CAIRO VISA OFFICE

[Momo2010]

So what did you end up doing for the part that says "FULL COPY?" We are doing the application ourselves but had to go to a lawyer for certified copies. He insisted that every page in the passport had to be photocopied (including blank pages) and that he had to certify all of them. He wants 3000 LE for two passports. Is this true or is he trying to be sneaky in a money grab?

Hi ,
Iam currently in the same situation.
What did you do and how things goes ?

 

[Momo2010]

Spouse is principal applicant prepared certified copy of original of required documents....can she send it(certified copy) scanned or must courier the original(certified copy) ??

 

[Kghanem]

Hi Aziz
Thay had also requested my passport over 10 months a go i thought they will take a decision however it been almost 11 months and nothing and there answer is UNDER SECURITY CLEARANCE and this has been forever.
I came across another applicant how has been waiting for his passport to be returned to him for more than 22 months.
Any one has the same case please share your experience with us

Disclaimer here: I already posted this as a new thread under the Family Class Sponsorship forum and couldn't delete it but then found this thread would be better.

I'm sponsoring my wife and was approved as a sponsor a while back. Unfortunately, her application got sent to Cairo for processing. I say unfortunately because I know how inefficient everything is in Egypt. As expected, the first sign of trouble is when we got the Medical Instructions in French even though we had requested processing in English and we live in Kuwait where French is unheard of as an official or widely spoken language.

The trouble started with an email requesting two police clearance certificates, evidence that I intend to return to Canada and most worrying; the original passport. Now we're not sure why they want the passport since we haven't even done the medical yet and no decision has been taken. The request was part of an email asking for other documents so we're not sure if this was a mistake or a genuine request. To complicate matters further, she's applying for a UK visitor visa because we're going there from mid-October to early November. So she can't possibly send the original passport before we come back from there.

We decided to send all the requested documents without the passport and to include a cover letter to the processing center highlighting all the issues I mentioned. We did however, include a color copy of the full passport and stated that we are willing to send the original once the application has been approved and a visa was ready to be stamped. The processing center received the package yesterday... Today they sent an email saying they want the original!!! Well we can't provide the original since it's with the UK visa processing center and they won't return it before 20 working days.

My questions are as follows:
1. Why are they requesting the original?
2. How long do they expect to keep it?
3. Can the request I mentioned be considered an official Passport Request Letter? There was no mention of how or when we'll get the passport back.
4. Can the processing center stamp a visa before getting the medical results and background check?
5. Can they request the passport before we've even been asked for biometrics?

 

[Kghanem]

Hi YMag,
Could you please let me know how long did it take for you to get the result of the security clearance. and did you get an approval over your case.
Thanks and appreciate your Help.

I just received the "Request for Passports" letter and the instructions were to send it by courier directly to the Visa Section - Canadian Embassy in Cairo .... No mention of VFS.

 

[Aziz_1984]

Eleven and 22 months to return a passport?! This is ridiculous, who the hell do they think they are to keep someone's travel documents this long?!
Have you tried raising this up with IRCC or asking for the passport back? I mean surely they can't be doing something with the passport for this long. You got me worried now. The problem is we don't live in Egypt and my wife can't be without her passport for this long since she needs it for business and personal travel, that's beside the fact that sometimes we cannot finish some official paperwork here without the original passport.
I really don't know what those people are thinking.
I suggest that you send an email asking for your passport to be returned and telling them that you would send it back to them once they confirm that the visa is ready for issuance.

Hi Aziz
Thay had also requested my passport over 10 months a go i thought they will take a decision however it been almost 11 months and nothing and there answer is UNDER SECURITY CLEARANCE and this has been forever.
I came across another applicant how has been waiting for his passport to be returned to him for more than 22 months.
Any one has the same case please share your experience with us

 

[Kghanem]

Don't worry Aziz,
you can request your passport and they will send you if they need it. i only mean it takes much longer that what they announce in the website.




