Filipinos applying to CIO Canada

[CPA2CANADA]

Kabayan,

Those who are applying to Canada under new rules. Please respond. Have some questions regarding documents we need to submit to visa office.

Got already my AOR last June 4 thru email and I only have 120 days to complete and submit to London visa office. Appreciate if you will respond on this thread so we could help each other.

Regards,

IDN

 

[trinatocanada]

Kabayan,

Those who are applying to Canada under new rules. Please respond. Have some questions regarding documents we need to submit to visa office.

Got already my AOR last June 4 thru email and I only have 120 days to complete and submit to London visa office. Appreciate if you will respond on this thread so we could help each other.

Regards,

IDN

What specific questions do you have at the moment? I am sure even non-filipinos can answer them as the process is the same for every nationality. unless you have specific questions about documents from manila?

 

[CPA2CANADA]

Trina...reason is i have some specific question like these

Hello...in 2006 when I am applying for a visa in Qatar, they required that my NBI should have a red ribbon seal by the DFA but what I am not sure is the the specific requirement of the visa office who will process our application...in my case LONDON..in their instruction...it does not specify anything about the DFA red ribbon for our documents...it also confused me with the Transcript of Records (TOR) in a university sealed envelope....because i already have the TOR with red ribbon (part of the package is the diploma and the certificate of graduation...i am planning to attach the one in red ribbon plus the TOR in sealed envelope and the notarized Certificate of Grad and Diploma....

what did you do with the other documents? Appreciate your help..
IDN

 

[trinatocanada]

Here's the thing, I applied with the help of an agency here in Abu Dhabi, and when the London office sent me my update letter a few weeks ago, the agency did not mention that the TOR should be in a selad envelope, or that any of my documents are supposed to be "red-ribboned". They just asked for notarized copies. I gave them the original NBI clearance because they asked for that specifically.

My colleagues who have submitted their documents before me, just had the originals notarized and submitted these notarized copies to London. They are yet to hear from the London office.

Just to be sure, I would advise you to contact your university and have them courier a copy of your TOR and tell them specifically to place it in a university-sealed envelope. I have done this once before and the document reached me in 10 days.

 

[CPA2CANADA]

Trina....thanks for your insights....will just send the orig NBI once I have it and also the TOR in a university sealed envelope...thanks again.....cheers

 

[piolo]

Hi Trina,

Did you apply under the old SAP system? If so, pls. share with us your
timeline because London office seemed to slow down again. I am a
Filipino also based in abu dhabi.

Piolo

 

[trinatocanada]

Hi Trina,

Did you apply under the old SAP system? If so, pls. share with us your
timeline because London office seemed to slow down again. I am a
Filipino also based in abu dhabi.

Piolo

Hi Piolo,

I sent in my application last October 2008 under the new FSW rules.

Sydney office just finished reviewing my application last May 16, 2009 and had sent me a letter asking for updated documents which is due after 120 days, so that means they gave me until August 16, 2009 to send in the updated papers.

About the slowing down of the process under the new rules... what I observed is that applications which were sent nearing and right after Nov. 27, 2008 got processed faster than those who applied between february and october of 2008. I have no idea why that is, but thats just the way it is.

I have friends from abu dhabi who sent in applications in january 2009 and got their sydney letters in less than a month. So in order to track your application, you need to find someone who applied around the same time you did. It's useless to base your timeline with those who applied after Nov 2008.

Trina

 

[rojani]

Trina,

my understanding is that there is a bring forward date (bfd) being followed by embassy in processing a case. The 120days will not always be followed cause I noticed that some CAIPS notes the bfd exceeded more than a month given the 120 days before an IO review the case. My point is that even someone that filed the case much earlier than us and recieved a request letter for update. Its not a guarantee the they will process it soon. My view...

consider my case
Application filed Nov 2008
AOR from Makati Dec 2008 Ecas In process
updated letter (Makati) Jan 2009
updated letter sent March 2009 Ecas In process
Ecas to date "In Process"

 

[trinatocanada]

Trina,

my understanding is that there is a bring forward date (bfd) being followed by embassy in processing a case. The 120days will not always be followed cause I noticed that some CAIPS notes the bfd exceeded more than a month given the 120 days before an IO review the case. My point is that even someone that filed the case much earlier than us and recieved a request letter for update. Its not a guarantee the they will process it soon. My view...

consider my case
Application filed Nov 2008
AOR from Makati Dec 2008 Ecas In process
updated letter (Makati) Jan 2009
updated letter sent March 2009 Ecas In process
Ecas to date "In Process"

Rojani,

Im sorry but I am not very familiar with CAIPS notes. What exactly is BFD? Is this the time allotted for you to collate your updated documents for review (eg. 120 days, some get 90 days) or is this the number of days before an IO opens your file AFTER the local visa office receives your updated documents?

I do not have any idea on how the timelines are at the manila office, para ngang things are faster there than in the london office eh.

