Thread For applications Through SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) Office

[freezing_aussie]

Robhi, I received my Stage 2 AOR by email, same as Stage 1 AOR / sponsorship approval. From reading around the forums, not everyone seems to get Stage 2 AOR. I'm not any kind of an expert, but the impression I get is that confirmation is at the discretion of the VO.

In summary, I guess I would say don't worry about it (yet). In your shoes I would only start getting concerned if all the August applicants received PPR, and they started finalising September. At that point, I'd be inclined to enquire about the status of the application.

 

[BCRain]

I just checked eCAS, and finally, a change! Now stating in process since March 8. Yes! I'll update the spreadsheet now.

Robhi and BCRain, you should see a change soon, too. I have my fingers crossed for all of us!

Congrats!! I too hope that we will see a change soon, just logged on again, and no luck yet, but at least there's finally some movement on the list.

 

[Robhi]

Robhi, I received my Stage 2 AOR by email, same as Stage 1 AOR / sponsorship approval. From reading around the forums, not everyone seems to get Stage 2 AOR. I'm not any kind of an expert, but the impression I get is that confirmation is at the discretion of the VO.

In summary, I guess I would say don't worry about it (yet). In your shoes I would only start getting concerned if all the August applicants received PPR, and they started finalising September. At that point, I'd be inclined to enquire about the status of the application.

Thanks freezing_aussie -- I guess I'll wait for a bit longer before getting my shorts...err...snowboots...in a knot .

 

[Dawn5095]

Probably a silly question, how/where i can update my info like i see, for example these info below under each one of your profile?

********************

Category........: FAM
Visa Office......: Syndey
App. Filed.......: 22-02-2013
Received file number...........:7-03-2013
*****************

 

[freezing_aussie]

It's not a silly question at all, Dawn5095. You have to reach 10 posts on the forum first, and then you will be able to edit this information through your profile settings.

 

[crassy]

I think I am going a bit nuts here, but could someone with any experience please clarify this for me?

I received a letter from CIC on the 16th of November saying they had received my husband's application. Blah blah blah reference number, this is just an acknowledgement, etc.

The second last paragraph says the following:

Due to the volume of applications, telephone calls and correspondence we receive, we are unable to respond to case status requests or requests for confirmation of receipt of your correspondence. Please do not write about the status of your application UNLESS you have not heard from this office for at least 16 weeks.

The first sentence says they cannot respond to case status requests but the second says that if I haven't heard within 16 weeks that I can contact them for status requests. It has been 16 weeks, so I am wondering if this means I can ask them and not get that canned response from them.

Anyone?

 

[nzandcanada]

I think I am going a bit nuts here, but could someone with any experience please clarify this for me?

I received a letter from CIC on the 16th of November saying they had received my husband's application. Blah blah blah reference number, this is just an acknowledgement, etc.

The second last paragraph says the following:

Due to the volume of applications, telephone calls and correspondence we receive, we are unable to respond to case status requests or requests for confirmation of receipt of your correspondence. Please do not write about the status of your application UNLESS you have not heard from this office for at least 16 weeks.

The first sentence says they cannot respond to case status requests but the second says that if I haven't heard within 16 weeks that I can contact them for status requests. It has been 16 weeks, so I am wondering if this means I can ask them and not get that canned response from them.

Anyone?

Which CIC Visa Office are you referring to in your letter? Have you received sponsor approval and now it is in Sydney? Or was this from the Mississauga office?
If its the Canadian side and you are still awaiting approval you can definitely call! And if you don't get far with that... go to your local MP!
Its well passed the date they list on the website for processing: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-fc.asp

If you have received notification that its in Sydney, then it is a bit of a waiting game. They are quoting 9 months for processing stage 2. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp#asia
I have heard that they are pretty good in Sydney, so you could try and contact them if you know your file is there. I haven't called them as our file just arrived this week, so I don't know first-hand, but that's what others have posted.

Good luck!

 

[crassy]

Which CIC Visa Office are you referring to in your letter? Have you received sponsor approval and now it is in Sydney? Or was this from the Mississauga office?
If its the Canadian side and you are still awaiting approval you can definitely call! And if you don't get far with that... go to your local MP!
Its well passed the date they list on the website for processing: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-fc.asp

If you have received notification that its in Sydney, then it is a bit of a waiting game. They are quoting 9 months for processing stage 2. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp#asia
I have heard that they are pretty good in Sydney, so you could try and contact them if you know your file is there. I haven't called them as our file just arrived this week, so I don't know first-hand, but that's what others have posted.