QUOTE="Aziz_1984, post: 7189886, member: 782894"]Eleven and 22 months to return a passport?! This is ridiculous, who the hell do they think they are to keep someone's travel documents this long?!
Have you tried raising this up with IRCC or asking for the passport back? I mean surely they can't be doing something with the passport for this long. You got me worried now. The problem is we don't live in Egypt and my wife can't be without her passport for this long since she needs it for business and personal travel, that's beside the fact that sometimes we cannot finish some official paperwork here without the original passport.
I really don't know what those people are thinking.
I suggest that you send an email asking for your passport to be returned and telling them that you would send it back to them once they confirm that the visa is ready for issuance.[/QUOTE]

 

[Aziz_1984]

That's another problem altogether, I haven't reached that stage yet. My issue is why would they request the passport and keep it with them when they haven't even received the medical results yet. From reading the posts here, it seems Cairo is operating on their own terms, requesting all documents (تستيف ورق) before they start processing, while other offices only request the passport when the visa is ready to be issued.

From what I understood reading through the posts as well, nobody can help if the application is still within the stated processing times. Once it goes above the 12 months then you have the right to know why it's delayed, but even that isn't guaranteed. Let's hope we don't reach that stage and hopefully your application gets finalized soon.

Don't worry Aziz,
you can request your passport and they will send you if they need it. i only mean it takes much longer that what they announce in the website.

 

[Raymond Wong]

Hi Hrubmo,

unfort. I didn't receive the SA yet not the Medical
though the online service shows that "Decision Made" but I didn't receive the SA on email nor on mail .. not sure what's wrong

it's a stressful and long process

Hi there! Just want to ask if you got your pr on this date? How long it takes before you get your medical request? Thanks hope to hear from you.

 

[Raymond Wong]

Hi Hrubmo,

unfort. I didn't receive the SA yet not the Medical
though the online service shows that "Decision Made" but I didn't receive the SA on email nor on mail .. not sure what's wrong

it's a stressful and long process

Hi there! Just want to ask if you got your pr on this date? How long it takes before you get your medical request? Thanks hope to hear from you.

 

[Raymond Wong]

Hi there! Just want to ask if you receives medical request from the vo? And yes how long before you received? Mine is in cairo vo also. Thanks hope to hear from you.

 

[Raymond Wong]

Hi there! Just want to ask if you receives medical request from the vo? And yes how long before you received? Mine is in cairo vo also. Thanks hope to hear from you.

 

[Kordy]

Hi all,

I'm working on IMM 5533 and I'm confused if i should pick yes or no in my situation.

Here it states, just above "Part A - Forms Required".
"Information About Previous Examination (to be completed by the sponsor):
The person I am sponsoring was declared as my spouse or partner and was already examined as a non-accompanying dependent when i applied for a permanent resident visa, and did not receive an immigrant visa. (Note: If you have never applied for a permanent resident visa, answer no.)"

What does this question ask about?

 

[MohamedWalid]

Hi all,

I'm working on IMM 5533 and I'm confused if i should pick yes or no in my situation.

Here it states, just above "Part A - Forms Required".
"Information About Previous Examination (to be completed by the sponsor):
The person I am sponsoring was declared as my spouse or partner and was already examined as a non-accompanying dependent when i applied for a permanent resident visa, and did not receive an immigrant visa. (Note: If you have never applied for a permanent resident visa, answer no.)"

What does this question ask about?

What is the sponsor's status in Canada? Citizen or PR? In case of PR, when has the sponsor got married to the principal applicant? before or after (the sponsor became a PR)? If before, has the sponsored declared his spouse as a non-accompaynig person? If yes, then the answer to your question is yes

 

[Israelatrash]

Hi everyone
Just wondering how long does background check usually take at the Cairo visa office. Also, I got PPR before the background check started? Isn’t it supposed to be the last step ? Are they going to hold the passport now for all this time they are doing the background check ?

 

[Aziz_1984]

Hi everyone
Just wondering how long does background check usually take at the Cairo visa office. Also, I got PPR before the background check started? Isn’t it supposed to be the last step ? Are they going to hold the passport now for all this time they are doing the background check ?

Yes. The passport stays with them until they finish everything and then issue the visa. The background check timeline varies by case, if you read the thread you'll find that some people finish in a few weeks while others take longer.