FAQ – After Submission
Q. I applied to FSWP program. Will I get a notification from CIO after my documents are delivered?
A. First of all Congratulations and good luck with your submission. Coming back to your question, No, you will not get any notification from CIO Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Q. What’s next after submission?
A. You will have to patiently wait for a notification of Credit Card charge or PER (positive eligibility review) email. Average time for notification right now is 60 days. If you have sent Demand Draft, Pay Order, Money Order, then you will get notification about it’s encashment in PER [Add another 12 days to original average time].
Please visit FSW 2013 Applicants Timeline- Lets Network Here for updates on average timelines.
Q. My Credit Card uses a secure PIN or 3D pin while purchasing things online, will it be a problem when CIO charge my card?
A. It has been confirmed numerous of times by the banks that when CIO will be charged, they will not be prompted for the 3D pin, as CIO is not an online merchant. It is a recognized body and most of the banks DO NOT require pin when CIO charges you for the fee.
NOTE: You are still encouraged to call your bank and let them know about the expected amount that CIO will charge so that they do not automatically reject it. Keep following them until the payment is through. This applies to most of the developing countries. They tend to reject amounts that are way above your regular portfolio.
Q. CIO is not charging cards today or few days now, is cap filled or have they stopped working?
A. We don’t know how CIO works or on what priorities it works on. However, we do know that they received hundreds of applications weekly for different programs and they have to deal with them on daily basis. Our forum represents a very small number of applicants as compared to worldwide, and it is not necessary that someone will definitely gets charged daily on the forum. IF the cap is filled for any NOC, CIC will put that up on the official website. Till then, don’t worry about it!
Remember: No news is good news when you apply for FSWP!
Q. My card has not been charged even though applicants after me are charged and received PER, am I out of game?
A. Until and unless you do not hear from CIC in terms of rejection letter or NER and you are sure that you have sent all required documents and filled forms properly, you are not out of game. Each case is different and there are number of persons at CIO that are dealing cases. The delay in your case can have number of reasons, including and not limited to the documents you have sent, experience certificates, financial proof, age or your ability to get establish economically in Canada. Sooner or later, you will hear the outcome of your application.
Q. My mode of payment is Pay Order, Demand Draft etc. Will it delay my PER?
A. It may or may not delay your time for PER. DD is considered to be the safest & permanent payment as compared to Credit Cards which may not work for number of reasons and can jeopardize your application. DD takes a bit of time for clearing, usually 4 ~ 15 working days as there are various banks are involved. The overall time for DD and CC is not very huge. The average difference is about 3 days to 7 working days overall.
Q. I just received an email from WES requesting me to order a duplicate copy of my evaluation and requesting me to add CIC as the recipient. Why is this happening?
A. If you got your ECA before 18th April, 2013, then probably you have not signed up for WES FSWP package in which they allow an electronic copy of your evaluation to be available for the CIO to verify it online. Even if you have signed up after they became a designated authority, you may have accidentally subscribed to “WES Basic” instead of “WES FSWP Package”. Just follow the email and get the payment done ASAP so that CIO can verify your ECA online.
All the existing applicants are encouraged to login to there WES accounts and see Service level they have ordered, and upgrade to FSWP package BEFORE WES asks you to do so. If you do not order in time, your PER will be delayed or may jeopardize your chance of getting one.
REMEMBER: YOU NEED TO SEND ORIGINAL EVALUATION CERTIFICATE TO CIO WITH YOUR APPLICATION PACKAGE INSTEAD OF A COPY. Do not send it in a sealed envelope, just place it along with all your other documents.
Q. Will I get in the 300 Cap?
A. No one know for sure. Stop panicking and let’s see where your luck takes you! Do not ask these questions once the package has been sent. No one of us is an expert and neither do we have any inside information of the CIO.
You have spent hundreds of dollars already on preparing the documents, what’s the use of self created panic now? Once the package is gone, hope for the best! Good luck.
Keep an eye on Official CAP Count Updates from CIC.
You are however encouraged to share your timeline in the following thread: FSW 2013 Applicants Timeline- Lets Network Here, where you’ll get an overall idea of the status of each NOC.