Good luck!

Sorry, I should have been more clear. That paragraph is at the bottom of a letter I received from Sydney saying that they had received my application. I had already received sponsor approval a few weeks earlier. I know my application is in Sydney, it has been there for nearly six months.

Contacting them isn't really an option unless it has been over the 9 months. I tried to contact them in regards to something else and I just received a canned response saying they won't answer any questions until after the 9 months are up. That just contradicts this letter that says I should hear within 6 months and that I can contact them after 16 weeks. I've been searching around for anyone who has received this letter but I've yet to find anything.

 

[freezing_aussie]

Hi crassy, I understand you are anxious, but if you check the Sydney spreadsheet (link is in my signature), you will see that you are well within current processing times.

Your profile says you received AOR in November, so that means Sydney has only had your file for 4 months. The good news is that they have started processing people like me who are a month behind you. My application status changed to 'in process' only a few days ago, and I both applied and received AOR a month before you.

CIC does stipulate 9 months normal processing time in Sydney from the time they receive it (i.e. after sponsorship approval in Mississauga), so there is really very little recourse until that amount of time has passed. Thankfully, as you will see on the spreadsheet, most people here have received their PR much faster than that. If they keep processing at a similar rate, you should hear something in the next 4 - 8 weeks.

 

[crassy]

Hi crassy, I understand you are anxious, but if you check the Sydney spreadsheet (link is in my signature), you will see that you are well within current processing times.

Your profile says you received AOR in November, so that means Sydney has only had your file for 4 months. The good news is that they have started processing people like me who are a month behind you. My application status changed to 'in process' only a few days ago, and I both applied and received AOR a month before you.

CIC does stipulate 9 months normal processing time in Sydney from the time they receive it (i.e. after sponsorship approval in Mississauga), so there is really very little recourse until that amount of time has passed. Thankfully, as you will see on the spreadsheet, most people here have received their PR much faster than that. If they keep processing at a similar rate, you should hear something in the next 4 - 8 weeks.

I'm actually not anxious at all. I have enough to keep me busy what with being a mum and doing a post grad degree. The 'going a bit nuts' statement was in reference to me trying to figure this out.

I am just wondering why the letter says that I should contact them if I have not heard within 16 weeks when the website says 9 months. It would appear that I am not explaining myself properly here. And by nearly 6 months I meant from the time it was received for stage 1 processing. I also realise I am well within the time frame, that was not my question. My question pertains solely to the 16 week thing in the letter (particularly since in the letter it is bolded and the 'unless' is in capital letters exactly as I have transcribed it for my post).

 

[bluemolly]

Hey All,

Congratulations to everyone who has had progress since I last was here!

I still have a long time to wait, but Immigration Canada just sent me another year long visitors visa extension, so at least I don't have to worry about having to leave Canada during this long process.

 

[freezing_aussie]

Thank you bluemolly. Good luck to you too! That's great news about your visa extension. I applied for restoration of status 3 months ago, and I've heard nothing since. It seems very likely that I will have PR before my restoration is processed. Irony abounds!

crassy, perhaps someone else has received a similar letter, and may be able to elucidate further. I haven't come across such a case in the forums, but you never know. Someone else may have received a similar letter. There are a lot of inconsistencies in CIC documentation and communication, so I am not surprised that you are experiencing this frustration.

The email I received from the Sydney office stated to not contact them unless there was a change to the information provided in the application, and we were notifying them of this change.

You could certainly just email them and see what response you get (if they respond at all). In that case I would certainly mention that the letter instructed that they could be contacted 16 weeks after their last communication, and that this threshold has now passed. However, taking the Sydney spreadsheet as a guide, it's very likely that your application has not even been opened as yet for processing. In that case, even if they respond, you will not find out anything particularly helpful.

In terms of timelines: CIC treats sponsorship and PR application as two separate processes with distinct timelines. The 9 months timeline stated on the website for the Sydney office does not include the time spent waiting for sponsorship approval: "The tables below indicate application processing times at Canadian visa offices once Step 1 has been completed." You stated " I know my application is in Sydney, it has been there for nearly six months." but Sydney has had your application for 4 months at most (taking into account the Stage 1 AOR you provided, and considering that that Stage 1 is not processed in Sydney). Therefore you are only 4 months into the 9 months stated by CIC as normal processing time for Sydney, and that would be the only timeline I would be mentioning in any communication with Sydney CIC.

