Port of Spain Office, Trinidad and Tobago

[LouisFam]

Hello there,
Just checking in! Hope everyone is doing okay and trying not to be too anxious! Sorry GiGi and Priestman for the unfavourable responses - it must be very rough on you all but keep the faith!

I have a quick question about this interview process. Just to refresh, we applied in Nov '12, our file was transferred Jan '13, we received our AOR in May '13. I recently applied for notes Aug '13 and hoping btwn end of Sept to mid Oct we will get those "precious notes" :-X Now to my question, do you think by now we should have been notified for an interview? Could the interview have been waived because we have been in the system for quite some time now and no word yet? Any thoughts??

 

[Maddants]

Hello there,
Just checking in! Hope everyone is doing okay and trying not to be too anxious! Sorry GiGi and Priestman for the unfavourable responses - it must be very rough on you all but keep the faith!

I have a quick question about this interview process. Just to refresh, we applied in Nov '12, our file was transferred Jan '13, we received our AOR in May '13. I recently applied for notes Aug '13 and hoping btwn end of Sept to mid Oct we will get those "precious notes" :-X Now to my question, do you think by now we should have been notified for an interview? Could the interview have been waived because we have been in the system for quite some time now and no word yet? Any thoughts??

hey there louisfam.....you can still get an interview if the immigration officer requested it....it does not matter how long your application have been on file or anything of the sout... once you get back your notes it will be able to give you an idea if they recommend an interview or the interview is waived...i hope this make sense to you

 

[Zouk Princesse]

Hello there,
Just checking in! Hope everyone is doing okay and trying not to be too anxious! Sorry GiGi and Priestman for the unfavourable responses - it must be very rough on you all but keep the faith!

I have a quick question about this interview process. Just to refresh, we applied in Nov '12, our file was transferred Jan '13, we received our AOR in May '13. I recently applied for notes Aug '13 and hoping btwn end of Sept to mid Oct we will get those "precious notes" :-X Now to my question, do you think by now we should have been notified for an interview? Could the interview have been waived because we have been in the system for quite some time now and no word yet? Any thoughts??

Hard to say, POS is a bit all over the map these days. It could be the case, in which case you'd hear something pretty soon cause once they make the decision to waive the interview, they generally move pretty quickly (assuming the background checks have come through). On the other hand, a senior officer is required to review your file to determine if an interview is needed, and that can sometimes take a while, so it could also be that it's waiting for that second review. Hard to say, hopefully your notes come through soon with some clarification. Hang in there!

Priestman, really sorry to hear about the decision on your file. Don't give up! In addition to the appeal thread, check out www.canlii.org to read up on the notes from previous appeal cases. This will help a lot in preparing for your own. Best of luck and do keep in touch.

 

[Maddants]

Well jus so u guys know I received snail on my decision and m in for the battle claimed i did not satisfy her dat my marriage was genuine.so based on her rediculus reasons (to me ) i did not dsatisfy her dat not inadmisable. Then she said she is sending a letter to my spouse notifying her ofthe appeal provosions of the immigration refugee act. The letter eill b sent to the lastknown adress. An adress which was chanfe 3 months ago so they nowr sending theletter delebrately to an old adress but ny way nun can stop the love. Cause guess wat she will keep going at it theyre trna fustrate her but god wil be good.tke care peeps.

hey there priestman....sorry to hear your bad news....just know that we are all here to support you in your time of need... dont give up the fight at all.....just pray and have faith in the lord and everything will be ok....

 

[Behopeful]

hey there priestman....sorry to hear your bad news....just know that we are all here to support you in your time of need... dont give up the fight at all.....just pray and have faith in the lord and everything will be ok....

Maddants! Haven't seen you posting in a while (I check out the JA forum from time to time) but you are a good example of that an interview can be requested at any point in the process. I think you received your interview request at over a year into the process. Right? Have you ordered notes? Was your file sent to be reviewed by a senior officer? Hope your journey comes to an end soon!

