I had thought to write when I would finally receive my passport but in the interest of time and knowledge, please accept this as Part 1 of my analysis. This post is to note down the lessons learnt from my own experience in the process so that the new ones in the process avoid the mistakes that I did and I thought would have made the process quicker and/or at least less painful. Please feel free to add in this and/or disagree with my views:
1. Fill the forms carefully and give special emphasis on the forms in which personal history and dates are to be provided
2. Include in your application anything that is helpful to establish your contact with your spouse before marriage
3. Target one month to complete application package and send it immediately after marriage even if you are not sure about the travel or settlement time in Canada
4. Keep your expectations lower with regards to the immigration time line. Hope for the best and think of the worst!
5. Don't ask people around (relatives, friends, and third parties), join these forums to know the exact immigration time line prevalent for immigration under this category. As people give weird ideas which just spoils your life plans
6. Never disclose at your work place that you plan to immigrate till you have received at least your Re-medical Request and resign only when you have got your Passport with visa in your hand
7. All those wives who are waiting for visa and husbands are in Canada; prefer to live with your parents if possible. Give CIC the mailing address of your own home and residing address as that of your spouse. If your in-laws are in Pakistan and are understanding, they wouldn't mind this
8. All correspondence that you send to CIC should be through fax or courier. Also put your file number on the top of the envelope else it will be lost in the mail room of CIC for days
9. Focus on your relationship through various techniques, Read how to manage long distance relationship articles on net
10. Remember to keep records of your correspondence and contact with your spouse. I and my husband used to joke to save every cinema tickets or park/event receipts that we attended together. We literally sent this to CIC for establishing the genuine and continuous relationship
11. Call your spouse very frequently and keep the log of it. It's very helpful. Since it's cheaper from Pakistan, use the post paid mobile for calling your spouse from here.
12. Always remember to tag the pictures correctly with names, event, date and location and take picture of you and your spouse along with other family members also. This helps in making it known that your relationship is widely known to the community around you, be it friends or relatives or colleagues
13. Keep sending emails to CIC frequently and frequent means once a month
14. Asking your MP to inquire about your process is not a bad idea and it does not hurt the case
15. There is no harm in applying for a visit visa when you start the process. If you are lucky to get it, it will make the process at least easy and less painful. I would encourage this but Never never never overstay if you do get the visit visa.
16. There is no harm in applying under more than one category specially if the spouse is likely to get very good points under fed skill app category
17. Don't get scared by the stories of people on the forum who have a process beyond the maximum time written on CIC website. These are difficult cases and you may or may not know the details
18. Trust that though CIC is not efficient but it will accept rational or logic
19. Send your PCC voluntarily when ever it expires specially after the first one nine months of the processing of your application
20. Inquire for your CAIPS notes after your first letter or correspondence received from CIC
21. Notify change in address through all three means, fax, email and courier
The sentence structure of the above para may be confusing and am planning to improve it sometime later.
