Manila Tread for English Speakers - join here!

[tuyen]

I fail to see what was naive in that statement. That people should expect good customer service? And if CIC were a business they would be in trouble...

No, you're free to expect whatever you like. The naive part of your statement was when you said that spitting in your food doesn't make it justified.

Well...duh. That's about as naive as one can get. Of course it's not JUSTIFIED. But it happens! And the same thing with a politician sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. If you're the guy working on John Doe's application, and you're stressed and swamped with 50 other applications that you're just trying to finish so you can get through your day, and all of a sudden John Doe's "MP" calls to nag you, what's YOUR natural instinct going to be? With 99.99% of the population, it's going to be, "f*ck this guy...his application is going straight to the bottom of the pile. I have enough things to worry about, and I don't need him calling his politician to NAG me as though I don't have enough on my plate already".

You can argue whether it's justified until you're blue in the face. I'm not talking about justification. I'm talking about the fact that human nature pretty much ENSURES that it WILL happen.

I also never said the whole process is FIFO. However, if my app is received in week one, and yours is received in week 2, then I should have an AOR before you. 100% of the time.

No, you shouldn't have ANY reason to expect that to be the case at all. You're once again stuck in your serial port mindset whereby every visa office has only ONE person working in it, and all applications are opened in the order in which they're received. In reality, however, things are very different. There are multiple case officers working in the VO, and each day new applications are dumped on their desks. So your application could go to case officer #1, and mine could go to case officer #2. Even though mine arrived a week after yours, it could still be opened first, because case officer #2 has his own workload, and is in no way connected to case officer #1. They each work at their own pace, and each application requires its own unique methods, and processing times will inevitably be different as a result.

Why is this such a difficult concept for you to grasp?

 

[tuyen]

You have no idea what you are talking about. Let the group know when you have completed your ESL classes. English comprehension isn't as difficult as it first appears.

Really? Do you really want to go down that road with me?

I'll save you the embarrassment, and won't even respond to your utter nonsense because the humiliation to which you'd be subjecting yourself is completely unfathomable to you at this point.

 

[Luckyman]

Do you guys realize at this point the humiliation is mutual to all parties?

Just sayin'

 

[CanadianJeepGuy]

Really? Do you really want to go down that road with me?

I'll save you the embarrassment, and won't even respond to your utter nonsense because the humiliation to which you'd be subjecting yourself is completely unfathomable to you at this point.

No please embarrass me. That would be a nice change from you embarrassing yourself.

I have read other comments you have made Tuyen and really all you bring to the table is conjecture and elementary school sarcasm.

You have no idea what you are talking about. Are you a CIC employee? Do you work for the government in any capacity? Do you know what it is like to work under deadlines on a daily basis? Nothing is gained by any agent deliberately burying someone's application. They are accountable for their work and would have to justify why any application would be delayed especially if it was one being inquired by an MP.
MP's do not nag as you keep droning on about. They contact managers. Managers contact supervisors and supervisors talk with the agent on the file or go looking for a file if it hasn't been initiated. An MP would have no way of knowing what agent is working on who's file.
Incidently this is part of what MP's are for. They are your representative in government matters. If you have a question or complaint about your garbage pick up or parking tickets you contact your city councilor. If you have a problem with your public school system you talk to your MPP and if you have a problem with your passport or any federal matter like immigration you talk to your MP. What do you think these people are for?

The basis for your argument is that CIC agents are humans that are stressed out and if you make inquiries concerning the service you are paying for then they will bury your file and you will never have your spouse immigrate. You're a moron if you think any office would operate under those conditions.

 

[scos]

No, you're free to expect whatever you like. The naive part of your statement was when you said that spitting in your food doesn't make it justified.

I think you need to look up the definition of that word.

Well...duh. That's about as naive as one can get. Of course it's not JUSTIFIED. But it happens! And the same thing with a politician sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.

And again, I already said that stuff like that CAN happen. Don't you actually read what you are answering? As for politicians, they are there to represent their consituents to the government, so how is that out of place?

If you're the guy working on John Doe's application, and you're stressed and swamped with 50 other applications that you're just trying to finish so you can get through your day, and all of a sudden John Doe's "MP" calls to nag you, what's YOUR natural instinct going to be? With 99.99% of the population, it's going to be, "f*ck this guy...his application is going straight to the bottom of the pile. I have enough things to worry about, and I don't need him calling his politician to NAG me as though I don't have enough on my plate already".

You don't think this happens in private business? I don't know how many times I've been yanked off one project to work on some VP's pet project or concern. Do I sabotage the work in revenge? No. You know why? Because it is unprofessional, it is bad customer service and bad for MY business. Most people in private business would be fired or severely reprimanded for something like that. And I have rarely witnessed co-workers indulging in that kind of behavior. If that is the way things are in CIC then they really need a change.