Q. How can I know the status of my application?
A. In reality you can’t. But if you have sent your application 8 ~ 10 weeks ago, then you can email at cio-sydney-search-enquiry@cic.gc.ca to get the status of your application. You will have to send them your Last name, First name, Date of Birth, Country of Birth in order to get the notification. You will receive a reply by email within 20 working days.
Always check updated time under Economic Classes here.
Q. How to contact CIC via Phone Number?
A. Following are the Call Center numbers of CIC. Please follow IVR accordingly.
NOTE: It is not necessary that you will get information about Federal Skilled Worker Program. Do not call them before time [8 ~ 10 weeks], they will NOT be able to help you!
Inside Canada: 1-888-242‑2100
Outside Canada: 1-613-944-4000
Q. Whenever I call on these numbers, a machine says “this service is not available in your area”. What to do?
A. If you are dialing a toll free number from outside Canada, you will hear this message. However, many of you will still hear this tape even if you dial “Outside Canada” number. The way around this is to get a prepaid calling card and dial using that. It’ll help you bypass this message when the call is transferred and will let you connect with Immigration Department. You can try Skype, Google Voice services as well.
Q. What is PER?
A. PER stands for Positive Eligibility Review. It means that a Visa Officer at CIO concluded that you are eligible for further processing at Local / Remote Visa Office towards getting Permanent Residence (PR).
Q. How will I get PER?
A. If you have provided email address while filling the IMM 0008 Generic Form, then you will receive it via email from Centralized-Intake-Office@cic.gc.ca. If you have not provided email address, CIO will send it via Snail Mail (regular mail) to your mailing address, that you provided on Generic IMM 0008 form.
Q. What is UCI?
A. UCI stands for Universal Client Identifier. It is a unique 8 digit code that is assigned to you by the CIO/CIC/CHC. It will remain same for all the cases hereafter. It is usually written as either 1234-5678 or 12345678 when you receive your PER.
Q. What is File Number?
A. For every visa application that you submit, CIC/CIO generates a unique file number. It is different for each type of visa. For Permanent Resident Visa, it starts with E followed by digits. Unlike UCI, it will be different for each type of visa.
Q. I have missed a document / field and now my world is spinning. What should I do about it?
A. First of all, this is a serious negligence on your part. CIC have provided guide and checklist to make sure that you do not miss anything. Practically, if you send an updated document and/or form, CIO will not be able to match them with your original application, PLUS, they DO NOT provide this kind of service. They get hundreds of applications on weekly basis. If you send your documents, you MIGHT get lucky and they MIGHT find your application and attach additional document with it BEFORE document completeness check. IF the document completeness check has been done, then it’s possible that your application is already on its way back via snail mail.
CONCLUSION? ALWAYS SEND COMPLETE PACKAGE NOT MATTER IF IT TAKES AN ADDITIONAL DAY! IT WILL ENSURE YOUR SPOT! CHECK EACH AND EVERY CHARACTER, DATES BEFORE SHIPPING THEM!
Q. I just received my PER, what’s next?
A. Congratulations! You have cleared half of the procedure. At the moment, you will not have to do anything. CIO will send your application to the Local Visa Office or Remote Visa Office that you have mentioned on IMM 0008 Generic Form. It will take few weeks. You may or may not get a 2nd Acknowledgement [AOR] from your Visa Office.
Q. How can I log in ecas?
A. Please visit Client Application Status page. Select Client ID Number from drop down. Enter your UCI #, your Last Name or Family Name, date of Birth, Country of Birth and press Login.
Q. I have my UCI from phone, or from previous application, but ecas is not letting me in. What is the reason?
A. Ecas is updated once weekly at a random day [usually over the weekend or on Tuesday]. It might be possible that the system has not been updated with your information. Check your details after next possible update.
Source: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=307&t=3 & https://services3.cic.gc.ca/ecas/ECAS.jsp
Q. I have managed to get UCI over the phone, my status on ecas says “In Process“. Is it a good news?
A. Of course it is a good news [for now, we do not have any case yet of NER after this status]. Congratulations! You will soon receive a PER email [If haven't] along with File #.
