INLAND APPLICATIONS 2013

[pookieee]

I got GCMS note today for me and my partner about a month after requested. It shows criminality and security status are blanks on my GCMS file. It looks like they tried to hide whatever words written with white squares.. Is this common that CIC officers hide information like criminality and security? Anybody has same experience?

 

[Jamesdavid3]

I got GCMS note today for me and my partner about a month after requested. It shows criminality and security status are blanks on my GCMS file. It looks like they tried to hide whatever words written with white squares.. Also, on my partner's GCMS, a half of page of my information has been gone or not scanned properly.. Is this common that CIC officers hide information like criminality and security? Anybody has same experience?

I am confused by these GCMS notes? What exactly are they? Is it just notes in which you can read what the officer has said about your application as its in progress? But why would you want to read them, surely they cant contain that much useful information?

Why would the officer have to hide any information as its your application and you are the one who submitted it so you would know all of the information anyway?

 

[pocq]

Hi Guys,

Is it just me or this 1-888-242‑2100 (Call Center) never works?
EDIT: Ignore this, because turns out since I keep trying to call the number using Google Voice, it won't work

I got really pissed on how they replied my email, when I asked about my wife's PR status.
We got AIP in January, so based on the processing time for Step 2 (8 months), she should get her PR on September..
So I have been trying to call that number but nobody picks up the phone, so I sent them email, and they replied that.. yes we got the AIP on January, but they only starts processing my wife's file in MARCH?!?!?
So, they told me to check again on November. So that means there are 2 months GAP between STEP 1 and STEP 2?!?!

 

[Brazilian Canadian]

I don't think you can change until you get your OWP

This email indicating your file was transferred also mentioned you have DM?
Usually the files go to the local office after DM for the interview to be schedule.

 

[Linden]

I got GCMS note today for me and my partner about a month after requested. It shows criminality and security status are blanks on my GCMS file. It looks like they tried to hide whatever words written with white squares.. Is this common that CIC officers hide information like criminality and security? Anybody has same experience?

When did you apply? Unless you are close to AIP the GCMS notes are not going to show much.

 

[josuetenista]

Hi I've been following this forum for a long time and I still cant find the answer to my question.
I sent my application along with OWP to Vegreville office on October 28th/2013 and it was received November 4th . I received AOR on December/2013.
On march I received a letter telling me that my application was going to be transferred to Mississauga to the new processing center.
I've been reading lately that because Mississuga is in charge of processing inland applications you can NOT send anymore an OWP application along with sponsorship package. is that correct?

If that is correct, what is going to happen with my OWP application. Will it get transferred back to Vegreville after stage 1 is complete? Or is my OWP application still in Vegreville office waiting to be proccesed after stage 1 is complete?

thank you very much for building this great support community.

 

[alexandre1610]

Hi Guys,

Is it just me or this 1-888-242‑2100 (Call Center) never works?
EDIT: Ignore this, because turns out since I keep trying to call the number using Google Voice, it won't work

I got really pissed on how they replied my email, when I asked about my wife's PR status.
We got AIP in January, so based on the processing time for Step 2 (8 months), she should get her PR on September..
So I have been trying to call that number but nobody picks up the phone, so I sent them email, and they replied that.. yes we got the AIP on January, but they only starts processing my wife's file in MARCH?!?!?
So, they told me to check again on November. So that means there are 2 months GAP between STEP 1 and STEP 2?!?!

It will not work when you call from internet. Call with your phone. Hope that will help you.

 

[pookieee]

I am confused by these GCMS notes? What exactly are they? Is it just notes in which you can read what the officer has said about your application as its in progress? But why would you want to read them, surely they cant contain that much useful information?

Why would the officer have to hide any information as its your application and you are the one who submitted it so you would know all of the information anyway?

Well, they do include notes or memo from officers wrote about your application during process. Of course, I am not seeking information that I already know about. I try to find out where I am at in the process since it shows the status of everything such as sponsorship evaluation, security, medical, criminality check and etc.

 

[Ponga]

Hi I've been following this forum for a long time and I still cant find the answer to my question.
I sent my application along with OWP to Vegreville office on October 28th/2013 and it was received November 4th . I received AOR on December/2013.
On march I received a letter telling me that my application was going to be transferred to Mississauga to the new processing center.
I've been reading lately that because Mississuga is in charge of processing inland applications you can NOT send anymore an OWP application along with sponsorship package. is that correct?

If that is correct, what is going to happen with my OWP application. Will it get transferred back to Vegreville after stage 1 is complete? Or is my OWP application still in Vegreville office waiting to be proccesed after stage 1 is complete?

thank you very much for building this great support community.

That is NOT true. A person can still include an OWP with an Inland application:
http://canadianimmigrant.ca/news-and-views/implied-status-what-is-it-and-what-changed-recently

(from link above):
Some recent developments

While the above may be common knowledge to many readers (and judging from some of the emails that I receive in response to my articles, many of you are quite well versed in Canadian immigration law), there were recently some significant procedural and court decisions that have received little attention.

The procedural change is that CIC has announced that Inside-Canada Spousal Sponsorship applications can no longer be sent to CPC-Vegreville, but instead must be sent to CPC-Mississauga. This led many people, including agents at the CIC Call Centre, to mistakenly believe that applicants could no longer benefit from implied status during the processing of their Inside-Canada Spousal Sponsorship.

This is not the case. Work permit extension applications* can continue to be included in Inside-Canada Spousal Sponsorship applications, where they will be processed to conclusion. The result is that Inside-Canada Spousal Sponsorship applicants can benefit from implied status during the processing of their permanent resident applications.
----
* This would also include OWP

To answer your question, your OWP (whether it is in Missassauga, or Vegreville) wouldn't be processed until AIP anyway, so it doesn't matter. Whatever you do, do NOT send another OWP.

