Interview Invitation: Please Help

[AthenianGR]

Hello everyone,

I am a Greek citizen, applying for Canadian PR @ the Visa Office in Rome.

My wife's application for sponsorship has been approved and forwarded to Rome on May 12th 2009, the office has started processing my application on July 13th 2009 and now, 8 months after our application and 6 months after the initiation of the process and the AOR, we received an e-mail stating that apparently I will have to go through an interview.

The Visa Office said that I will be notified 60 days before the exact interview date.

Can anyone help me with my inquiry? How long does it normally take from the moment you know that you will be called for an interview (today), to the moment you receive a letter from the office with an exact interview date? It's been already 8 months since we sent our application... I am currently in Canada under a visitor status (as an EU citizen I don't need a temporary visa) and I will have to go back to Athens for the interview.

Any reply would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hello everyone,

I am a Greek citizen, applying for Canadian PR @ the Visa Office in Rome.

My wife's application for sponsorship has been approved and forwarded to Rome on May 12th 2009, the office has started processing my application on July 13th 2009 and now, 8 months after our application and 6 months after the initiation of the process and the AOR, we received an e-mail stating that apparently I will have to go through an interview.

The Visa Office said that I will be notified 60 days before the exact interview date.

Can anyone help me with my inquiry? How long does it normally take from the moment you know that you will be called for an interview (today), to the moment you receive a letter from the office with an exact interview date? It's been already 8 months since we sent our application... I am currently in Canada under a visitor status (as an EU citizen I don't need a temporary visa) and I will have to go back to Athens for the interview.

Any reply would be appreciated. Thank you!

Depends on the office, I would think that Athens would be fairly quick. I strongly suggest that you order your CAIPS notes to determine why the interview. See: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/atip/faq.asp

PMM

 

[AthenianGR]

Thank you for your response.

I would think that Athens would be quick too, but I see no reason why all this delay... What took them 8 months to decide that I need to go through an interview?

Please note that they sent the email to my wife and not to me! And that's because we sent them an email asking for my application status, because we have been waiting longer than normal processing time (5-7 months according to AOR). I wonder what they would have done if we hadn't sent them the email. And I also wonder how many Greek citizens are applying under the same category, at the same time, at the same Visa Office in Rome? I would think only a few! Then why all this wait without any hearing from them unless we write them?? Confusing... just hope that they will fix a date for me soon.

Could anyone please answer the following question too? : After my interview, do I have to stay in Athens and wait for the finalizing of the process or I can come back to Canada under the visitor status (no visa required) and send them my passport from Canada? I have already provided them with my Canadian mailing address.

Thanks!