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Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

melyn2223

Full Member
Mar 18, 2011
29
1
If you are waiting for a speedy process, its not going to happen. This is what I got from Buffalo today after sending out an inquiry 5 days ago.

"You were sent the Acknowledgement letter on May 18, 2011. Your file is in a large queue of files awaiting assessment and will not be reviewed for several weeks. Please visit www.cic.gc.ca for processing time estimates.

Immigration Registry Section/tw
buffalo-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca"

Good luck to all December and January applicants.
 

jayde

Hero Member
Feb 18, 2010
265
8
Alberta
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
24-3-2011
File Transfer...
03-05-2011
Med's Done....
03-01-2011
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
06-10-2011
VISA ISSUED...
27-10-2011
LANDED..........
04-11-2011 WOO HOO!!!
In response to an inquiry I submitted on Friday to Buffalo where I asked for our file number so that we could submit my husbands address change (as he moved here to Alberta over the weekend), I received this:

Your application is in process. We are unable to provide a date when the processing of your application will be complete.

Regards,

Canadian Consulate General Buffalo

Immigration Section

buffalo-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca

The subject line of the email was our File number!!! I was able to log in to e-cas with the file number and my husbands information.

(Just as a side note - Our application arrived in Buffalo on May 13, so they are processing files that arrived one month ago).

Hope this helps anyone else who is waiting. At least we know they are working toward speeding things up!
 

Jeff

Star Member
Aug 29, 2006
162
0
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
06-12-2010
AOR Received.
10-03-2011
File Transfer...
13-01-2011
Med's Done....
10-09-2010
Passport Req..
01-08-2011
I got the same reply jayde got today as well :(
 

amaranth

Hero Member
Oct 31, 2009
333
11
Toronto & Buffalo
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
17.12.2010
AOR Received.
31.3.2011
File Transfer...
18.1.2010
Med's Done....
30.11.2010
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
25.10.2011
VISA ISSUED...
10.11.2011
LANDED..........
17.11.2011
melyn2223 said:
If you are waiting for a speedy process, its not going to happen. This is what I got from Buffalo today after sending out an inquiry 5 days ago.

"You were sent the Acknowledgement letter on May 18, 2011. Your file is in a large queue of files awaiting assessment and will not be reviewed for several weeks. Please visit www.cic.gc.ca for processing time estimates.

Immigration Registry Section/tw
buffalo-im-enquiry @ international.gc.ca"

Good luck to all December and January applicants.
But... but... Why do the February/March applications seem to be getting through?? ARGH! :mad:

*Head Explodes*
 

sparkle

Hero Member
Feb 16, 2010
375
14
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Hmmm...Weird ! My file was received Feb 2, and it still says Application received on e-cas, and in process according to them in their reply to my case specific inquiry.

I think the best bet is to not expect or hope anything ! As much as it's fun for some to be surprised when they were expecting longer delay, it's as disappointing when Buffalo has gone way beyond the expected delay :(
 

jayde

Hero Member
Feb 18, 2010
265
8
Alberta
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
24-3-2011
File Transfer...
03-05-2011
Med's Done....
03-01-2011
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
06-10-2011
VISA ISSUED...
27-10-2011
LANDED..........
04-11-2011 WOO HOO!!!
amaranth said:
But... but... Why do the February/March applications seem to be getting through?? ARGH! :mad:

*Head Explodes*
It looks like your Acknowledgement letter was sent five days after mine, for whatever reason. So maybe that means your new update will be this week! I am crossing my fingers for you!
 

amaranth

Hero Member
Oct 31, 2009
333
11
Toronto & Buffalo
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
17.12.2010
AOR Received.
31.3.2011
File Transfer...
18.1.2010
Med's Done....
30.11.2010
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
25.10.2011
VISA ISSUED...
10.11.2011
LANDED..........
17.11.2011
jayde said:
It looks like your Acknowledgement letter was sent five days after mine, for whatever reason. So maybe that means your new update will be this week! I am crossing my fingers for you!
Thanks Jayde :)

I'm not in process yet (that I know of, anyway. Even though they've had my file since JAN 26!), but I haven't sent an inquiry yet either... which seems to be the only way people are finding out they ARE in process... I just might have to send one of my own!
 

amaranth

Hero Member
Oct 31, 2009
333
11
Toronto & Buffalo
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
17.12.2010
AOR Received.
31.3.2011
File Transfer...
18.1.2010
Med's Done....
30.11.2010
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
25.10.2011
VISA ISSUED...
10.11.2011
LANDED..........
17.11.2011
I've been wondering, and I'm going to take a shot asking here since the thread dedicated to this question has dissolved into pure speculation now... And I'd prefer to have a Buffalo-centric answer anyway...