My personal plan is to not contact them until my application starts varying significantly from the timelines reported by other applicants on this forum. I assume they do not take kindly to multiple status requests from each applicant.

 

[crassy]

crassy, perhaps someone else has received a similar letter, and may be able to elucidate further. I haven't come across such a case in the forums, but you never know. Someone else may have received a similar letter. There are a lot of inconsistencies in CIC documentation and communication, so I am not surprised that you are experiencing this frustration.

That was my whole point in posting...I was asking if anyone else had come across this in their letters.

The email I received from the Sydney office stated to not contact them unless there was a change to the information provided in the application, and we were notifying them of this change.

Mine was not an email. It is an actual letter sent by snail mail.

You could certainly just email them and see what response you get (if they respond at all). In that case I would certainly mention that the letter instructed that they could be contacted 16 weeks after their last communication, and that this threshold has now passed. However, taking the Sydney spreadsheet as a guide, it's very likely that your application has not even been opened as yet for processing. In that case, even if they respond, you will not find out anything particularly helpful.

Yes, I do understand this, again, that is why I was asking if anyone had come across anything like this as I have not seen anything on the forums stating anything about 16 weeks. I did not want to email them as it states everywhere (other than my letter) not to contact them for status requests.

In terms of timelines: CIC treats sponsorship and PR application as two separate processes with distinct timelines. The 9 months timeline stated on the website for the Sydney office does not include the time spent waiting for sponsorship approval: "The tables below indicate application processing times at Canadian visa offices once Step 1 has been completed." You stated " I know my application is in Sydney, it has been there for nearly six months." but Sydney has had your application for 4 months at most (taking into account the Stage 1 AOR you provided, and considering that that Stage 1 is not processed in Sydney). Therefore you are only 4 months into the 9 months stated by CIC as normal processing time for Sydney, and that would be the only timeline I would be mentioning in any communication with Sydney CIC.

I do appreciate you typing this all out, but it is a bit unnecessary as I do understand how the process works. Hopefully it will help someone else who does need it! I do know I am only 4 months into the 9 months stated by the CIC...I think perhaps I was communicating my position incorrectly.

My personal plan is to not contact them until my application starts varying significantly from the timelines reported by other applicants on this forum. I assume they do not take kindly to multiple status requests from each applicant.

No, they don't, which is why I was asking here about anyone who received a similar letter to see what they have done. It is also a very good plan you have there considering they tell you not to contact them until the 9 months have gone by. Again, this is exactly why I am puzzled at the bolded print in my letter stating something different, and why I asked the question in the first place.

In any case, thank you again for attempting to answer my question. Hopefully someone who has received this letter will chime in at some point.

 

[jen123]

That was my whole point in posting...I was asking if anyone else had come across this in their letters.

Mine was not an email. It is an actual letter sent by snail mail.

Yes, I do understand this, again, that is why I was asking if anyone had come across anything like this as I have not seen anything on the forums stating anything about 16 weeks. I did not want to email them as it states everywhere (other than my letter) not to contact them for status requests.

I do appreciate you typing this all out, but it is a bit unnecessary as I do understand how the process works. Hopefully it will help someone else who does need it! I do know I am only 4 months into the 9 months stated by the CIC...I think perhaps I was communicating my position incorrectly.

No, they don't, which is why I was asking here about anyone who received a similar letter to see what they have done. It is also a very good plan you have there considering they tell you not to contact them until the 9 months have gone by. Again, this is exactly why I am puzzled at the bolded print in my letter stating something different, and why I asked the question in the first place.

In any case, thank you again for attempting to answer my question. Hopefully someone who has received this letter will chime in at some point.

Hi and congrations to freezing Ozzie and c12345!!! You are on your way!!

Just writing as I applied just before you Crassy. I received an email upon my arrival of my application to Sydney but nothing about the 16 weeks was noted. Again probably not any help either but just providing info. Thanks for everyone's contributions. I find it helpful and interesting to see how others are dealing with this wait!! I am nervous as my husband will need to work in Canada. Good luck to all and hope someone in the Sydney office gets some serious motivation soon!

 

[c12345]

My husband officially "landed" on Saturday. We drove to the buffalo border but turned around and went straight to Canada customs. It only took about 10 minutes. They asked for our marriage certificate which I didn't expect but luckily we had it on us.