Q. I have received my PER, I want to send additional forms or information, how can I?
A. Once the file is transferred to your local / remote Visa Office, you can contact them via “Case Specific Inquiry” on your embassy’s respective website. Fill in the form and provide them with the additional information. You can contact them for employment change, designation change, baby born, marriage, divorce, address change, death etc. They will communicate with you further on how to go about it.
Click Here to find out your visa office website.
Q. I have a new born baby, I want to add his/her details to the PR application, how can I?
A. Congratulations on your newborn baby
You can contact your Visa Office mentioned in above question and inform them about the newborn baby. They will send you an email / snail mail with additional documents that are required by visa office. They are usually Updated Family Information Form, Passport copy of the newborn baby, birth certificate, additional $150 for the dependent child, 6 photos etc.
Q. I will be getting married soon (or married recently) and my PR application is in process, can I add my wife?
A. Yes! You will have to inform your marital status change to the respective Visa Office. They will send you an email / snail mail for additional documents that may include Updated Family Information Form, Background Declaration of Spouse, Updated Generic Form, $550 fee for the Spouse, 6 photos, PCC etc.
Q. I am in the process of getting divorce (or been divorced), how can I remove my spouse?
A. Sorry to hear about your situation. You will have to inform about this to your respective visa office. They will send you an email / snail mail for documents, which may include divorce proof, updated forms etc.
Q. What are the steps after PER?
A. The first thing that will happen after your PER is that CIO will transfer your electronic file and paper based file to your designated Visa Office mentioned in the IMM 0008 Generic Form. The Visa Office may or may not inform you about this activity, for example, London Visa Office will not inform about this activity, while Beijing or New Delhi may send Acknowledgement. At this stage, your ecas status will remain “In Process”.
After the file has been transferred, it waits in the queue to be reviewed by Visa Officer. A Visa Officer will review your file and will determine the eligibility of your application for further processing. IF the visa officer decides that everything that you have provided is genuine and inline with what is required, he/she will put your file in actual “process”. You will see a new line added in your ecas as “We have started processing your application on mm-dd-yyyy”. Your status will remain “In Process”. The worse scenario is that Visa Officer will overrule the previous PER decision and may reject the application before starting the process, in this case, you will see “Decision Made” in your ecas. *For FSWP 2013, we are hoping that this may not happen as everything has already been screened at CIO.
From here on, everything will be verified and cross-referenced. This includes and not limited to your experience letters, salary stubs, visiting cards, employment offices, relative documents [if applicable], passport verification, IELTS verification, national identity cards verification [if applicable], your educational documents, marksheets, your background declaration, security checks and so on. They may or not may not visit, call or email your current / previous employers. It’s totally up to them.
At this stage, the visa officer MAY call for a face to face interview at your local visa office. In case of remote visa office, the RVO will inform you about the due date and time and the location. Visa officer will clearly mention in the email about the reason of the interview so that you can gather required documents to back your original case. You will not be informed about the outcome of the interview on the spot but the next step will let you know how well you performed. NOTE: Visa Officer will not judge your English Language ability in the interview.
IF everything goes well, you will receive a Medical Call. IF an interview goes well and you managed to satisfy the visa officer, you will get the same result. At this stage, your ecas will still read “In Process”.
IN CASE something goes wrong with or without interview, you will get “Decision Made” at your ECAS which means youre no more eligible for PR processing and you will get a rejection with a letter mentioning the reasons.
After you receive Medical Call, you will have to undergo Medical Examination at your local DMP [Find your local DMP HERE]. You and your dependents have to satisfy the visa officer that you are medically fit to be admissible to Canada. Once your results have been received by the Visa Office, your ecas will read, “We have received your medical results on mm-dd-yyyy” and the status will remain “In Process”.
You or one of your dependent may get a re-medical exam if there’s a doubt about something that they think need to be reverified.
The next step would be [and not limited to] Passport Request, any additional or updated documents, new Police Clearance Certificate etc and Right of Permanent Resident fee [RPRF] which is $490 for each Principal Applicant and Spouse [if applicable]. You do not have to pay RPRF for your children.
Once everything is done and your payment cashed, your status will be changed to “Decision Made” and the address will be updated with a Canadian address & you will receive your Passports & Confirmation of Permanent Residence [COPR].