 

[Behopeful]

Hard to say, POS is a bit all over the map these days. It could be the case, in which case you'd hear something pretty soon cause once they make the decision to waive the interview, they generally move pretty quickly (assuming the background checks have come through). On the other hand, a senior officer is required to review your file to determine if an interview is needed, and that can sometimes take a while, so it could also be that it's waiting for that second review. Hard to say, hopefully your notes come through soon with some clarification. Hang in there!

Priestman, really sorry to hear about the decision on your file. Don't give up! In addition to the appeal thread, check out www.canlii.org to read up on the notes from previous appeal cases. This will help a lot in preparing for your own. Best of luck and do keep in touch.

Just wanted to clarify... Does everyone's file get reviewed by a senior to determine if interview is needed? The senior officer makes the final decision? Sorry if I am not being clear... Little foggy from lack of sleep (daughter was up ALL night, just for the fun of it!).

 

[gigi_411]

Wow priestman the same thing happened to you. Believe me when I say I know exactly how u feel. It's disgusting that they can let ppl in this country who can't speak English and stay on welfare forever. and won't let ppl who are married and work hard and speak English be together. This appeal process is gruelling and worse than applying for spousal sponsorship. They say it can take up to a year and a half. So a lot of patience is needed.
I knowwwwww everyone is getting frustrated with waiting for an answer. But look at the bright side ur probably just waiting cause they are jerks making u wait but your answer is yes. So once these few months r over ur good. I almost wish we had to wait 18 months to get a yes then go through a while new process that takes even longer and they still might say no.
Has anyone watched that show border security. Does it make u as mad as it makes me watching it. I don't know why but I'm starting to hate all government workers. Even though I wish I had a job with the govt.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I hate this. I have literally run out of patience.!!!! .

 

[Zouk Princesse]

Just wanted to clarify... Does everyone's file get reviewed by a senior to determine if interview is needed? The senior officer makes the final decision? Sorry if I am not being clear... Little foggy from lack of sleep (daughter was up ALL night, just for the fun of it!).

The general process is - jr officer reviews file and makes detailed notes, these notes end in either "relationship appears genuine, no interview needed, no concerns" or "[list of concerns], recommend for interview or additional review required". The senior officer then reviews the file notes - for the ones recommending interview be waived, the sr officer can agree based on the detailed file notes or if something stands out, can quickly review the file as well. Then he/she signs off, interview waived, issue PPR and/or request additional docs as necessary. For those where the jr officer listed concerns, the senior officer will typically review the paper file/evidence to determine whether or not interview is required.

So in the end, a sr officer must sign off regardless. You can see the progression in the gcms notes, where the initials of the reviewing officers change. In terms of timelines, we can reasonably assume that files where the jr officer recommends waiving the interview get through faster at that point, because less work is required on the part of the sr officer. I don't know how they organize their days, but I could see them taking several quick review files in between the detailed ones. Based on my notes, it took I think a week or two for the sr officer to sign off.

Hope that cleared it up for ya [/list]

 

[Behopeful]

Wow priestman the same thing happened to you. Believe me when I say I know exactly how u feel. It's disgusting that they can let ppl in this country who can't speak English and stay on welfare forever. and won't let ppl who are married and work hard and speak English be together. This appeal process is gruelling and worse than applying for spousal sponsorship. They say it can take up to a year and a half. So a lot of patience is needed.
I knowwwwww everyone is getting frustrated with waiting for an answer. But look at the bright side ur probably just waiting cause they are jerks making u wait but your answer is yes. So once these few months r over ur good. I almost wish we had to wait 18 months to get a yes then go through a while new process that takes even longer and they still might say no.
Has anyone watched that show border security. Does it make u as mad as it makes me watching it. I don't know why but I'm starting to hate all government workers. Even though I wish I had a job with the govt.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I hate this. I have literally run out of patience.!!!! .

Hi GIGI. When I feel frustrated by this process I often think of you and I can't imagine being in your place (and I very well could be someday). It really isn't fair the way these people get to judge and upset people's lives. I know you said you filed your appeal papers, how has your lawyer been? Anymore supportive? Thanks for coming back and it is nice to hear from you. It helps us all to stay grounded in this process and realize even though the separation is hard, you are fighting an even harder battle that we all couldn't imagine having to fight.

