Singapore timeline

[lenardparnold]

Similar case here too. I am in Thailand with my Thai wife. I was approved speedily to be her sponsor in November and then the documents were transfered, and ever since December 8th, 2010 it has said the same thing to this day. "Application received on December 8th, 2010." It HAS NOT changed to "In process" either and I'm hoping this doesn't take too long. I'm running out of money and didn't want to have to leave her in Thailand and go to Canada before her arrival.

Does it normally change to "In process" quite quickly? Or does it usually stay at "Application received" for a long time until they actually open it up, and then change to "In process" shortly before approval? I'm thinking this might be the case because for the sponsorship approval processed in Canada, it didn't give any results until nearly a month, just because most of the waiting is a result of just waiting for the application to opened up, and then the actual processing in quick.

Any ideas? I really hope I don't wait a year with no updates, and then have them request an interview like they did with the other fellow that was sharing in this thread.

 

[Bangkokcanuck]

Any ideas? I really hope I don't wait a year with no updates, and then have them request an interview like they did with the other fellow that was sharing in this thread.

I'm in Thailand as well with my Thai wife, but we actually live here have for almost four years now. We own a few businesses so money is not our issue but we have a pressing timeline in that we want our kids to attend school in Canada and waiting a year would mean they would miss the next school year.. it appears we are saddled with one of the very slowest offices in Singapore.

I guess like you and most others in here it's really just the waiting around with no news that is such a pain. I think if they told you up front ok it's six months minimum it would be a lot easier to deal with. I just realized the other day it's been 2 months since Singapore got our file, and I have heard exactly zero from them. What did I expect to hear? No idea, but I think that is where the problem is, it seems to me that two months is a pretty long time to open a file and look it over. Yet people in here seem to be waiting a year or more... funny system to say the least.. I guess I will check back in another two months and likely have no info from them...

 

[lenardparnold]

Well I hope it goes ok.

For confirmation does anyone know if all the interviews that are requested by the Singapore office and done in Singapore, or if they conduct the interviews in the country of the spouse's residence. If I did happen to go to Canada in the mean time and start working, this would be another issue if she had to fly all the way to Singapore and back without me. She might be too scared to go all that way by herself as she has no experience travelling by herself. The only time we went out of her country I was with her. If I was working and had to come all the way back to Thailand just for the interview, and then come back again to pick her up 6 weeks later after her passport gets back to her, that would be 2 round trips which is quite expensive too.

 

[Cheers]

CC to Bangkokcanuck: I think the problem is that Canadian Immigration and Citizenship has largely failed to come up with a uniform system where the applications will be dealt in a order they are received, not just in Mississauga but also when the applications are forwarded to the regional offices. When a system prioritizes/consider applications differently for different regions (talking about the fairly large difference in processing time as posted on CIC website for various countries) then some of the applications are bound to suffer. Double standards are something to be avoided to keep a system sustainable and believable.

For Singapore, the skilled class immigration processing time is 12 months and the family class spousal sponsorship application processing time is 18 months. This is contradictory to the core values of Canada where they are trying to adapt new comers who bring in family values. For spousal sponsorship all they require (at least so far I can see) is to see the relationship is legitimate and whether you are capable of sponsoring. So, once Mississauga Ok an application, Singapore should not take so long to process/finalize an application. If the volume of applications is an issue, they have to prioritize and/or do an efficient distribution or seek help from other offices if can't employ more people.

 

[Bangkokcanuck]

CC to Bangkokcanuck: I think the problem is that Canadian Immigration and Citizenship has largely failed to come up with a uniform system where the applications will be dealt in a order they are received, not just in Mississauga but also when the applications are forwarded to the regional offices.

For Singapore, the skilled class immigration processing time is 12 months and the family class spousal sponsorship application processing time is 18 months.

I would love to see the stats on how many applications are actually sent to that office for the various classes and what staffing level they are working with. I worked for five years in Ontario in an IT position related to a Social Services type division and the staff was given very clear guidelines when it came to assessing applications that came in. First they were split in geographical regions then there were given the quick once over to determine that ALL required components where there, then they were put through a triage of sorts and sent off to the next level of assessment.

Of course I don't know how CIC works but in the department I worked for all files that came in the door by whatever method, mail, courier or dropped off were sent first to intake staff that opened computer files and then ALL hard copies of every document was scanned and attached to the computer version of the application. So when the case worker got to the file all they had to do was open the file online on their computers and do their checks that way. The paper copies of all the files were stored away and only opened or looked at if there was some question or concern about a document. Any new hard copies received were scanned and attached to the file at that time.

So by the time a case worker went to work on a file their entire first blush assessment was never to take more than 15 minutes. They were more or less giving all the documents a once over and if anything appeared to be missing they would kick it back to the intake worker to double check they did not miss it during the scan process.

In the offices it was agreed upon that a case worker should be going through 4 files an hour minimum. That is 15 minutes per on average. With a 7 hour work day they are doing 28 per day, give or take based on extra coffee breaks etc.. 25 is a fair goal. A bigger office might have 10 case workers a smaller one maybe two... but either way they can move through a fair number of files in a day. Which begs the question how many files does Singapore see that it takes them so long to do ANYTHING?

I find it hard to believe this process is really that complicated. A VO would open the file already having confirmed all "required" documents are there then make a judgment based on their experiences whether what they see looks real or not, there would be obvious red flags but pretty much all the red flags I've seen spoken about can be dealt with via an interview. So make a call and get the interview process started or waived and move on..

