Sure thing. I ended up filing the mandamus application through the firm Battista Smith Migration Law Group. The process started with a consultation with a lawyer (mine was Nick Woodward, he was top notch) to assess the situation and explain the pros and cons of filing a mandamus.
Then they sent a demand letter to IRCC. After 2 weeks without any response from IRCC, they filed the mandamus application. A couple of weeks later, the DoJ lawyer assigned to the case reached out to my lawyer, saying that they would contact IRCC about the application. A couple of weeks later, the DoJ lawyer mentioned that IRCC would finalize the application within 60 days. Only a few days later, we received the ADR and eventually the portal email, as explained in the timeline.
The overall cost was $2,500. That is pricey, but being at the end of our BOWP, extending it would have cost us $900 (a family of 5) and more waiting, stress etc. So we decided to go with the mandamus.
Every Battista law firm employee I spoke to were friendly, clear and responsive. Great communication (you can see that they understand what we are going through) so highly recommend contacting them.
Whatever path you choose, I really hope the happy end will come soon.
May the force be with you all - including the IRCC staff
Congratulations!
And thanks a lot for sharing your story in detail. It is very helpful to all of us who are still waiting!
Enjoy your PR!
