missing signature over 2 days later. They approved our application for the CSQ a month later on 14 January. My husband got a letter in the mail on 21 January stating the approval as well as my CSQ documents and our returned application.
I have been a little concerned with my CSQ because we had to submit the approval to Buffalo by 21 January (three months after the document I received requesting the CSQ). Since the CSQ was dated on 14 January, I assume that Buffalo will still approve me since Quebec made its approval before specified date. However, since I was not positive of this I sent an email to Buffalo. The first email I received back said that they did not have my CSQ and needed additional medical information. I had no idea what they meant by additional medical information because my medical checks were done back in early summer and they were approved in the letter I received from Buffalo. I emailed them back and told them this information, and the response I got back was, "This information will be placed in your file." Okay, that did not help at all!
This past Monday my husband called the Quebec Government to make sure they sent in our approved information to Buffalo. They informed us that they simply email Buffalo of the approval and they mail us the CSQ. In theory Buffalo should have received Quebec's approval in mid-January by email. I sent another email to Buffalo the same day telling them that we did confirm with Quebec that an email had been sent. In addition to that, my husband faxed over my CSQ to the office along with the paperwork they sent me requesting my CSQ. They responded back to my email today saying they still had not received my CSQ!! In response to that I finally just emailed them the PDF of my CSQ and the letter from their office. The reply I got back was once again, "This information will be placed in your file."
Okay, clearly this emailing system does not work and they do not have a phone service! Furthermore, the CIC is unable to answer these questions outside their office. Is it normal for Buffalo to take a month or more to find my CSQ and finish the process? It's been 6 months now and we are still waiting and we are becoming irritated with poor responses. It seems impossible to get a clear, logical, and thought-out email from Buffalo. I am getting frustrated trying to figure out why it is taking so long to receive my CSQ and why I am also being emailed misleading information about my medical records!
Thank you to everyone who is reading this and takes time to respond!
My husband lives in Quebec and we submitted our application in early August 2010 (we paid the full Canadian fee in July 2010). When we submitted our application, we also included all the proof we could find such as pictures, receipts, stamped passports, cell phone records, etc. In late August I went to Canada as a temporary visitor to stay with my husband while our application is in process. In mid-September my husband received a letter from the Canadian Government saying he has been approved as a sponsor. In late October I received a letter from Buffalo (dated 21 October) saying all my information has been approved and they need my CSQ. We were told that my husband would receive a letter in the mail telling us to submit our CSQ. Well, we waited for a few weeks and no letter came. We called the CIC to find out if he should be getting a letter, and they informed us that the letter I received should be the only one we get.
After we learned that, we submitted our CSQ around 24 November. A week or two later we got a call from the Quebec Government and they told us I forgot to sign one part of the form. We faxed the missing signature over 2 days later. They approved our application for the CSQ a month later on 14 January. My husband got a letter in the mail on 21 January stating the approval as well as my CSQ documents and our returned application.
I have been a little concerned with my CSQ because we had to submit the approval to Buffalo by 21 January (three months after the document I received requesting the CSQ). Since the CSQ was dated on 14 January, I assume that Buffalo will still approve me since Quebec made its approval before specified date. However, since I was not positive of this I sent an email to Buffalo. The first email I received back said that they did not have my CSQ and needed additional medical information. I had no idea what they meant by additional medical information because my medical checks were done back in early summer and they were approved in the letter I received from Buffalo. I emailed them back and told them this information, and the response I got back was, "This information will be placed in your file." Okay, that did not help at all!
This past Monday my husband called the Quebec Government to make sure they sent in our approved information to Buffalo. They informed us that they simply email Buffalo of the approval and they mail us the CSQ. In theory Buffalo should have received Quebec's approval in mid-January by email. I sent another email to Buffalo the same day telling them that we did confirm with Quebec that an email had been sent. In addition to that, my husband faxed over my CSQ to the office along with the paperwork they sent me requesting my CSQ. They responded back to my email today saying they still had not received my CSQ!! In response to that I finally just emailed them the PDF of my CSQ and the letter from their office. The reply I got back was once again, "This information will be placed in your file."
Okay, clearly this emailing system does not work and they do not have a phone service! Furthermore, the CIC is unable to answer these questions outside their office. Is it normal for Buffalo to take a month or more to find my CSQ and finish the process? It's been 6 months now and we are still waiting and we are becoming irritated with poor responses. It seems impossible to get a clear, logical, and thought-out email from Buffalo. I am getting frustrated trying to figure out why it is taking so long to receive my CSQ and why I am also being emailed misleading information about my medical records!
Thank you to everyone who is reading this and takes time to respond!
I know that's probably not the case, but it seems that way...