Manila Tread for English Speakers - join here!

[Faith45]

Why do you bother your MP or CEM for your application status? Simply pay $5 and request emailed copy of GCMS notes. This will give you the most up-to-date information. Any other form of inquiry can potentially slow things down.




[/quote
Hi! I believe that it will be useless as of now coz my medical will expire in less than a month so I need a quick response. GCMS or CAIPS takes a month.

 

[truesmile]

Well in that case, everything is "useless", there is nothing that can speed things along for you. Additional enquiries can only do only one thing . . . hinder your processing. Let's assume for a moment (sorry to say so) that your medicals expire before you hear anything, at least one month from now (and your wallet only $5 lighter) you will know WAY more than you know now.

A successful PR applicant her posted her blog (you may have read it). Of all things I recall her retrospect on sending SIX enquiries to CEM . . . She said "you wanna know how to make a VO officer angry . . . keep sending enquiries, I sent 5 too many". She knows, she got herself an interview (in her opinion) just for sending so many which, only HINDERED their application.

 

[Steph C]

When you order GCMS notes, where do they come from? Is it just a printout of what they would have in the computer about your file? Does the Visa officer have anything to do with it, or is it just sent from an office? Do you think ordering them will slow you down?

 

[CanadianJeepGuy]

Why do you bother your MP or CEM for your application status? Simply pay $5 and request emailed copy of GCMS notes. This will give you the most up-to-date information. Any other form of inquiry can potentially slow things down.




[/quote
Hi! I believe that it will be useless as of now coz my medical will expire in less than a month so I need a quick response. GCMS or CAIPS takes a month.

I bother my MP because that is a part of what an MP gets paid for. Inquiries through an MP I think are considered more appropriate if the wait has been excessive. I don't see the point of pay $5 more for a process I have already paid over $500 for.
The only information I really require at this point is when I can expect my wife to get her PR so I can book time off work and go and get her. Manila VO should be update their process times.

 

[BC_guy]

I bother my MP because that is a part of what an MP gets paid for. Inquiries through an MP I think are considered more appropriate if the wait has been excessive. I don't see the point of pay $5 more for a process I have already paid over $500 for.

According to your posted timeline, your wait has not been excessive. It is still within the official 9 month processing time. Your MP will not tell you any more than is already in the GCMS notes. The notes come from Ottawa and do not affect the processing of your application. If it was more than 10 months, then yes it would be appropriate to contact your MP.

 

[truesmile]

When you order GCMS notes, where do they come from? Is it just a printout of what they would have in the computer about your file? Does the Visa officer have anything to do with it, or is it just sent from an office? Do you think ordering them will slow you down?

No I don't think it would. That's my point, and it prolly would be the most informative source of information considering her currrent state of panickers!

 

[tuyen]

The only information I really require at this point is when I can expect my wife to get her PR so I can book time off work and go and get her. Manila VO should be update their process times.

Nobody can tell you when you can "expect" to get anything. You will only know for sure AFTER they approve her application. Nobody can tell you anything else at this point - not your MP, not the VO, not Santa Claus.

According to your profile information, you applied in May of 2012 and you got your acknowledgement in August of 2012. That means it's barely been 3 months...so you're not even a third of the way through the process. Manilla is processing 80% of applications in 11 months, so that means you have an 80% chance that it will be completed by July of 2013, assuming that you submitted a perfect application which required no additional information, no corrections, and nothing else that would slow down the process. But I notice that you also have a note in your profile saying "docs and pics resent" in September, and I don't know what that's all about, but every time they need additional documents from you or corrections for something, you have to realistically add another month or two to your processing time.

By contacting your MP and getting him to start nagging your visa office when you're only 3 months into the 11 month process, there's a very good chance you're going to piss off somebody at the Manilla VO, and your application will quickly end up at the bottom of the pile.

 

[scos]

Truesmile: I can't find the simplified description I found before. I did find a fees page here http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=106&Itemid=43.