There is NO reason for the delays we are seeing in Singapore unless they are seeing Thousands of applications a day and does anyone really believe that to be the case? Even at that level 10 workers could move through 1250 per week... why delays of over a year simply to attend an interview, sorry but the numbers do not add up. Again I have worked in the environment... so what they are doing just smells like lazy or worse punitive.

Either way it's hardly fair to those stuck in the system.

 

[Dragoon]

Things are not really that simple. A simple background check is a minimum of 3 months and for people who require more in-depth background checks it can take a year or longer. So, you have about 1 month at CPC-M, 3 months minimum for a background check then add in misc. things such as interviews being required and the months add up quite fast. Interviews are generally done at the applicant's country and not at Singapore, but the IO schedules those so some times you have to wait for a whole year before they come around to your area.

Things really need to change though.

 

[Bangkokcanuck]

Things are not really that simple. A simple background check is a minimum of 3 months

So explain how it takes that long? I am not doubting your sincerity in your belief but I know in looking at my wife's application the VO could fly to every reference and personally visit every of her previous employers etc.. I just can't imagine what takes three months for a simple background check? What is done that takes 3 months.. they have police clearance they have medical they have past ten years or whatever it was of and her activities since turning 18 so all of the info is right in front of them do we honestly believe they follow up on every detail? Even if they did it would not take more than a week or two.. so I am just asking with all sincerity what does take 3 months for a simple background check? I would love to know how they justify it... I find it a very interesting case study

 

[jkbc_ca]

Hi Everyone...

what is the next step after paid RPRF?

 

[MapleBear]

I find it hard to believe this process is really that complicated. A VO would open the file already having confirmed all "required" documents are there then make a judgment based on their experiences whether what they see looks real or not, there would be obvious red flags but pretty much all the red flags I've seen spoken about can be dealt with via an interview. So make a call and get the interview process started or waived and move on..

I totally agree with you. I expected that we would have heard something on the status of our application, either that more information is required, an interview is requested or that it's moving forward. For us, it's been nearly 8 months with no news. We know several couples who recently got Skilled Worker PRs from the Singapore office and the entire process took less than 8 months. Once the principal applicant was approved, their spouses received work permits pretty much by default (within two weeks). I wonder why Skilled Workers don't have to jump through hoops to prove that their relationships are "genuine".

It seems like the priority of Canadian immigration is not family reunification, but rather $$$ and injecting the economy with so-called "skilled migrants". I've started to think that my husband and I took the wrong route. Perhaps he should have applied as a skilled migrant instead.

 

[lenardparnold]

Someone mentioned on this page (47) that the skilled workers timeline is about 12 months and that the spousal timeline is about 18 months. That's not what I read at all. I thought I read that the spousal timeline was about 6 months, and saw many people get it in 4-5 months. It seems as if the longer waits are rare cases? If it is listed as 18 months though, then I have to seriously re-think my plans. For me it's been 5 months, and I've been expecting to get some update quite soon. If it is supposed to be 18 months then I'll have to seriously consider heading back to Canada for the time being to start working.

 

[lenardparnold]

Oh my god.

I just checked the processing time for spousal applications in Singapore on the cic website and it now DOES say 18 months. Before it definitely didn't say that, though it says they updated the processing times in February of 2011. When I checked the processing times it would have been late last year. At that time I remember it was shown in columns and showed that x% were finished in something like 5 months, and x% in 8 months or something like that.....

Now I'm starting to get a bit worried. I really don't want to have to go to Canada for a year without my wife.... (money is running out)

I hope my application will be applied to the old processing time... :O

 

[hello-kitty]

hi everyone,
hopefully i will get my CAIPS notes tomorrow. they mail it to me may 9th. all i want to see is my wife's interview is waived. i don't know what is waiting for me..... i didn't send them too much proof. i didn't know this thing can be this much complicated. should i send them additional documents now as a proof of our relationship or i just wait for them to ask. plz pray for me......

Hi Shafin,

Did you get the CAIPS notes yet?

 

[Bangkokcanuck]

Now I'm starting to get a bit worried. I really don't want to have to go to Canada for a year without my wife.... (money is running out)

I hope my application will be applied to the old processing time... :O

That would completely blow having to leave her, I totally feel for you. I hope that is not the case and you can work it out somehow or you get some news quickly enough to have it make a difference for the better.

Good luck

 

[CanadianEnforcer]

There should be a better process of communication for the applicants to get status on application - these morons don't even acknowledge that the app is being processed in the form of AOR never mind replying to emails - i wonder if they do a feedback service once the application is completed - somehow i doubt it

 

[shafin]

i just got my CAIPS notes today. It's not CAIPS notes, it's GCMS notes. all together 17 pages. they didn't write anything about interview. they received all they documents including CSQ. i need to find out all the codes for GCMS system. i was expecting little more than this. atleast about interview. i will write some codes, if anyone can help me........

CRIMINALITY
CRIMINALITY:1
Status: Not Started
ATTACHMENTS: 0
CRIMINALITY HISTORY:0
POLICE CERTIFICATES:0
SUB ACTIVITIES :0
ORGANIZED CRIME:0

MEDICAL
MEDICAL:1
App Status:In Progress
IME Status:Assessed
Description:Excessive Demand Exempt applicant with no identified health condition
S Profile:1
Description:No surveillance required
Valid until:2011/11/03

MISREPRESENTATION
MISREPRESENTATION:0

FINALIZE APPLICATION
DOCUMENT ISSUANCE:0
REFUSAL GROUNDS:0