 

[Behopeful]

The general process is - jr officer reviews file and makes detailed notes, these notes end in either "relationship appears genuine, no interview needed, no concerns" or "[list of concerns], recommend for interview or additional review required". The senior officer then reviews the file notes - for the ones recommending interview be waived, the sr officer can agree based on the detailed file notes or if something stands out, can quickly review the file as well. Then he/she signs off, interview waived, issue PPR and/or request additional docs as necessary. For those where the jr officer listed concerns, the senior officer will typically review the paper file/evidence to determine whether or not interview is required.

So in the end, a sr officer must sign off regardless. You can see the progression in the gcms notes, where the initials of the reviewing officers change. In terms of timelines, we can reasonably assume that files where the jr officer recommends waiving the interview get through faster at that point, because less work is required on the part of the sr officer. I don't know how they organize their days, but I could see them taking several quick review files in between the detailed ones. Based on my notes, it took I think a week or two for the sr officer to sign off.

Hope that cleared it up for ya [/list]

Thanks Zouk!
Our last set of notes basically said the concerns were our age difference of 3 yrs, 1 child in common, PA requires ARC because exclusion order not up, Canada checks required, from proof of relationship it looks okay, photos suggest dating for a while, had child together, married prior to departure, dates we visited and photos appear natural. And said for senior officer to review.
I don't actually see any of what is written as concerns (but its my relationship)! Is this how others notes appeared? Were there legit concerns identified? Would you say by the officer stating everything looks okay means that interview not required?
Our next set of notes is due next week so I will see why happens....

 

[Behopeful]

By the way to Millslu... If you are reading or lurking just wanted to say HI! Miss seeing your posts. Come back when you feel ready! Miss your upbeat, positive outlook! Hope to see you soon.

 

[Zouk Princesse]

Thanks Zouk!
Our last set of notes basically said the concerns were our age difference of 3 yrs, 1 child in common, PA requires ARC because exclusion order not up, Canada checks required, from proof of relationship it looks okay, photos suggest dating for a while, had child together, married prior to departure, dates we visited and photos appear natural. And said for senior officer to review.
I don't actually see any of what is written as concerns (but its my relationship)! Is this how others notes appeared? Were there legit concerns identified? Would you say by the officer stating everything looks okay means that interview not required?
Our next set of notes is due next week so I will see why happens....

They sometimes say "recommend interview be waived" or "relationship appears genuine" or "additional review required" or "recommend interview" or something to that effect...usually (mine said "relationship appears genuine and ongoing, case sent for review", then sr officer's note said "relationship is bonafide, interview waived").

Did they phrase yours as concerns or just general case notes?

 

[Behopeful]

They sometimes say "recommend interview be waived" or "relationship appears genuine" or "additional review required" or "recommend interview" or something to that effect...usually (mine said "relationship appears genuine and ongoing, case sent for review", then sr officer's note said "relationship is bonafide, interview waived").

Did they phrase yours as concerns or just general case notes?

The title says "Concerns or Adverse Info" with all of the above notes under that heading. The notes don't really match up with the title in my opinion.

 

[Zouk Princesse]

The title says "Concerns or Adverse Info" with all of the above notes under that heading. The notes don't really match up with the title in my opinion.

Yeah... a 3 yr age difference hardly seems reason for concern! You can never really tell with those people...best bet is to keep ordering your notes and look out for that sr officer's comments. Those will be definitive - interview or no.

 

[Behopeful]

Yeah... a 3 yr age difference hardly seems reason for concern! You can never really tell with those people...best bet is to keep ordering your notes and look out for that sr officer's comments. Those will be definitive - interview or no.

3 years is nothing and neither is having a baby. Seems the officer was confused and just wrote anything in that section.
Oh well... Hopefully the next set of notes will provide insight.
Thanks Zouk.