January 2012 Applicants - Join here!

[pelipeli]

Hopefully if you land in autum they will gradually get used to it becoming colder and colder...I brought my husband here for the first time in JANUARY! Let's just say it was 19 when we left north carolina than 0 in quebec which wasnt so bad but 3 days later -32..i thought he was going to die! Congrats!

ugh.. just thinking of the negative temps make me feel cold again.. huhuhu, when I first came here i was so excited to see snow (i landed in January too) , but now i dread it, haha.
Thanks!

 

[cgagnon]

ugh.. just thinking of the negative temps make me feel cold again.. huhuhu, when I first came here i was so excited to see snow (i landed in January too) , but now i dread it, haha.
Thanks!

Most of us dread it too but it becomes second nature when I spent Christmas with no snow something was missing!

 

[dgoodman]

From a Canadian who loves winter, here are two pieces of advice for surviving a Canadian winter.

1) Buy high quality winter gear. The $100 winter jacket may look the same as the $300 jacket, but trust me, the correct materials make all the difference. The same goes for gloves, boots, toques etc. I understand that many people cannot afford to buy a whole bunch of new, expensive winter gear when they first arrive to Canada, but save up and over time upgrade to the good stuff. Layering can make a huge difference too. You can find information online about how to properly layer clothing to stay warm.

2) Find a winter activity that you enjoy. Weather you live in a city or in the country, there are hundreds of winter activities that Canadians enjoy. Ask your Canadian friends (or spouse) what they enjoy and give it a try. If you are going to try something new, wait for a day that's around 0*C and dress warm.

Enjoying the outdoors is a huge part of Canadian culture and winter is incredibly beautiful (especially if you get out into the countryside). So, don't pass off winter. Try something new, maybe you'll enjoy it more than you expect.

 

[pelipeli]

From a Canadian who loves winter, here are two pieces of advice for surviving a Canadian winter.

1) Buy high quality winter gear. The $100 winter jacket may look the same as the $300 jacket, but trust me, the correct materials make all the difference. The same goes for gloves, boots, toques etc. I understand that many people cannot afford to buy a whole bunch of new, expensive winter gear when they first arrive to Canada, but save up and over time upgrade to the good stuff. Layering can make a huge difference too. You can find information online about how to properly layer clothing to stay warm.

2) Find a winter activity that you enjoy. Weather you live in a city or in the country, there are hundreds of winter activities that Canadians enjoy. Ask your Canadian friends (or spouse) what they enjoy and give it a try. If you are going to try something new, wait for a day that's around 0*C and dress warm.

Enjoying the outdoors is a huge part of Canadian culture and winter is incredibly beautiful (especially if you get out into the countryside). So, don't pass off winter. Try something new, maybe you'll enjoy it more than you expect.

thank you so much! this is very helpful! ;D im sure my husband will love it here , as well as my furry baby (pictured below) =)

 

[soon2bskinny]

Hi guys, already got DM in ecas. Started processing August 16. ;D

pelipeli, DM ka na pala eh.... congrats!

 

[pelipeli]

pelipeli, DM ka na pala eh.... congrats!

Ahahah, yes, just this morning, replied to you at the March thread too =) Thank you! ;D

 

[flyonthewall]

I'm new here and there's a lot to read through. It doesn't look like anyone is in my situation though, from what I've seen.

I'm Canadian and have been approved to sponsor my husband. We've been together for 12 years (9 at the time of marriage). We submitted our application in January, I was approved as a sponsor in May, and they started to process our file on July 31, 2012. We sent in everything all at once (medicals, notarized copies of both of our passports, marriage license, birth certificates, etc).

At some point, Buffalo closed and our application was sent to CPP-O. Any one in a similar situation that was processed already? Any idea how long until we get a decision? Will I get more details if I call rather than e-cas it? We selected to be communicated with via email, but haven't heard anything from them other than when I was approved to be his sponsor.

Thanks for any help/advice.

 

[pelipeli]

I'm new here and there's a lot to read through. It doesn't look like anyone is in my situation though, from what I've seen.

I'm Canadian and have been approved to sponsor my husband. We've been together for 12 years (9 at the time of marriage). We submitted our application in January, I was approved as a sponsor in May, and they started to process our file on July 31, 2012. We sent in everything all at once (medicals, notarized copies of both of our passports, marriage license, birth certificates, etc).

At some point, Buffalo closed and our application was sent to CPP-O. Any one in a similar situation that was processed already? Any idea how long until we get a decision? Will I get more details if I call rather than e-cas it? We selected to be communicated with via email, but haven't heard anything from them other than when I was approved to be his sponsor.

Thanks for any help/advice.

hello, I seem to remember "alf+jlh" to be from Buffalo too. check out her post below from June:

Hey guys, check out this response from Ottawa. I wrote to them early last week before we got ppr.


Hello,

All Family Priority Class files affected by the closure of the Buffalo office have been sent to Los Angeles Visa Office for processing.
Your file Fxxxxxxxxx arrived in Los Angeles on June 11, 2012.

Sincerely,

Case Processing Pilot - Ottawa | Centre de Traitement Pilote - Ottawa - 89

Interesting....

 

[flyonthewall]

Interesting. They've never communicated that to me. All it says on e-cas is:

We received your application for permanent residence on January 20, 2012.

We started processing your application on July 31, 2012.

Medical results have been received.


They only communicated when they approved me and at that time they said it was going to Buffalo. When I contacted them later, they said it went to the Case Pilot Processing - Ottawa. Haven't heard a peep since. I'm not sure what to do because I'm seeing others get processed.

 

[flyonthewall]

Also: Not sure what Priority Class is. We did a simple spousal sponsorship?

I'm surprised applications from the Philippines are happening faster than those from the US too.

 

[pelipeli]

Interesting. They've never communicated that to me. All it says on e-cas is:

We received your application for permanent residence on January 20, 2012.

We started processing your application on July 31, 2012.

Medical results have been received.


They only communicated when they approved me and at that time they said it was going to Buffalo. When I contacted them later, they said it went to the Case Pilot Processing - Ottawa. Haven't heard a peep since. I'm not sure what to do because I'm seeing others get processed.

I think Amanda (alf+jlh) already got her visa.. i would suggest order your GCMS notes, you will be able to see from there where your file is now and what have they done so far.

 

[pelipeli]

Also: Not sure what Priority Class is. We did a simple spousal sponsorship?

I'm surprised applications from the Philippines are happening faster than those from the US too.

Hmm i'm not familiar with Priority Class. from what it looks like, it refers to Family class or spousal sponsorships, but I'm not sure.

Why are you surprised with this? Philippines do really have faster processing times vs US according to CIC website, well accdng to the last update at least.

 

[flyonthewall]

Proximity mainly. You'd think that because they're closer that it would be faster. Also the immigration lawyer said that overseas applications usually take longer because they have a more difficult time to prove the legitimacy of the relationship.

How do I order my GCMS? And what are they?

Thank you very much for your help

 

[flyonthewall]

Nevermind --- I found a link

Thanks!

 

[pelipeli]

Proximity mainly. You'd think that because they're closer that it would be faster. Also the immigration lawyer said that overseas applications usually take longer because they have a more difficult time to prove the legitimacy of the relationship.

How do I order my GCMS? And what are they?

Thank you very much for your help

But the "proving" of genuine relationship happens in each respective VO.

GCMS link http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/atip/pia/global-phase2.asp
Give me a sec ill search for the instructions that were posted here previously for GCMS.