hi! from what i have read from the previous posts, it really takes a long time before one gets nomination. but i believe it does not apply to everyone. i have a cousin, a nurse, who applied under the family category last july 2010. i don't know when he got nominated but i know he had his medicals last december 2011 and went to canada last march 2012. i also have another cousin who applied under the same category, and my relatives said it only took her about a year to get the whole process done (SINP and CIC parts). i also have an uncle, a civil engineer, who also applied under the family category, and it only took him 8 months from the time he applied to SINP until he got his visa. these situations give me hope that maybe not all applications take that long to process. hopefully mine too..