My case: application for permanent residence under the spouse sponsorship
From mainland of China to Vancouver
# Timeline
1. Sent in application and paid the fees for Citizenship and Immigration to Mississauga Canada (May 2018)
2. Spousal eligibility passed (July 2018)
3. Submitted information/documents; medical examination passed (July 2018)
4. File was transferred to Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong (August 2018)
5. Request Letter -requested to summit FBI clearance certificate and to severe ties in China (September 2018)
6. Applicant Eligibility passed; sent requested items to the consulate (January 2019)
7. Pre-arrival services & background check started (January 2019)
8. Bulletin 2 -Second pre-arrival letter (March 2019)
9. Application reached due date; requested GCMS Notes (May 2019)
10. ATIP -Requested an update to the CSIS (August 2019)
11. Re-did medical Examination (September 2019)
12. Background check completed; processing of application almost completed (September 2019)
13. Submitted passport to the Beijing Visa application center (September 2019)
# Remark
1. The processing times may vary with each case, and the background checks may be lengthy;
2. In my case, during the first 10 months (from step 1 to 8) everything was moving on smoothly till the Bulletin 2; however, it was followed by a terribly lengthy background check for 8 months;
3. In the step 5, in order to severe ties, we transferred our savings to CIBC, and mailed our belongings to one of my family living in Vancouver. It is worth noting that one of the requested items is the Letter of Resignation, but it is not usually required;
4. Politics and international relations may bring some impact on the process of background check. If you had ever worked for the government in some countries or government-run companies, the background check might be very lengthy. Unfortunately my case fell into this category;
5. In the step 9, after application reached due date, I had requested GCMS Notes several times. It charges 5 Canadian dollars for the service, which is not expensive but takes 30 days to email the note with your application status (For instance, you paid for GCMS Note on March 5th, then you should receive the note around April 5th, however, with the outdated application status on March 5th. To continue buying it or not, it's up to you);
6. During the course of background check, I have tried to contact the consulate via email many times, to request the latest updates on my application progress. I cannot remember how many times I have tried, but they always replied with an official template. So, never expect that the consulate officers would reveal any details of your background check, because it is not within their responsibility or authority;
7. We almost checked the progress bar every other day, and one day finally we decided to request an update to CSIS after it had been three months overdue. Whether it might be helpful or not, you should feel free request an update if it has been noticeably overdue, as a kind reminder;
8. The other day at the beginning of September, I received a notice to redo the medical examination, because the previous checkup result had expired after one year. The medical examination for immigrants was costly, but I had a hunch at the moment that my application has got a great step forward;
9. Two weeks later I received the notice that my application was almost completed. In the next morning, I submitted my passport to Beijing Visa application center. It is expected to get completed in two or three weeks in October;
10. It has been a unexpectedly long journey in my case, I started losing my patience and sometimes felt upset. In fact each case is unique and complicated, there is actually nothing much we can do but keep leading our life as usual and waiting patiently. Thanks to this website we had obtained useful information for reference, thank you and good luck!
From mainland of China to Vancouver
# Timeline
1. Sent in application and paid the fees for Citizenship and Immigration to Mississauga Canada (May 2018)
2. Spousal eligibility passed (July 2018)
3. Submitted information/documents; medical examination passed (July 2018)
4. File was transferred to Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong (August 2018)
5. Request Letter -requested to summit FBI clearance certificate and to severe ties in China (September 2018)
6. Applicant Eligibility passed; sent requested items to the consulate (January 2019)
7. Pre-arrival services & background check started (January 2019)
8. Bulletin 2 -Second pre-arrival letter (March 2019)
9. Application reached due date; requested GCMS Notes (May 2019)
10. ATIP -Requested an update to the CSIS (August 2019)
11. Re-did medical Examination (September 2019)
12. Background check completed; processing of application almost completed (September 2019)
13. Submitted passport to the Beijing Visa application center (September 2019)
# Remark
1. The processing times may vary with each case, and the background checks may be lengthy;
2. In my case, during the first 10 months (from step 1 to 8) everything was moving on smoothly till the Bulletin 2; however, it was followed by a terribly lengthy background check for 8 months;
3. In the step 5, in order to severe ties, we transferred our savings to CIBC, and mailed our belongings to one of my family living in Vancouver. It is worth noting that one of the requested items is the Letter of Resignation, but it is not usually required;
4. Politics and international relations may bring some impact on the process of background check. If you had ever worked for the government in some countries or government-run companies, the background check might be very lengthy. Unfortunately my case fell into this category;
5. In the step 9, after application reached due date, I had requested GCMS Notes several times. It charges 5 Canadian dollars for the service, which is not expensive but takes 30 days to email the note with your application status (For instance, you paid for GCMS Note on March 5th, then you should receive the note around April 5th, however, with the outdated application status on March 5th. To continue buying it or not, it's up to you);
6. During the course of background check, I have tried to contact the consulate via email many times, to request the latest updates on my application progress. I cannot remember how many times I have tried, but they always replied with an official template. So, never expect that the consulate officers would reveal any details of your background check, because it is not within their responsibility or authority;
7. We almost checked the progress bar every other day, and one day finally we decided to request an update to CSIS after it had been three months overdue. Whether it might be helpful or not, you should feel free request an update if it has been noticeably overdue, as a kind reminder;
8. The other day at the beginning of September, I received a notice to redo the medical examination, because the previous checkup result had expired after one year. The medical examination for immigrants was costly, but I had a hunch at the moment that my application has got a great step forward;
9. Two weeks later I received the notice that my application was almost completed. In the next morning, I submitted my passport to Beijing Visa application center. It is expected to get completed in two or three weeks in October;
10. It has been a unexpectedly long journey in my case, I started losing my patience and sometimes felt upset. In fact each case is unique and complicated, there is actually nothing much we can do but keep leading our life as usual and waiting patiently. Thanks to this website we had obtained useful information for reference, thank you and good luck!
