Thread for Acrra Ghana applicants

[becos]

Hello everyone, I live in Calgary, Canada and I filed for my husband on Nov. They wrote me back on Dec 2nd saying that I qualify as a sponsor and that my file is forwarded to Accra for further processing. Does anyone know the next step from here? Also I used a representative (lawyer) will this make my case faster? And does anyone know which files they are processing now, as in have they started processing Nov files?

Welcome to the house,

They are currently processing apps from March-May. It will be a while before they get to Nov. Also, if you use a lawyer it doesn't make it go faster. We too used a lawyer. It's a first come first serve app process for the most part. Your app will go faster if you have everything they need and they don't need to request docs or more info from you, but you never know. It's going to be a long wait unfortunately. Here is a great community and resource though. Best of luck.

 

[peg204]

Hello everyone, I live in Calgary, Canada and I filed for my husband on Nov. They wrote me back on Dec 2nd saying that I qualify as a sponsor and that my file is forwarded to Accra for further processing. Does anyone know the next step from here? Also I used a representative (lawyer) will this make my case faster? And does anyone know which files they are processing now, as in have they started processing Nov files?

Welcome to the waiting game .

and No, they are not processing Nov application right now.

i believe they might be working on the June, July and august application right now.

you might not hear anything till June/July

you have a lot of waiting to do.

 

[Nneoma Abah]

When you are called for an interview, how much time in advance are you given? Does this vary? Do all interview happen in Accra or can you have an interview done in Lagos or Abuja? When an interview is not required, will you still be asked to come to Accra to collect your visa or will they ask you to go to Lagos /Abuja?

 

[TeamCMOR]

For those who have lawyers/representatives... Please advise what is the purpose of it. Aside from assisting with appeals...how would they aid your application process.

 

[Nneoma Abah]

For those who have lawyers/representatives... Please advise what is the purpose of it. Aside from assisting with appeals...how would they aid your application process.

In my case my lawyer just helped me fill out the forms and gave me some legal advices/recommendations. My lawyer said that if I'm denied and need to appeal that will be more money for me to pay. I will recommend you don't use a lawyer if you don't need to. If I knew that I will be paying more money for an appeal then I wouldn't have gotten a lawyer In the first place until need one. The forms are really straight forward

 

[becos]

For those who have lawyers/representatives... Please advise what is the purpose of it. Aside from assisting with appeals...how would they aid your application process.

Hey TeamCMOR, this question has come up before on this thread about why use a lawyer. My husband and I have a straightforward case: first marriage, same age, same education, lived together, families met, etc etc etc, however we chose to use a lawyer because I work full time and I'm a full time graduate student. My husband runs a full time business in Ghana. We were so unbelievably busy that having a lawyer to piece together properly all the documents, proof, etc etc was sooooooooo helpful. It gave us piece of mind that it was being combed through and that we had everything we needed to go in and do it once and come out quick and successful. Our lawyer was amazing, referred by a family member who used them for adoption. She was so straightforward with us, easy to work with, and honestly the money was worth it. And she definitely did more for us than she charged us for. If I were to do it again in our situation I would use her again. I think it's a personal choice. It doesn't mean your app is difficult or has red flags, it's just your comfort level. My husband and I were insanely busy and having a lawyer made the process easier and less stressful so we could continue on with our busy schedules and avoid making little mistakes that could cost long waiting times.

 

[becos]

Are there still March-May people waiting in the house? Please let us know.

 

[uCHEMAMA]

In my case my lawyer just helped me fill out the forms and gave me some legal advices/recommendations. My lawyer said that if I'm denied and need to appeal that will be more money for me to pay. I will recommend you don't use a lawyer if you don't need to. If I knew that I will be paying more money for an appeal then I wouldn't have gotten a lawyer In the first place until need one. The forms are really straight forward

I totally agree. Lawyer is basically asking you the questions and filling them out for you (law clerk in most instances) I'm stingy and thats why I choose not to use one. As for them charging you extra for an appeal - hell no!

