Non-routine does not mean much. There is no concrete time line even for applications which are, so to say, routine. All the time line information does is indicate how long it can go, and even then that is still just an indefinite projection, not a limit.anon3721 said:Thanks for your input dpenabill. This really sheds some light for me, as I was increasingly becoming anxious at the fact that my file is just sitting in Sydney while everyone else's fly past.
So if presence abroad in a country for 6+ months is higher risk, and I have been abroad for 6+ months in TWO countries, I'm 99% sure at this point that it's a non-routine case. Do you happen to know what the current processing time for non-routine is? CIC does not even say that now. Used to say 36 months or something...
Time lines remain unpredictable. Even generally, but more so for any particular individual.
While I noted that I agree there is probably an increased risk for those who have spent significant time abroad in particular countries, there is no way to quantify such risk, the risk is indefinite and not tied to any time line, and thus this is just one among many factors which can influence how things go, and how quickly or slowly they go.
In the past there were many delayed cases obviously related to delays in background clearances. So this is a risk. But again an indefinite risk.
And, frankly, many applicants have various factors which elevate their risk of this or that additional delay in processing, which unless they have been a close student of the process and followed information about it from multiple sources, they might not recognize there are such risks . . . and for some there is no impact, while for others some impact, and for others a big impact . . . nothing anyone could do to change the course of things much, if at all, once the application was submitted.
Once the cake is in the oven (once the application is submitted), the applicant's role is mostly to wait and watch, watch eCas and the mailbox for notice as to what happens next.