hi all, i was just going through op6 for FSW-1 - this shows that VOs must complete the paper review and make a decision regarding applicant's eligibiliti within in 2 weeks from 120 day deadline......does this mean anyone who did'nt had a DM made in eCAS within first few months should be alright in terms of points calculation and eligibility?? please comment
9.6. Distinction between final determination of eligibility for processing and processing
Final determination of eligibility for processing
All visa offices should use the same approach when making a final determination of eligibility.
Where documents are reliable and information is clear, consistent and well-supported the final
determination of eligibility can be made quickly. Where this is not the case, the final determination
of eligibility will be more involved.
While visa officers must exercise diligence at the final determination stage, they should also
complete this stage quickly, i.e. ideally less than two weeks after the deadline set by the CIO.
Exercising diligence while making a final determination within the ideal timeframe means the
determination will be a paper review of the application and supporting documents. Visa officers
must apply their local knowledge to the application and documents to determine eligibility.
The paper review is not just a confirmation of the preliminary determination made at the CIO. The
CIO makes preliminary determinations without the benefit of supporting documents to substantiate
an applicant‘s self-assessment of eligibility. The availability of documents permits a more robust
assessment at the visa office.
For SW1 (one or more of the 38 occupations listed in the MI), review the documents related to
work experience. These documents should include those listed in the Appendix A document
checklist of the visa office specific forms. They should include sufficient detail to support the claim
of at least one year of continuous work experience or equivalent paid work experience in one or
more of the occupations in the last 10 years. Documents lacking sufficient information about the
employer, or containing only vague descriptions of duties and periods of employment, should be
given less weight. Descriptions of duties taken verbatim from the NOC should be regarded as selfserving.
Presented with such documents, visa officers may question whether they accurately
describe an applicant‘s experience. A document that lacks sufficient detail to permit eventual
verification and a credible description of the applicant‘s experience is unlikely to satisfy an officer
of an applicant‘s eligibility.