 

[Ugoswife]

We wanted to use a lawyer before we looked at the forms. We changed our minds because we were scared that some lawyer who didn't know us through and through might make a mistake filling out forms. I have too much OCD to trust someone to do that for me lol. It took a long time and a lot of research but Im glad we did it. Yes lawyers provide convenience if you can absolutely trust them and they can also help people who don't have a lot of information about the process. It's advisable though to go over your application word to word after your lawyer is done before filing. Read a story on here about someone whose wife was banned for 5 years from CIC due to a little oversight by the lawyer in preparing the application which CIC interpreted as misrepresentation.

 

[becos]

Well there are good lawyers and bad lawyers I'm sure. A good lawyer like ours would let you review the forms before they were sent in, as you need to sign them. Lawyers are there for a reason, to help people. It's a personal choice. Just because someone uses a lawyer doesn't make their application any less legitimate or worthy of being processed fairly. I've defended this issue for people before on this forum who have been made to feel they are less than because they sought assistance from a lawyer. That's not fair. Please be respectful of people's choices, that's what they wanted to do and chose to put their money towards and that's their prerogative. Our applications are all equal in the eyes of CIC.

 

[Ugoswife]

Well there are good lawyers and bad lawyers I'm sure. A good lawyer like ours would let you review the forms before they were sent in, as you need to sign them. Lawyers are there for a reason, to help people. It's a personal choice. Just because someone uses a lawyer doesn't make their application any less legitimate or worthy of being processed fairly. I've defended this issue for people before on this forum who have been made to feel they are less than because they sought assistance from a lawyer. That's not fair. Please be respectful of people's choices, that's what they wanted to do and chose to put their money towards and that's their prerogative. Our applications are all equal in the eyes of CIC.

My post wasn't aimed at making you feel "less". I'm just explaining why I didn't use a lawyer just like you are giving your reasons for using one. Just different point of views. All the applications are equal in to CIC like you said.

 

[lankyprince]

Using lawyer or not using one,it's the same thing, it's all about convenience. like some people are to busy to do it themselves, some don't have knowledge on how to complete the forms, so they use lawyers. Fact is you don't really need one since the forms are easy. But if it will make u sleep better, please do use a lawyer. We all just want to get home to our loved ones. CIC gave the option cause they know some will need it will some won't, at the end as long as your application is done well you will be with your spouse.

 

[Praise 77]

Are there still March-May people waiting in the house? Please let us know.

Hello becos,

yes there are, my husband is march applicant. I think they are still few in the house. long waiting .......I believe this long waiting will end in praise soon

 

[uCHEMAMA]

We wanted to use a lawyer before we looked at the forms. We changed our minds because we were scared that some lawyer who didn't know us through and through might make a mistake filling out forms. I have too much OCD to trust someone to do that for me lol. It took a long time and a lot of research but Im glad we did it. Yes lawyers provide convenience if you can absolutely trust them and they can also help people who don't have a lot of information about the process. It's advisable though to go over your application word to word after your lawyer is done before filing. Read a story on here about someone whose wife was banned for 5 years from CIC due to a little oversight by the lawyer in preparing the application which CIC interpreted as misrepresentation.
[/quote

Yes, it was a friend of mine. The stupid lawyer mad a mistake on the dates of the wedding and CIC ended up saying the marriage was invalid and because the husband had been sponsored by someone else, just as soon as they implemented the 5 year ban, his application was already in process.

 

[uCHEMAMA]

Well there are good lawyers and bad lawyers I'm sure. A good lawyer like ours would let you review the forms before they were sent in, as you need to sign them. Lawyers are there for a reason, to help people. It's a personal choice. Just because someone uses a lawyer doesn't make their application any less legitimate or worthy of being processed fairly. I've defended this issue for people before on this forum who have been made to feel they are less than because they sought assistance from a lawyer. That's not fair. Please be respectful of people's choices, that's what they wanted to do and chose to put their money towards and that's their prerogative. Our applications are all equal in the eyes of CIC.

Actually noone is making anyone feel less - it a personal choice. Forms are very straight forward. Thats all we are saying. I would use a lawyer if I needed an appeal - not initial step