Does ANYONE know the difference between #B and #F file numbers? It seems many people get a #B, some get #F (like me), and some people start out with #B and later it changes to #F with no apparent reasoning... (confusing already, eh?)

So, since we have some brilliant, knowledgeable, and immensely helpful folks here, SOMEONE must have some idea what the differences are?

Anyone? ???
 

jayde

Hero Member
Feb 18, 2010
265
8
Alberta
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
24-3-2011
File Transfer...
03-05-2011
Med's Done....
03-01-2011
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
06-10-2011
VISA ISSUED...
27-10-2011
LANDED..........
04-11-2011 WOO HOO!!!
If you have your file number, that means it's in process doesn't it? My file number is an F#. I'd like to know what the significance is too. When did you get your file number... I never got a file number when it said my file was transferred... just today when I got the reply that we're in process.
 

mossee

Star Member
Apr 19, 2011
56
2
Delta, BC
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
09-03-2011
File Transfer...
07-04-2011
Med's Done....
17-02-2011
Passport Req..
08-06-2011
VISA ISSUED...
30-06-2011
LANDED..........
13-07-2011
This is just a guess, but the file number I got on my Sponsorship approval from CIC-M started with a B, and my husbands file number from Buffalo-CG started with a F. That's the only thing I noticed, from my experience.
 

Rinnerz

Hero Member
Apr 8, 2010
431
14
124
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-10-2010
AOR Received.
14-12-2010
File Transfer...
09-11-2010
Med's Done....
29-07-2010
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
08-07-2011
VISA ISSUED...
07-07-2011
LANDED..........
02-08-2011
Oh my head's long since exploded! That's right, people -- I am typing all my replies on these forums without a head. You heard it here first.

*cough*

Anyway, about the file numbers. People ask this a lot. I've always seen PMM say that it doesn't have any central significance at all, i.e. that it's just a gradual progression of the file naming scheme they use. At one point, he actually said something like, "Years ago, they started with 'A', then moved to 'B', etc". The problem with this is that B and F seem to be used exclusively?

I don't know. Given the number of times it's been asked and all the obscure replies, my guess is that no one really knows 100% for sure. It doesn't seem to have any significance in terms of how your file is processed, though.

Edit: Example reply from PMM: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t60121.0.html
 

mossee

Star Member
Apr 19, 2011
56
2
Delta, BC
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
09-03-2011
File Transfer...
07-04-2011
Med's Done....
17-02-2011
Passport Req..
08-06-2011
VISA ISSUED...
30-06-2011
LANDED..........
13-07-2011
Just wondering if anyone has any experience, I haven't gotten any hits on my new post so I'm gonna bug you all here :p

Does anyone know what we should do with the visitor record stapled inside my husbands PP? Just keep it in, and keep a photocopy for ourselves or take it out and keep it? I think I know the obvious answer but I seem to always second guess myself when it comes to everything about this process.

Thanks!
 

Rinnerz

Hero Member
Apr 8, 2010
431
14
124
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-10-2010
AOR Received.
14-12-2010
File Transfer...
09-11-2010
Med's Done....
29-07-2010
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
08-07-2011
VISA ISSUED...
07-07-2011
LANDED..........
02-08-2011
mossee said:
Just wondering if anyone has any experience, I haven't gotten any hits on my new post so I'm gonna bug you all here :p

Does anyone know what we should do with the visitor record stapled inside my husbands PP? Just keep it in, and keep a photocopy for ourselves or take it out and keep it? I think I know the obvious answer but I seem to always second guess myself when it comes to everything about this process.

Thanks!
Oh, right. To be honest, I haven't seen anyone ask that before. As far as I know, it really doesn't matter what you do with that visitor record. If it were me, I'd make a copy of it and leave the original in the passport -- but it's very likely that it doesn't even matter whether you leave it in there or not. And if someone like PMM or rjessome came in and confirmed that leaving it in doesn't matter, I might actually be inclined to take it out and keep it with me.
 

rjessome

VIP Member
Feb 24, 2009
4,354
214
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
It doesn't matter. Whether or not it is stapled in the passport doesn't give it more or less validity. Fine to leave it in, fine to take it out.
 

Rinnerz

Hero Member
Apr 8, 2010
431
14
124
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12-10-2010
AOR Received.
14-12-2010
File Transfer...
09-11-2010
Med's Done....
29-07-2010
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
08-07-2011
VISA ISSUED...
07-07-2011
LANDED..........
02-08-2011
^ And there you go.