Los Angeles Visa Office Applicants Check in here! :)

[Sunshine87]

Stay strong and be honest... Just go back and cross the border BEFORE the Visitor Permit expires, hope you get someone else coming back

I'm definitely leaving before it expires. I don't want to mess things up for future travelling. Though my husband and I both agree that we'd be fine if we never returned to the US after he gets his PR :

I have a question. My husband and I are moving to a new apartment in about a week. How do I change his address with CIC? ECAS takes you to a 'Contact Us' link, but I'm stumped as to who and how I contact someone.. would it be LA or Ottawa?

 

[parker24]

I'm definitely leaving before it expires. I don't want to mess things up for future travelling. Though my husband and I both agree that we'd be fine if we never returned to the US after he gets his PR :

I have a question. My husband and I are moving to a new apartment in about a week. How do I change his address with CIC? ECAS takes you to a 'Contact Us' link, but I'm stumped as to who and how I contact someone.. would it be LA or Ottawa?

Try Ottawa. If it ends up that you need to contact LA, they will tell you so. If not, then at least they will know!

 

[Amoss]

I just made the ridiculously long drive from Calgary to Tucson this weekend (25 hrs!). So happy to be waiting things out with my husband. However; part of my nightmares came true at the border. We got a cranky, rather rude lady who didn't believe that I had strong enough ties to Canada, despite my sponsorship approval letter, and employment letter in hand. I had put together enough documents that I felt like I was well equipped to prove I was only visiting my husband for 6 months, in which time I would return to Canada. But because my ties weren't equity, like owning a home, I was unable to convince her. I was given a visitor record card and must go back to Canada by Oct 12. We begged for her to allow us to spend our anniversary together (Nov 11) and she wouldn't do it. She said "we aren't trying to keep people apart, we're just trying to keep things honest. I shouldn't even let you across the border at all".

That's when I started bawling and this is why my husband is coming to Canada.. because Canada is better (duh, right?!). I could have lied through my teeth to easily slip across the border (saying something like we are visiting family for a few weeks, passport would probably not even been stamped), but we decided to keep it honest and completely within the letter of the law, and for that WE are the ones who suffer. We just want to be together!

Anyways, despite a little wrinkle in our plans, we are happy to be under one roof for 6 weeks. Hopefully ecas updates to in process soon. Government officials/agencies just have no idea how much they hold our fates, do they?

Ouch! that sucks sorry to hear it. It's so unfair how it all depends on the person's mood at the time basically. I mean, the fact that you guys are applying for his Canadian residency should be proof enough that you don't intend to stay in the States. If only she knew how long and expensive the process was... !!

Anyway, I hope you guys can figure something out to go back their for your anni!

 

[expatboarder]

Hi

I am just trying to estimate the time for my PPR based on past times and the Buffalo closure. It seems like the closure probably slowed approvals by 1-2 months at this point. Does this seem about right? Also when your file reads in process how much longer to get the PPR? I read a previous post that once it gets transferred to LA its about 2-3 months. Its hard to plan your life when so much is out of your hands. Hoping for a speedier process. Good luck to all!

boarder

 

[Rose2D2]

Try Ottawa. If it ends up that you need to contact LA, they will tell you so. If not, then at least they will know!

Good luck getting a response from them :-\ I emailed Ottawa about changing my mailing address to my sponsors and they've seemed to have gone completely silent again.

 

[parker24]

Good luck getting a response from them :-\ I emailed Ottawa about changing my mailing address to my sponsors and they've seemed to have gone completely silent again.

See I find that strange, they almost always reply to me ???

 

[Rose2D2]

See I find that strange, they almost always reply to me ???

Well crap. I have to change my mailing address because my lease ends soon, but the online form says that you can only use that if you're already in Canada. But I don't get a response from email. I'm considering just using the online form anyway, but I'm nervous about changing my address to a Canadian one, since it won't let you just change a mailing address.

 

[parker24]

Well crap. I have to change my mailing address because my lease ends soon, but the online form says that you can only use that if you're already in Canada. But I don't get a response from email. I'm considering just using the online form anyway, but I'm nervous about changing my address to a Canadian one, since it won't let you just change a mailing address.

Just keep e-mailing. That's the ONLY way I got a response was because I sent three e-mails over three days and then they replied

 

[cgagnon]

Uhhhh this is crazy long im starting to lose patience!!!

 

[Rose2D2]

Uhhhh this is crazy long im starting to lose patience!!!

Yeah, no kidding. I keep thinking to myself, "why didn't we just get married and gotten out application in sooner?!" of course, we had no idea that Buffalo was going to close. I think the biggest issue I have is that we went from one of the seemingly more efficient VO's to to dog poo office

 

[cgagnon]

Yeah, no kidding. I keep thinking to myself, "why didn't we just get married and gotten out application in sooner?!" of course, we had no idea that Buffalo was going to close. I think the biggest issue I have is that we went from one of the seemingly more efficient VO's to to dog poo office

Any news? For anybody?!?

 

[happylaw]

Any news? For anybody?!?

Nothing what is going on?! This wait is too long!!!

 

[cgagnon]

Nothing what is going on?! This wait is too long!!!

It's driving me nuts! I've been put off work for 4 weeks this is too stressful!

 

[happylaw]

It's driving me nuts! I've been put off work for 4 weeks this is too stressful!

I hope we hear something soon. I am thinking I should order my notes and see what is going on. I have been in Canada since August 2011 and havent been working, I know how you feel! I just want to be working already. Although some say I am "lucky" to not be working....it's not funny anymore when people say that. Hang in there!

 

[computergeek]

I received my GCMS notes on Friday afternoon. Basically they said they hadn't done anything on my application (as of a month ago, of course.) The only thing I saw that was odd is they said "Passport photos do not have biodata on the back". I went back and re-read the US specific rules and they don't ask you to put bio data on the back.

Everything else just said "not started". It listed both Ottawa (primary office) and LA (secondary office) on the application.

For example, illuminating entries like:

APPLICATION 2
Field Name: Primary Office
Action: Updated
Old Value: CPC Mississauga
New Value: CPP Ottawa
Updated Date 2012106121
Updated By AH00565
Office CPP Ottawa

or

APPLICATION 10
Field Name: Medical
Action: Updated
Old Value:
New Value: Not Started
Updated Date 2012106119
Updated By CC5473
Office: CPC Mississauga

So there's a lot of "data" but minimal information (basically, it says that nothing has happened as of the date they ran the GCMS report.)

The date on the GCMS report was 9 August 2012, although I received it on 7 September 2012.