 

[rojani]

BFD is the date that your file will be open again for review. Say your case was reviewed for eligibility, the IO will put a bring forward date on your file for the next date the documents will be review then send you a letter to update you documents for a given no of days. The BFD is determined by the IO on urgency base on several factor like job offer, length of time being filed etc. CAIPS is a document you can order with pay that will be send to you, there you'll find important details on your case like BFD, reason for interview etc. If you are interested of getting CAIPS it should be more than 120 days from submission of documents so there will be more details. Hope this help..
good luck

 

[rojani]

Trina,

Can you re affirm if your file was reviewed by Sydney, Is the reply letter for updated documents comes from Canada or Makati local embassy. Remember that applicant from Feb 27 - November were put on hold while waiting for the ministerial list. I'm not sure if you send it to sydney when you filed it last october, did you? I was informed and verified by my consultant that those who file their cases in MAkati before the announcement of the list (before Dec 3) did not re file it in sydney instead the local embassy just sent a reply if they qualify or not and asked the further documents. I'm also at lost cause some with the same timeline with me had different ecas status. what's your ecas

 

[jtob]

rojani,
don't worry about your ecas status.
those who applied post november have different ecas status from those who applied pre november.
post november applicants to sydney have more detailed ecas satus.
when you check your ecas status, click on the underlined status and check the 3 links.
those who applied before november have only 4 status. in process, decision made, withdrawn and completed.
those after november have more than 8 status before completed.

 

[jtob]

rojani,
those who applied to sydney may have any of these 8 Status of application

APPLICATION RECEIVED
Application Received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
We have received your application. After checking for completeness, a file has been created and the information from the application form was entered.

Centralized Intake Office Sydney (CIO-S) ELIGIBILITY REVIEW COMPLETE
Centralized Intake Office Sydney (CIO-S) - Eligibility Review Complete
The review at the CIO-Sydney has been completed. A letter with additional information has been mailed.

RECEIVED BY VISA OFFICE
Received by Visa Office
The application and documents have been received by the visa office.

VISA OFFICE ELIGIBILITY REVIEW COMPLETE
Visa Office - Eligibility Review Complete
The review of the application and supporting documents has been completed at the visa office. A letter with additional information has been mailed.

WITHDRAWN
Application Withdrawn
We withdrew your application and your file has been closed.

IN PROCESS
In Process
Based on review of your complete application package, it has been determined that your application is eligible for processing.
Processing has begun.

DECISION MADE
(A decision has been made at this point.) Medical Results Received by CIC
We have received your medical results. We will contact you only if additional tests are needed.

Approval Status Determined
Your application will be either approved or rejected. We will inform you of the decision in writing.

Permanent Residence Status Determined
If your application is approved, we will send you your permanent resident documentation and a letter saying what we need to finalize your permanent residence.

COMPLETE
(This is the last step in the processing of your application.) Applicant Arrives in Canada and is Granted Permanent Residence
You will need to meet with an Immigration Officer who will verify your documents and grant you permanent residence if all is in order.


those who applied to the visa offices before november 2008 have only 4 Status.

1. IN PROCESS
(A decision has not been made yet.) Application Received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
We have received your application and will review it in order of receipt. We will send you an acknowledgement letter.

Documentation Verified by CIC
We are reviewing your application to make sure it is complete and that no documents are missing. We will return incomplete applications for resubmission.

An Interview May be Required
We will review the application and decide if an interview is necessary. If so, we will inform you in writing of the date, time and location of the interview.

WITHDRAWN
(An application can only be withdrawn when it is IN PROCESS.) Application Withdrawn
You may only withdraw your application before the Visa has been issued. There are no refunds after processing has started.

DECISION MADE
(A decision has been made at this point.) Medical Results Received by CIC
We have received your medical results. We will contact you only if additional tests are needed.

Approval Status Determined
Your application will be either approved or rejected. We will inform you of the decision in writing.

Permanent Residence Status Determined
If your application is approved, we will send you your permanent resident documentation and a letter saying what we need to finalize your permanent residence.

COMPLETE
(This is the last step in the processing of your application.) Applicant Arrives in Canada and is Granted
Permanent Residence
You will need to meet with an Immigration Officer who will verify your documents and grant you permanent residence if all is in order.


I hope this answers your question regardimg ecas status.

 

[rojani]

Jtob,

thanks for the comment. what really bothers me is that those who applied Feb 26 - Dec 1 were giving different ecas status to give you more detailed about this try checking www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2008/ob089.asp

I am aware of the two ecas status but some member of this forum confused me with their ecas and filing date.

 

[trinatocanada]

Hi again to everyone,

I sent my application last October 2008 initially to the London office and they in turn forwarded it to Sydney.

Last May 26th I got a letter from Sydney requesting for my updated documents and to send these to London and that from here on, I should coordinate with the London office. This letter was dated May 16th and it also included my immigration file number which I use to log in to e-cas.

My e-cas status chaged twice. At first it said "in progress", then it changed to "eligibility review complete".