My experience to get TRV visa in 1.5 week using urgent processing request

[Jackwonder]

Hopefully this is useful. I got an interview at Canada then I have to be there early next week. After consulting almost everybody, even seemingly senior guys (you can see from the number of stars under their names) dont think I can make it. And everybody suggested to apply online since it could be processed first. But everybody knows it is gonna take more than one month!

So instead, I had to take risk to print out flight ticket, hotel reservation and invitation letter and visited LA consulate in person. Then I asked for a Urgent processing Request form. After several hours, I was informed by email that my urgent processing request is granted!

So my suggestion is that if it is really urgent, go to consulate and write STRONG reason for priority processing. You dont need to have a relative just being dead at Canada. People's experiences are misleading, and mine could be rare case too. Just go there in person and fill form if you have to get it soon. I think canadian consulate is still reasonable.

 

[steaky]

Every people situation/experience is different. Some like yourself visited the consulate in person, got the visa in 1.5 week using urgent processing request and get it. But does not mean others will get it in the same time frame.

 

[Jackwonder]

My point is that it is not the mission impossible if somebody really wants to get it soon. I was quite frustrated by hearing people's suggestion, but fortunately it works out. It definitely will not apply to any cases.

 

[logismoi]

Perhaps people working at the LA Consulate are more reasonable. Or perhaps the Canadians can be accused of discrimination. If you read this thread (visitor-visa-applied-to-newyork-office-through-mail-t138046.30.html), you'll realize that someone in a very similar situation was however not granted "urgent processing." So a job interview is urgent, whilst an academic conference is not? Excuse my language – what a screwed-up money-oriented society Canada must be.

FYI, I missed my conference as well, because some annoying bureaucrats refused to process my application in a timely manner. No university would reimburse a cancelled trip. $1100 CAD has been flushed down the toilet – more precisely, ripped off by Canada – as PorterEscapes (avoid them at all cost!!!), coincidentally a Canadian company, refused to refund my package. Neither would they let me reschedule my flights. A "sister" company as they are, they however claimed to have terms and conditions "slightly" different from the ones of Porter Airlines, even though I was automatically redirected to their system when booking on Porter Airlines' website. I had so many options, yet I chose Porter, because stereotypically speaking, Canadians are supposed to be nice. Interestingly, I have never had this kind of experience on American booking websites.

Thank you Canada for teaching me a great lesson. From now on, I will stay away from this country as far as possible. Not another penny from my pocket will be spent on Canada. You think all "third-world" passport holders are leeches desperate to immigrant to your "beautiful" country? Think again.

 

[Jackwonder]

I think many settings and policies are different at Canada vs. US, but they are more just details. I also wasted 400 bucks and was told that reservation of hotel could not be changed or cancelled, even the date! This ridiculous rule wont be seen here. Anyway, best of luck. I might be lucky enough.

 

[rfwoolf]

This thread made me believe that I could go to the LA consulate and try the "Urgent Processing Request Form" tactic.
I had applied online a few days ago, so I took all my papers with me and I had been up all night preparing the urgency letters and all the documentation.
I caught the 2-hour train to LA
rushed to the embassy
(they are only open 9am - 10am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday)

...and the woman was very abrupt and bitchy to me.
She didn't bother to read the urgency request properly, but she saw the words "Family Wedding" amongst everything I had wrote and said "Weddings are not urgent" and that I should apply online. I told her I had already applied online and wanted to submit the request for urgency. She told me I cannot submit another application because I had already lodged one online and she refused to answer any more questions.
I went to sit down.
After the queue I went back and told her I had travelled very far and been up all night and would really like her to read my letter and consider my case.
She started to quickly look at my letter and documents but then repeated everything she said before "Weddings are not urgent ... we cannot accept your application because you already have one online" I told her I would be happy to withdraw the online application. She then said it would be wasting my time and hers but that the office is now closed and that I should come back on Friday again between 9am and 10am

So for me it was a total waste of time.

I am very angry and upset at the Canadian Embassy.
They give processing times for each office, except for online applications.
I cannot even tell which office is processing my application.
They have ruined my whole vacation.

 

[kumar_montreal]

Hi,

I applied TRV for spouse and kid @ consulate in Delhi on July 26 '13 and medicals were also sent on 08 aug '13. I also sent email requesting for expediting the visa processing, but no response.

I am in Canada now, can I go to the Ottawa consulate and provide the Urgent Processing Request form.... or the form needs to be submitted at the Delhi consulate only ??

any inputs in this regard ?

Regards,

Kumar.

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hi,

I applied TRV for spouse and kid @ consulate in Delhi on July 26 '13 and medicals were also sent on 08 aug '13. I also sent email requesting for expediting the visa processing, but no response.

I am in Canada now, can I go to the Ottawa consulate and provide the Urgent Processing Request form.... or the form needs to be submitted at the Delhi consulate only ??

any inputs in this regard ?

Regards,

Kumar.

Delhi only. It should have been submitted with the application. As far as I know Delhi doesn't have urgent processing.

 

[dotmatrix]

Perhaps people working at the LA Consulate are more reasonable. Or perhaps the Canadians can be accused of discrimination. If you read this thread (visitor-visa-applied-to-newyork-office-through-mail-t138046.30.html), you'll realize that someone in a very similar situation was however not granted "urgent processing." So a job interview is urgent, whilst an academic conference is not? Excuse my language – what a screwed-up money-oriented society Canada must be.

FYI, I missed my conference as well, because some annoying bureaucrats refused to process my application in a timely manner. No university would reimburse a cancelled trip. $1100 CAD has been flushed down the toilet – more precisely, ripped off by Canada – as PorterEscapes (avoid them at all cost!!!), coincidentally a Canadian company, refused to refund my package. Neither would they let me reschedule my flights. A "sister" company as they are, they however claimed to have terms and conditions "slightly" different from the ones of Porter Airlines, even though I was automatically redirected to their system when booking on Porter Airlines' website. I had so many options, yet I chose Porter, because stereotypically speaking, Canadians are supposed to be nice. Interestingly, I have never had this kind of experience on American booking websites.

Thank you Canada for teaching me a great lesson. From now on, I will stay away from this country as far as possible. Not another penny from my pocket will be spent on Canada. You think all "third-world" passport holders are leeches desperate to immigrant to your "beautiful" country? Think again.

ahaha..How quickly this turned into a Canada bash thread. Consular services are always a pain in the neck, some more than the others. I am sorry you had to go thru such pain. However, you should never make any plans before you are assured that you have proper documentation to even enter that country. I'm sure missing the conference wouldn't have hurt as much if you hadn't booked a trip for $1,100 in a rush.

I sympathize with you for not getting a visa but sympathizing on losing money is rather difficult.

P.S: I just jumped on a cheap $1,000 fare on Saudi airlines only to realize that I can't have a layover for more than 18 hours in Riyadh, SA because of their visa rules. Now my $1,000 ticket is just a piece of paper. I sure am pissed off but at my own stupidity for not checking the rules. Visa rules, however stupid they might be, are the sold discretion of a country and as a traveler it's my responsibility to abide by them. So before I call a whole country "not-nice", I would audit my action to see if I did my due diligence before doling out $1,000 on a fare I couldn't take.

 

[rfwoolf]

"only to realize that I can't have a layover for more than 18 hours in Riyadh,"
Try anyway?

 

[dotmatrix]

"only to realize that I can't have a layover for more than 18 hours in Riyadh,"
Try anyway?

you know what..that's actually what I'm thinking about. Maybe I'll have plead to the lady at the check in counter. Anyone with similar experience?