Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[nhl1011]

Friends, arrived in Buffalo this afternoon and spending the night at Hyatt Regency in preparation of the interview tomorrow morning at 10am. Excited, nervous and giddy all at the same time here. REALLY hoping they issue the visa tomorrow following the interview...! Will promise to keep ya'll posted!!!

Good luck!

 

[gypsy494]

Friends, arrived in Buffalo this afternoon and spending the night at Hyatt Regency in preparation of the interview tomorrow morning at 10am. Excited, nervous and giddy all at the same time here. REALLY hoping they issue the visa tomorrow following the interview...! Will promise to keep ya'll posted!!!

Good luck!!!

 

[mcmasters]

AmericaninQuebec - congratulations! The wait is finally over!

It just figures that you had to mail in your passport, but that's okay! A visa is a visa! ;D

Congrats again and let us hope your landing goes smoothly and easily. Tell us all about it!

 

[mcmasters]

It's been 41 days since we mailed our request for GCMS notes. Am I allowed to be annoyed/concerned yet?

Could anyone tell me off the top of their head what the email address is to bug about receiving GCMS notes? If we don't get them by the end of the week... I think I'll have to "take some action..."

 

[NYQUE]

Hello mcmasters, the 2 times I have requested the GCMS notes, I sent it both times to: atip-aiprp@cic.gc.ca and both times I reveived exactly after 30 days of requesting it, has your credit card being charged already?

Good Luck!

 

[ddobro2]

What country are you originally from? Why did you and your wife wait about a year before deciding to apply for your Canadian PR?

I sympathize about the 4 months and counting having to wait for them to set a date for that interview. As far as the scheduled "well in advance" bit, don't think it'll necessarily be months and months - they could mean 1 month, which is enough time for people to order their GCMS notes (they realize, I think, that people understand they need to consult those to prepare for an interview).

Since you already ordered a copy of your notes and you saw that their complaint was that you "haven't spent enough time together," yet you say that you visit your wife every months or so (truly, if you live in New York and she lives in Quebec it's not too far of a distance between you), and I assume that's in addition to the telephonic and virtual communication you two have, I'm wondering if perhaps you didn't put all that evidence (plane and train tickets, passport stamps, phone records with her number highlighted, instant message and email messages) into your application. Otherwise, if you did, I'm left with the fact that an IO at Buffalo, faced with evidence of monthly visits (on a student's schedule and income, I might add) is judging you DIDN'T spend enough time together......which is messed up, even for Buffalo. In any case, they are obviously picking on you because you're not a U.S. national.

Whatever you didn't include in your application, and even what you did (I presume you made copies of whatever was sent so you don't have to retrieve it again), I would bring to that interview. That offer of employment in the U.S., and your response turning it down because your wife wanted to stay in Canada and you wanted to fulfill her wish - was that before or after you filed? In any case, take that to the interview. They want to find some evidence that you are primarily married to your wife in order to come to Canada. What you need to do is to convince them that you are with your wife out of love and where you live together is a secondary concern. I think refusing that job offer, which I assume would have eventually given you PR status in the U.S., is good proof of that.

Hello all, hope everyone is getting ready to celebrate the holidays with your love ones.

Well here we are it's been exactly 6 months since my file is showing as "Received" by Buffalo. Next Monday (Dec. 12) will mark 4 months since I received a letter stating that a personal interview is needed, me and my wife have to attend, as of today we are still awaiting to have a date when the interview will be held. I emailed Buffalo asking if there is an estimated waiting period, but I only received a generic response "You will receive notification by mail advising you of the date and time of the interview well in advance of the interview date." Meaning first, seems that once I receive a date, the wait to actually attend to the interview will be longer, second they don't want more emails asking what's going on.

For those curious to know why we have been called for an interview, well I requested my GCMS actually twice, I was an International Student in the US, I met my wife 2 years ago and got married on 2009, we didn't submit the sponsorship right away, we basically waited until I was almost done with school and applied on April 2011, I was living the whole time in the US and used to go to see my wife every month, month and half, she came to visit me twice and actually she attended my commencement ceremony back in May. Basically the notes state we haven't spent a significant amount of time together. I have been in Canada under a visitor visa since the end of August (I am not from an exempt visa country hence I require to get a visitor visa which I never had a problem applying it for, this one will expire on 2013).

