It was one of the fees I was unaware of, so I didn't pay it until yesterday. Another $490 into the coffers of the government...it's been a pricey process to say the least. And, yes, they started processing on August 21st - nearly 6 months. I thought that was quite long for a case like ours (US spouse no dependents), but c'est la vie.
Oh, and just to clarify, the next request I can expect is the copy of the passport pages, and then after that we should receive our COPR? Is that correct - just two more steps?
Correct...we call it PPR ( Passport request) and then COPR will be sent to you and then you land with your B4 and B4A and VOILA!!