You can argue whether it's justified until you're blue in the face. I'm not talking about justification. I'm talking about the fact that human nature pretty much ENSURES that it WILL happen.

It doesn't "ENSURE" it. As I said, I haven't experienced that kind of attitude in private business. And to say thats the way it is doesn't make it right. So again, if what you are saying is true, then the CIC needs an overhaul. Most people I work with or have worked with might get really pissed about it, but they would do the work. If they didn't they would get in more trouble which could potentially lose them their job. Are you saying CIC staff are so secure in their positions they can behave this way with impunity? Again, if that is so then that should be changed too.

No, you shouldn't have ANY reason to expect that to be the case at all. You're once again stuck in your serial port mindset whereby every visa office has only ONE person working in it, and all applications are opened in the order in which they're received. In reality, however, things are very different. There are multiple case officers working in the VO, and each day new applications are dumped on their desks. So your application could go to case officer #1, and mine could go to case officer #2. Even though mine arrived a week after yours, it could still be opened first, because case officer #2 has his own workload, and is in no way connected to case officer #1. They each work at their own pace, and each application requires its own unique methods, and processing times will inevitably be different as a result.

Why is this such a difficult concept for you to grasp?

But there is only ONE mailroom. Most large corporations have all mail go to the mailroom where it is sorted and often preprocessed. I know my app was signed for in a mailroom. And THAT is where it should be timestamped. Happens in insurance all the time (they often take a further step to categorize the mail and scan it). Is this concept too difficult for government to grasp? I doubt it. I can tell you that private industry would handle similar processing the way I am saying. Which again leads me to think that if what you are saying is correct, then CIC needs a major change.

Finally, consider that as of today the CIC website says they are "Working on applications received on November 6, 2012". Now look at the spreadsheets for November and December. Why do people whose apps were received only in December already have AORs or Sponsorship Approvals when a large number in November have not even received AORs? That is a month difference and many are older than the working on date (some even in September too). Just how big are these "stacks of applications"? Even your description of the system doesn't adequately explain those facts.

 

[scos]

Do you guys realize at this point the humiliation is mutual to all parties?

I agree. I'm done with it...

 

[AnaMaria]

Does that mean happy new year?

 

[CanadianJeepGuy]

Yes.

It's sad to see Tuyen deprive a village somewhere of a perfectly good idiot.

 

[Steph C]

Yes.

It's sad to see Tuyen deprive a village somewhere of a perfectly good idiot.

A Village of Trolls.. he must be from Norway or Iceland where Trolls are native ;D Just like the Leprechauns in Ireland.

 

[CanadianJeepGuy]

A Village of Trolls.. he must be from Norway or Iceland where Trolls are native ;D Just like the Leprechauns in Ireland.

LOL. I'm still laughing about his veiled threat, "Do you really want to go down that road with me?"......LMAO.
I do understand that him being a level 67 Battlemage may imbue him with great powers but once you logoff Worlds of Warcraft those powers don't translate to the real world.
I wonder if his mom is going to let him on the internet tonight?

 

[Merlyns_Tim]

Just to ad my own 2 cents worth to the thread.
It's ridiculous how slow the Manila office has been with our approval. During my part of the process as a sponsor, Mississauga was right on time with my approval, and by the end of Dec. 2011 my wife got notice that the documents were in Manila. She was asked to supply a couple of other documents as well as later being asked to get an FBI check since she had been in the States for 9 months in 1991. She quickly supplied all she was asked for (the FBI clearance of course took the longest and she sent that in by early April I believe).

By mid Sept I was getting pretty steamed about the wait so I e-mailed my MP, and his secretary said she'd look into it for us. I also said that the reason I was talking to them is because in all the time we had UCI numbers we could never get into the CAS and check for ourselves.

When she got back in touch with us she said she was told we have a great file with no issues, but my wife had to get a medical again (had expired) and that a letter had been sent to her on the 14th of Sept. She was also told that our file was flagged, which we understood to mean when the medical came in everything would go very fast from that point on.

Now understand that my wife lives about a 40 minute drive from the embassy, and it was 2 weeks from the time they claimed they mailed the letter until she actually got it. She was in the clinic first thing on October 1st, and was told by the staff there that the embassy would have the results in 10 - 15 days, when she inquired. My MP's secretary talked to her contact about a month later and she was asked if my wife had been for the medical yet. My wife called the clinic and was told her file had been sent over on the 15th of Oct.