 

[ACS]

I got GCMS note today for me and my partner about a month after requested. It shows criminality and security status are blanks on my GCMS file. It looks like they tried to hide whatever words written with white squares.. Is this common that CIC officers hide information like criminality and security? Anybody has same experience?

Is it possible the scan is just grainy??

I would find that very strange if they did that.

If that is the case you can start a complaint process. My GCMS notes came with this message: Please be advised that you are entitled to submit a complaint regarding the processing of your request to the Information Commissioner within sixty days of the receipt of this notice. The complaint form can be retrieved at: http://www.oic-ci.gc.ca/eng/lc-cj-logde-complaint-deposer-plainte.aspx.

 

[josuetenista]

That is NOT true. A person can still include an OWP with an Inland application:
canadianimmigrant.ca/news-and-views/implied-status-what-is-it-and-what-changed-recently

(from link above):
Some recent developments

While the above may be common knowledge to many readers (and judging from some of the emails that I receive in response to my articles, many of you are quite well versed in Canadian immigration law), there were recently some significant procedural and court decisions that have received little attention.

The procedural change is that CIC has announced that Inside-Canada Spousal Sponsorship applications can no longer be sent to CPC-Vegreville, but instead must be sent to CPC-Mississauga. This led many people, including agents at the CIC Call Centre, to mistakenly believe that applicants could no longer benefit from implied status during the processing of their Inside-Canada Spousal Sponsorship.

This is not the case. Work permit extension applications* can continue to be included in Inside-Canada Spousal Sponsorship applications, where they will be processed to conclusion. The result is that Inside-Canada Spousal Sponsorship applicants can benefit from implied status during the processing of their permanent resident applications.
----
* This would also include OWP

To answer your question, your OWP (whether it is in Missassauga, or Vegreville) wouldn't be processed until AIP anyway, so it doesn't matter. Whatever you do, do NOT send another OWP.

Thanks for the information.
When I sent my application package I didn't know that I was going to get implied status if I sent my OWP application along with sponsorship application, that's why I applied for a visa extension. My visa extension is valid until January 2015. Should I extend it again or am I still under implied status because of my OWP application sent back in October 2013?

 

[ACS]

I was sooooo hoping with the progress that had begun that we would see the FLOOD of AIPs & DMs like we did back at the time of the Vegreville to Mississauga transfer….we *KNOW* it’s possible since we saw it.

I am trying to remind myself that there are probably plenty of applicants that are not here on the forum’s or the FB group that could be getting their good news today……

I feel like we have been patient so long, but I can barely stand it anymore…not to mention bills piling up…stress in the family…

And for us it’s not just waiting for AIP but waiting to see if the issues in our file will mean a transfer to Etobicoke for an even longer wait!!! *sigh*

 

[ACS]

Does anyone know if your file is going to be transferred to the local office (Etobicoke probably in our case) for criminality or misrepresentation issues (incorrect answer on Visitor Visa Application), would you find out before or after AIP?

I am the Sponsor, born and raised Canadian, and there is absolutely NO reason I shouldn't be approved as a Sponsor, or that they should question the validity of our relationship. Would there be a possibility that if they DO transfer our file to the local office we could get AIP before it’s transferred?

 

[atanto]

I dont think you can change jobs. A bridging OWP is meant for CEC, skilled worker or PNP not spousal sponsorship.

Its still an "open" work permit though, right?

 

[civic]

Former CBSA Manager discuss about the delay

Oct 8, 2014 — Not too long ago, the initial processing for in-Canada spousal cases was 4 to 6 months. It now takes a minimum of 13 months from the time Citizenship and Immigration Canada receives the application for the spouse to get stage one approval. Since it usually take several months to gather all the information required (medicals, background checks, etc), the time frame is actually more like 15 to 17 months.



In my previous life, I was the Manager of Citizenship and Immigration. We had an almost 99% acceptance rate for stage one approval. This means that 13 months is wasted on something that is going to pass, anyway.

Frankly, without an actual investigation, it's almost impossible to determine that a case is a marriage of convenience and should therefore be refused. CIC does not conduct any outside investigations. The Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) is mandated to conduct the investigations. However, it would be so low in their priority list that it would not solve the problem of wait times.
The CIC should have better things to worry about than the possibility that a spouse may fail stage one approval.
The 13-month waiting period causes countless problems for a family in Canada. 1) The proposed immigrant may be the main bread winner of the family and must wait over a year before he or she is eligible to apply for a work authorization. 2) Families are forced to live on their savings and in some cases must depend on extended family or even social assistance for support. 3) If they go on social assistance, then technically the sponsor is no longer eligible to sponsor their spouse. 4) The foreign spouse is not eligible for provincial health insurance until stage one approval. So what if the spouse is now pregnant or suffers from an illness?


The irony is that if you are a foreign student and you have your spouse with you, he or she can apply for a work authorization immediately upon arrival. These spouses are also covered by provincial health insurance. For their part, refugee claimants are also eligible to work once they make their claim. Immigrant spouses of Canadians are not afforded these same rights.

Immigration Canada should immediately start a program that grants the foreign spouse of Canadian citizens or permanent residents an employment authorization as soon as the application is submitted and medicals are passed. Since spouses are currently given a conditional 2 year landing, what would be the problem in getting a conditional employment authorization to go with it?

The CIC should have better things to worry about than the possibility that a spouse may fail stage one approval. These spouses should be allowed to begin their lives as productive Canadian residents as soon as possible.

https://www.change.org/p/citizenship-and-immigration-canada-improve-processing-time-for-inland-spousal-sponsorship-and-grant-open-work-permit-upon-aor/u/8377429