adelaf said:
Hi guys,
first congratulations to the successfull ones! Envy you
I was just wondering if there is somenone else who applied in December 2011 and is still waiting for PR? We got a letter in March 2012 saying that they received our app in Dec 13th. Does it mean its in process? No news/letters since then. It makes me a lil nervous but I guess its normal and I read here that they are working on Aug 2011 apps now.
And I am sorry for my stupid question but can someone tell me what AIP, DM means?
Thank you!
Btw. Very good website!
The inland sponsorship application is a two stage process. Stage one is when they assess the sponsor and the person being sponsored (and the relationship between the two). When this stage is approved, it's called approval in principle (AIP) or first stage approval. Having first stage approval gives you the ability to apply for an open work permit (OWP), study permit, and depending on the provincial requirements, you may also be able to apply for health insurance card. Because health insurance is provided by the provinces, they don't mention it in the AIP letter. Also, if the applicant intends to study in a university or CEGEP, AIP may make you eligible for resident tuition.
During stage two, they start reviewing your medical exam and background check, as well as processing your actual permanent residency application. DM probably stands for decision made, but I do not know whether that refers to stage one or stage two.
Also, if anyone has anything to add or correct, please feel free...this whole thing is a learning process
You should check out Johanna's spreadsheet with the actual processing time information of people participating in the forum...I can't post links, but she shared it again recently. You'll notice that the processing times are a bit different than the CIC web site's. I applied late July of 2011 and only received AIP a couple weeks ago, so don't be alarmed if you are waiting close to a year to receive a decision about yours.
Edit: I saw that I was too slow to respond, and someone else beat me to it...another person from Quebec too