- Mar 29, 2011
- 1
- Category........
- Visa Office......
- Buffalo
- Job Offer........
- Pre-Assessed..
- App. Filed.......
- 17-03-2011
- Nomination.....
- 18-04-2011
- AOR Received.
- 28-04-2011
- File Transfer...
- 18-04-2011
- Med's Done....
- 09-29-2010
- Interview........
- Waived
- Passport Req..
- 20-07-2011
- VISA ISSUED...
- 05-08-2011
- LANDED..........
- 01-09-2011
Hello all:
Not sure if this will be helpful at all, but I thought I would provide the steps and details I took for my PR application that got me to receive a PPR in a window of just over 4 months. First, I have no idea how CIC processes files or how I was so fortunate to get such a quick turnaround time. But, I thought if it worked for me, it may work for others.
I am an American-born American citizen. My wife is a Canadian-born Canadian citizen with family currently living in Canada. We have been married since 2002 (married in Canada) and we have two children, both of which have U.S. and Canadian Citizenship. We applied for our children's citizenship paperwork soon after they were born. Neither of us had ever married, arrested or detained.
We decided in August of 2010 that we would relocate to Canada to be closer to my wife's family. We had no idea how long the actual process of completing the forms or acquiring the necessary paperwork would take and we ended up learning along the way.
I started with my medicals. I got my exam completed at the end of September 2010. It was one of the very first things I did for my PR app. I soon learned it should have probably been one of the last things I should have done, but in the end may have helped my processing time. So reading through all the instructions on CIC's website and in the printed forms, I learned that I needed a police certificate from the FBI, which required getting my fingerprints. The turnaround time to get my police cert. was about 6 weeks, mailing the request at the beginning of Nov 2010 and receiving it mid December 2010. During that wait, we completed all the forms for sponsorship approval and PR.
We carefully reviewed our packet for the next two months, rereading instructions, coming to this site for help (THANKS!) and redoing a couple apps over and over, some even 3 times.
We were finally ready to send our package to Mississauga in March 2011. In addition to my wife's sponsorship app and my PR app, we included the following:
- wife's w-2 tax statements from the past ten years (in lieu of option-c printout since my wife has been in US for 15 years)
- 2 joint bank account statements, one soon after our marriage and the other more recent (2011)
- marriage photos with all our immediate family members
- photos of us with friends and family during our relationship
- all civil docs as per the instructions
- signed letter from family in Canada stating their ability to provide residence after I receive PR
All in all, our combined package totaled over 80 pages. Everything was sent together, but in two file folders, one for my wife's sponsorship app and the other for my PR app. In some instances, we provided a duplicate copy of a document (marriage cert) where instructions were ambiguous. We also included a copy of the medicals that I received per the instructions. And we paid all applications fees in full and sent a receipt with our app. We did not use an attorney at all during the process.
I only made one inquiry to CIC Buffalo during the whole process, in which I requested my file number. They responded a couple days later with my file number and notification that my application was in process. A couple weeks later, I received my PPR via email.
What I think helped our processing time the most are the following:
- We were married in Canada
- We have no prior marriages and two children that have Canadian Citizenship
- All application fees were paid in full
- We provided as much financial information as we could to demonstrate financial independence upon arrival into Canada
- My Medicals expire at the end of September 2011 (meaning I need to land before that expiry date. CIC may have seen that date when I sent my inquiry and decided to get my PPR to me quickly. I would NOT recommend trying this. Just a guess.)
So now, after starting this process almost one year ago, I'm excited to land in a couple weeks and be closer to our family and to begin our lives in Canada.
Hope this helps anyone who's just getting started in the process.
Best wishes to everyone who's in process and awaiting some good news!
Not sure if this will be helpful at all, but I thought I would provide the steps and details I took for my PR application that got me to receive a PPR in a window of just over 4 months. First, I have no idea how CIC processes files or how I was so fortunate to get such a quick turnaround time. But, I thought if it worked for me, it may work for others.
I am an American-born American citizen. My wife is a Canadian-born Canadian citizen with family currently living in Canada. We have been married since 2002 (married in Canada) and we have two children, both of which have U.S. and Canadian Citizenship. We applied for our children's citizenship paperwork soon after they were born. Neither of us had ever married, arrested or detained.
We decided in August of 2010 that we would relocate to Canada to be closer to my wife's family. We had no idea how long the actual process of completing the forms or acquiring the necessary paperwork would take and we ended up learning along the way.
I started with my medicals. I got my exam completed at the end of September 2010. It was one of the very first things I did for my PR app. I soon learned it should have probably been one of the last things I should have done, but in the end may have helped my processing time. So reading through all the instructions on CIC's website and in the printed forms, I learned that I needed a police certificate from the FBI, which required getting my fingerprints. The turnaround time to get my police cert. was about 6 weeks, mailing the request at the beginning of Nov 2010 and receiving it mid December 2010. During that wait, we completed all the forms for sponsorship approval and PR.
We carefully reviewed our packet for the next two months, rereading instructions, coming to this site for help (THANKS!) and redoing a couple apps over and over, some even 3 times.
We were finally ready to send our package to Mississauga in March 2011. In addition to my wife's sponsorship app and my PR app, we included the following:
- wife's w-2 tax statements from the past ten years (in lieu of option-c printout since my wife has been in US for 15 years)
- 2 joint bank account statements, one soon after our marriage and the other more recent (2011)
- marriage photos with all our immediate family members
- photos of us with friends and family during our relationship
- all civil docs as per the instructions
- signed letter from family in Canada stating their ability to provide residence after I receive PR
All in all, our combined package totaled over 80 pages. Everything was sent together, but in two file folders, one for my wife's sponsorship app and the other for my PR app. In some instances, we provided a duplicate copy of a document (marriage cert) where instructions were ambiguous. We also included a copy of the medicals that I received per the instructions. And we paid all applications fees in full and sent a receipt with our app. We did not use an attorney at all during the process.
I only made one inquiry to CIC Buffalo during the whole process, in which I requested my file number. They responded a couple days later with my file number and notification that my application was in process. A couple weeks later, I received my PPR via email.
What I think helped our processing time the most are the following:
- We were married in Canada
- We have no prior marriages and two children that have Canadian Citizenship
- All application fees were paid in full
- We provided as much financial information as we could to demonstrate financial independence upon arrival into Canada
- My Medicals expire at the end of September 2011 (meaning I need to land before that expiry date. CIC may have seen that date when I sent my inquiry and decided to get my PPR to me quickly. I would NOT recommend trying this. Just a guess.)
So now, after starting this process almost one year ago, I'm excited to land in a couple weeks and be closer to our family and to begin our lives in Canada.
Hope this helps anyone who's just getting started in the process.
Best wishes to everyone who's in process and awaiting some good news!