I guess the probabtionary is the one for the first 4 years. Apparently the special 1 year visa is only granted if you enter the country with your spouse. I'll post the government link if I run across it again. I found the link to the fees page through this forum... http://www.philippines-expats.com/index.php/topic/12055-13a-permanent-resident-visa-costs/.

It does look like a cheaper route (though the 10k USD one isn't technically a "fee" but an "investment").

 

[scos]

Oh yeah, I have a question about the moving. I asked my wife to put the question in the Tagalog forums but she never got a satisfactory answer so I'll ask it here. Have any of you looked into shipping companies for personal items that isn't really expensive? The best prices I have seen are like over $100 for 3 boxes (and not really large ones either). Has anyone else looked into this and found any good deals?

The next question is about airfares. One way airfares seem unduly high. There are deals occasionally but without knowing in advance when my wife can come it makes taking advantage of these problematic. I had heard about special deals for immigrants by certain airlines but I haven't been able to confirm it. There ARE Filipino travel agents that offer discounts but they aren't always worth it (I found some regular fares on a par with some of the "deals", at least when you take into account travel time and number of transfers). And when I checked Cathay Pacific they do have a special rate for overseas workers but I don't know if they would apply this to an immigrant.

Anyone else have any research to share on these matters?

Thanks

 

[WoodyKatie]

Oh yeah, I have a question about the moving. I asked my wife to put the question in the Tagalog forums but she never got a satisfactory answer so I'll ask it here. Have any of you looked into shipping companies for personal items that isn't really expensive? The best prices I have seen are like over $100 for 3 boxes (and not really large ones either). Has anyone else looked into this and found any good deals?

The next question is about airfares. One way airfares seem unduly high. There are deals occasionally but without knowing in advance when my wife can come it makes taking advantage of these problematic. I had heard about special deals for immigrants by certain airlines but I haven't been able to confirm it. There ARE Filipino travel agents that offer discounts but they aren't always worth it (I found some regular fares on a par with some of the "deals", at least when you take into account travel time and number of transfers). And when I checked Cathay Pacific they do have a special rate for overseas workers but I don't know if they would apply this to an immigrant.

Anyone else have any research to share on these matters?

Thanks

Have you tried LBC or just the Phil. Post?

Ive searched the expedia.com and they have cheaper flights like only for $705 one way

 

[tuyen]

Oh yeah, I have a question about the moving. I asked my wife to put the question in the Tagalog forums but she never got a satisfactory answer so I'll ask it here. Have any of you looked into shipping companies for personal items that isn't really expensive? The best prices I have seen are like over $100 for 3 boxes (and not really large ones either).

$100 for 3 boxes from the Philippines to Canada? Sounds like a bargain to me.

The next question is about airfares. One way airfares seem unduly high.

Forget one-way tickets. Buy a normal ticket like everybody else for much less money. You won't be using the return portion of it, so a few days before the return flight, call up the airline and let them know that they have an open seat which they can sell to someone else. They'll be happy, and you'll be happy.

 

[Steph C]

Forget one-way tickets. Buy a normal ticket like everybody else for much less money. You won't be using the return portion of it, so a few days before the return flight, call up the airline and let them know that they have an open seat which they can sell to someone else. They'll be happy, and you'll be happy.

One way tickets are still cheaper then round trip. Last time I was looking, one way MNL-YVR was about $700 while round trip was over 1K. There's not a huge choice of airlines. Keep in mind she still can't fly through the US without a C1D visa.

 

[WoodyKatie]

Yeah.... One way ticket is still much cheaper. And, airlines will no longer refund your fee once purchase or they will still charge you by percentage.

 

[scos]

It's a shame you can't by a return one and save the return flight for sometime in the future for a visit...

 

[Steph C]

It's a shame you can't by a return one and save the return flight for sometime in the future for a visit...

True but that's a vicious circle.. then you have to buy a tix back etc, etc, etc.. personally I don't care about the price, when we get our visa he can get the first plane out of there.