Finally about mid December I asked my wife to try that CAS thing again. This time it worked!! The only information it had though was three simple lines " We received your application for permanent residence on Sept. 7, 2011", We started processing your application on Sept. 14, 2012", and "Medical results have been received". It also says last modified 2012-06-12.

What a mess to try to understand that is!! If they received our application on Sept 07, 2011, .. why was it Sept, 14, 2012 before they started processing it all, .. and why if the clinic sent the medical results over on Oct 15th, does it appear that they were just added on Dec 06? (which is when they say the last modifications were made to our CAS). Also if they told our MP's office in mid Sept. that we have a great file with no issues, and they just started processing our application then, .. how would they know in such a short amount of time, that it was great and with no issues?

To me it just seems like a big run around, and both of us are really frustrated that we missed another few special occasions together because of what seems like lazy, or pissed off CIC officers.

If they get upset and throw on the brakes because they are past the amount of time that they should be on a file and the couple are a little anxious and want the MP to check things out for them, (usually because the darn CAS doesn't work) then they aren't the right kind of people to be doing that job. If anything it should show just how much the couple want to be together, and they should be courteous and understanding.
I know those officers have a job to do, and need to do it without making too many mistakes, ... but at the same time they should try to see it from the clients point of view, .. that for many couples they've been married a very long time and really need to live together. After all we are family, and it's wrong on so many levels to keep us apart any longer than they have to.

 

[CanadianJeepGuy]

Just to ad my own 2 cents worth to the thread.
It's ridiculous how slow the Manila office has been with our approval. During my part of the process as a sponsor, Mississauga was right on time with my approval, and by the end of Dec. 2011 my wife got notice that the documents were in Manila. She was asked to supply a couple of other documents as well as later being asked to get an FBI check since she had been in the States for 9 months in 1991. She quickly supplied all she was asked for (the FBI clearance of course took the longest and she sent that in by early April I believe).

By mid Sept I was getting pretty steamed about the wait so I e-mailed my MP, and his secretary said she'd look into it for us. I also said that the reason I was talking to them is because in all the time we had UCI numbers we could never get into the CAS and check for ourselves.

When she got back in touch with us she said she was told we have a great file with no issues, but my wife had to get a medical again (had expired) and that a letter had been sent to her on the 14th of Sept. She was also told that our file was flagged, which we understood to mean when the medical came in everything would go very fast from that point on.

Now understand that my wife lives about a 40 minute drive from the embassy, and it was 2 weeks from the time they claimed they mailed the letter until she actually got it. She was in the clinic first thing on October 1st, and was told by the staff there that the embassy would have the results in 10 - 15 days, when she inquired. My MP's secretary talked to her contact about a month later and she was asked if my wife had been for the medical yet. My wife called the clinic and was told her file had been sent over on the 15th of Oct.

Finally about mid December I asked my wife to try that CAS thing again. This time it worked!! The only information it had though was three simple lines " We received your application for permanent residence on Sept. 7, 2011", We started processing your application on Sept. 14, 2012", and "Medical results have been received". It also says last modified 2012-06-12.

What a mess to try to understand that is!! If they received our application on Sept 07, 2011, .. why was it Sept, 14, 2012 before they started processing it all, .. and why if the clinic sent the medical results over on Oct 15th, does it appear that they were just added on Dec 06? (which is when they say the last modifications were made to our CAS). Also if they told our MP's office in mid Sept. that we have a great file with no issues, and they just started processing our application then, .. how would they know in such a short amount of time, that it was great and with no issues?

To me it just seems like a big run around, and both of us are really frustrated that we missed another few special occasions together because of what seems like lazy, or pissed off CIC officers.

If they get upset and throw on the brakes because they are past the amount of time that they should be on a file and the couple are a little anxious and want the MP to check things out for them, (usually because the darn CAS doesn't work) then they aren't the right kind of people to be doing that job. If anything it should show just how much the couple want to be together, and they should be courteous and understanding.
I know those officers have a job to do, and need to do it without making too many mistakes, ... but at the same time they should try to see it from the clients point of view, .. that for many couples they've been married a very long time and really need to live together. After all we are family, and it's wrong on so many levels to keep us apart any longer than they have to.

When did you apply?

 

[Merlyns_Tim]

When did you apply?

Our documents went in Sept. 07 2011 to Mississauga, ... but were sent on to Manila 2 1/2 months later.

 

[CanadianJeepGuy]

Our documents went in Sept. 07 2011 to Mississauga, ... but were sent on to Manila 2 1/2 months later.

Holy crap.

 

[scos]

Hopefully they are not giving you the run-around and your file really does have no issues and you get an answer soon. Did they take her passport yet? I hear Manila tends to ask for it earlier in the process than most other VOs.