So here we are still awaiting to receive a date for when the interview will be held, I think I saw a couple of folks with Interview date this Month and their application being filed back in December, so I guess I will not hear from Buffalo probably until next year. Adding to that, money is tight and well I guess we don't have much of an option but to wait, I paid the RPRF separately but I saw on the GCMS notes that it was already received, also we will be leaving in Quebec so I received my QSC back in June.

At this point, I guess there is nothing we can do, and it is really taking a toll on us, sometimes I wonder if we would've been better staying in the States as I rejected an offer of employment because my wife's desire was to live here in Canada, but here we are and hopefully things will be resolved soon, we are not concerned about the interview itself but the lack of information, we understood that Outland was a better option because is faster, but well, that's my story, I wish everyone the best and many blessings for the upcoming year.

B.

 

[ddobro2]

Try reminding them of their obligation by law to provide them within 30 days.

It's been 41 days since we mailed our request for GCMS notes. Am I allowed to be annoyed/concerned yet?

Could anyone tell me off the top of their head what the email address is to bug about receiving GCMS notes? If we don't get them by the end of the week... I think I'll have to "take some action..."

 

[jacobsdennis]

BREAKING NEWS FROM BUFFALO...!!!

My partner wa granted his PR visa following a brief interview with us both!!!!!!!!!!! He will land tonight when we cross back into Canada at Rainbow Bridge!!! LOTS more information to follow once we check into our hotel room in Niagara Falls tonight! Will also share the landing story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ddobro2]

Yay, I knew it. Congrats to you both. ;D I shall update you on the spreadsheet.

BREAKING NEWS FROM BUFFALO...!!!

My partner wa granted his PR visa following a brief interview with us both!!!!!!!!!!! He will land tonight when we cross back into Canada at Rainbow Bridge!!! LOTS more information to follow once we check into our hotel room in Niagara Falls tonight! Will also share the landing story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rouge]

Hi all!
Can someone tell me what GCAM notes are? How do you get them? What are they useful for?
Thank you

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

BREAKING NEWS FROM BUFFALO...!!!

My partner wa granted his PR visa following a brief interview with us both!!!!!!!!!!! He will land tonight when we cross back into Canada at Rainbow Bridge!!! LOTS more information to follow once we check into our hotel room in Niagara Falls tonight! Will also share the landing story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations! Glad it turned out so well for you both!!

Why did they need an interview? Glad to hear it was short and sweet, but annoyed for you that you had to go through all of that stress and trouble!

Good luck with the landing!

 

[ddobro2]

GCMS notes: http://immipedia.ca/Ordering_FOSS_and_CAIPS_notes. Check the acronyms list on that site if you ever want to check what an acronym means, it's pretty comprehensive.

Hi all!
Can someone tell me what GCAM notes are? How do you get them? What are they useful for?
Thank you

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

BREAKING NEWS FROM BUFFALO...!!!

My partner wa granted his PR visa following a brief interview with us both!!!!!!!!!!! He will land tonight when we cross back into Canada at Rainbow Bridge!!! LOTS more information to follow once we check into our hotel room in Niagara Falls tonight! Will also share the landing story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Btw, did they still give him the counterfoil or did he just get his COPR? You say he got his PR visa so I assume they still put a counterfoil in his passport even though the regulations supposedly changed on Dec. 1st.

Just curious. Can't wait to hear the full story!

 

[mcmasters]

Hello mcmasters, the 2 times I have requested the GCMS notes, I sent it both times to: atip-aiprp @ cic.gc.ca and both times I reveived exactly after 30 days of requesting it, has your credit card being charged already?

Good Luck!

Thanks for the email address. I'm assuming it's taking longer because we're doing the request by mail (we had to send in the info release form, and I'm not in Canada, but my sponsor is, so we decided to mail it). My hubs paid for it so I'll ask him if his card was charged.

I just wondered if despite the 30 days rule I had to allow time for mail delivery before I got all antsy-pantsy.

More than anything I'm concerned our notes won't tell us anything we don't already know, or worse, that it's going to be even LONGER than anticipated, or there's something wrong/missing.

 

[mcmasters]

BREAKING NEWS FROM BUFFALO...!!!

My partner wa granted his PR visa following a brief interview with us both!!!!!!!!!!! He will land tonight when we cross back into Canada at Rainbow Bridge!!! LOTS more information to follow once we check into our hotel room in Niagara Falls tonight! Will also share the landing story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations! Glad the interview went well. What a wonderful Christmas present for you both. Good luck with the landing! Excited to hear how it goes.