210045803 said:
"Another way to expedite the process is thru an Arranged Employment Opinion (AEO). An AEO is a Human Resource and Skills Development Council (HRSDC) approved permanent job offer by a Canadian employer to a foreign skilled worker. This will help a worker gain permanent residency in Canada. It is different from a Labor Market Opinion, which is necessary in applying for a work permit.
This quote applies to skilled workers, not family class. Unfortunately, it's different processing, but you might try posting your situation in the temporary worker folder. There may be a option to get a work permit even though your family class PR is still processing.
@JustandDaph. I am surprised your MP said they would look into your app. From your timeline it seems you are well within the current average, and from what I've read in this forum MPs are unlikely to contact cic unless you are well OVER average processing time or you have some other problems, like lost documents, with your app. Good luck, but I think it's likely that they will only hear "in process" from the cic.
I haven't visited this folder in a while. I've been a PR since Nov 2009 and I remember clearly how crazy the waiting game is, especially when we have access to other's processing info. I encourage y'all to try NOT to compare waiting times, because each person's process is unique. Plus, Buffalo is not consistent with providing info on e-cas, and some apps are going to be faster, some slower than others. It just is what it is, and it's not likely to change.
For those of you who haven't been around for the first few pages of this thread, here is my first post on p2.
I'll chime in here to, though I have finished the process. I applied outland via Buffalo in the conjugal partner category. I'm American (South Carolina) and he has dual citizenship- French by birth and naturalized Canadian. We live in Mississauga, where I waited out the process. I'm 45, he's 53. Both married prior, he has one grown child. No criminal history. We applied in early August 2009. I drove to Buffalo to get my COPR after the PPR and landed in early November 2009. It took about one month to approve the sponsorship and about 2 months for the PR processing...just less than 3 months total wait time.
Though I had finished processing by the time this thread started, at the time I was in process there were a lot of people telling me on this forum (and another one which I no longer participate) that I was
doomed for refusal because I was American, with no barriers to marriage or common law, applying as conjugal. Boy did that make my extremely short wait excruciating!! I had no hope and no confidence, and I was absolutely sure there was going to be a deportation order when I finally heard from B'lo. And when my PPR came in an email I almost threw away because I didn't recognize the sender's email or the subject line!!
I wish you all speedy processes, no interviews and no lost documents, and 100% approval ratings for everyone processed by B'lo! And I encourage you as much as you can to step away from the ecas tracker and not to fixate too much on who started and finished when.
Two last pieces of advice...
1. Once a PR, be sure you understand your residency obligation (I now spend a lot of time on the forum with people who stayed away from Canada for too long and are at risk of losing status!). You must reside in Canada for 2 of every 5 years (a total of 730 days, does not have to be continuous) and this is a rolling 5 year period. By law they can only assess your residency status in the previous 5 year period.
2. Once you get your COPR, keep it in a safe place!! You need it if you ever want to apply for citizenship and nobody tells you that when you land.
All the best.
Allison