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cruise

Full Member
Jul 16, 2012
46
1
This is to determine more or less the approximate waiting time after the Canadian Embassy requested the passports. My spouse's passport has been with the embassy for 6 months now. We are now on our 14th month of processing time which is the average processing time for the Philippines. Anybody willing to share? Even those that have been processed already. Will appreciate your input. Thanks
 
Six months, wow! Do they leave any recourse should someone wish to travel outside the Philippines while waiting? Sorry, doesn't answer your question (which is a good one to get feedback on for sure), just wondering if they tell you anything when they request the passport, i.e. like "don't plan on travelling for up to 6 months or more"...? Manila is our VO too, definitely curious to know more about the processing time averages, etc. Hope more people chime in...
 
my passport is with Canadian Embassy Manila for almost 7 months now...havent heard anything from them...my medicals expired December 2013...tried to informed them about it but no response....I JUST DON'T KNOW WHATS GOING ON...patiently waiting....
 
my medical will be expired this coming March too, :( but never heard anything to the office too :(
 
They've had Mrs JGM's since early November..almost four months..her meds expire in
three weeks..also written to CEM and received the standard no reply..
 
pipes said:
my passport is with Canadian Embassy Manila for almost 7 months now...havent heard anything from them...my medicals expired December 2013...tried to informed them about it but no response....I JUST DON'T KNOW WHATS GOING ON...patiently waiting....

Chances are that you will be asked to do a re-med. According to my wife's GCMS notes, one of the VOs looking at my wife's file asked for an extension of her meds. There was no response, so my wife ended up getting them done again.
 
Wow, this is not a very heartening thread. Sorry for all you who have to put up with this nonsense. Just don't understand at all why the VO would request the passport and then sit on it for so long. You would think the request means that they are close to or have made the decision to issue a visa...very odd & not very considerate to applicants in the Philippines. Do they think that they're all too poor etc. & aren't going anywhere anyway? I'm sure they don't do this in western countries, very disappointing!
 
HI Gumper,

Its really frustrating. Holding on to the passport for 6 months should actually be illegal. It restricts a person's ability to travel to other countries. Not just to Canada. I dont understand why the embassy would request the passport and still queue the file. I wonder if this is the norm in other Canadian Embassies processing applications.

Appreciate the sentiments. For all those affected, please share your experiences. If possible, also those that have been granted the visa but waited for months while their passports are with the Canadian Embassy in Manila. We want to get an idea on how long the passports stay with the Canadian Embassy.
 
This happens in India too. It's really unfortunate that they hold it for so long! What if someone needs to travel in emergency, as in very next day? They need to improve their process.
 
JRPW said:
Chances are that you will be asked to do a re-med. According to my wife's GCMS notes, one of the VOs looking at my wife's file asked for an extension of her meds. There was no response, so my wife ended up getting them done again.

Thanks for sharing JRPW ...i wish they would ask me and my kids to do medicals again but nothing so far...tried a couple of times informing them that our medicals are almost expiring...until now no response...still waiting for the GCMS...expecting it last Feb. 13, 2014 but nothing came in as yet...very frustrated here with whats going on...
 
I have avoided visiting the forum for quite some time, for me not to keep whining about our application but
our case is very frustrating already.
CEM got hold of our passports(me and kids) since July of 2012. I belong to the Feb. 2012 applicants.
No updates until now. We have tried every means to get in touch with CEM...emails, MPs, case specific inquiry...still no reply. :(
 
pipes said:
Thanks for sharing JRPW ...i wish they would ask me and my kids to do medicals again but nothing so far...tried a couple of times informing them that our medicals are almost expiring...until now no response...still waiting for the GCMS...expecting it last Feb. 13, 2014 but nothing came in as yet...very frustrated here with whats going on...

Once, or if, they ask you to do a re-med, you will be close to getting your COPR. You never know, maybe the VO has already extended your meds. Use the email address you received when you applied for you GCMS notes. Tell them that a month has passed, but you still do not have them.
 
cruise said:
HI Gumper,

Its really frustrating. Holding on to the passport for 6 months should actually be illegal. It restricts a person's ability to travel to other countries. Not just to Canada. I dont understand why the embassy would request the passport and still queue the file. I wonder if this is the norm in other Canadian Embassies processing applications.

Appreciate the sentiments. For all those affected, please share your experiences. If possible, also those that have been granted the visa but waited for months while their passports are with the Canadian Embassy in Manila. We want to get an idea on how long the passports stay with the Canadian Embassy.
For sure this is abusive behaviour on the part of those in the VO's who are so cavalier in their treatment of people from the Philippines, India and elsewhere. I love my country but I'm totally appalled by the callousness of those who perpetrate this nonsense. It really does merit a formal notification to Immigration Canada if it proves to be so widespread.
 
JRPW said:
Once, or if, they ask you to do a re-med, you will be close to getting your COPR. You never know, maybe the VO has already extended your meds. Use the email address you received when you applied for you GCMS notes. Tell them that a month has passed, but you still do not have them.

Thanks again....I will do that for sure.