Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[GOGOGO]

If you haven't booked up hotel yet, here are some tips for your consideration:

Within walking distance to the Buffalo visa office, I stayed in 3 hotels: Hampton Inn, Hyatt Regency and Adam's Mark, and they are listed in my preferred order. I visited some people at Comfort Suites and the rooms looked ok. I heard Embassy is good (it's a newer hotel but more expensive).

A little bit further away (about 2 miles), you can check out Double Tree and Holiday Inn. They are under big chains. The walk is manageable, or you can get a short taxi ride. Ask the hotel if they provide free shuttle services. Alternatively, you can walk from hotel to Main Street and take the train to the visa office, which is free (above ground portion).

If you stay in hotels near airport, and if you're not driving, prepare to pay about $30 for a taxi ride to downtown. Or ask the hotel about the Airport-Downtown Express bus #204 (less than $2 a ride but check the schedule first - at metro.nfta.com, under "Schedules and Fares", select
"Airport Service").
Hotel price-wise, check expedia.com or hotels.com or similar for comparison of price to see what price range is acceptable for you vs location.

If you drive, the most convenient and safe parking is right underneath the building (hourly rate is about $1.5 and daily maximum is only $6).

Good luck with the interview!

Do anyone know any affordable hotel around Buffalo and if they do provide taxi service?
We have interview next month but the interview letter states that me and my spouse
must attend so will we like to be there a day before the interview date and due to will
be taking our child with us.
As anyone been invited for interview recently? If so pls share your experience and what
type document to take along. Is the sponsor always get interviewed or only just the applicant?
I'm always nervous when it comes to anything interview but i do hope for the best.

Any suggestion will help alot...Thanks

 

[ben_449]

ok thanks for your help

The way we looked at it was its better to have more information and proof of who you are and relationship then not enough...The application is tricky..i know my husband for got to sign a few things when we sent it back to me a few times and then he had to print it off again and send it to me....We should have had ours sent in more like June but we kept finding small errors and had to redo things....This whole process is trying but the end result will be AMAZING!! can't wait!

 

[ben_449]

So Do i just send the birth certificate to buffalo quoting my file number? even without them asking?

 

[Quince777]

So Do i just send the birth certificate to buffalo quoting my file number? even without them asking?

Copy of it would be fine. Yes, quote your file number, so it gets to the right place or person.

 

[AllisonVSC]

You are right ddobro. It was two other friends who had the missing x-ray/"magically got TB" experience. One is landed finally; the other is in month 19 with no end in sight yet..... My "19 month friend" is pretty lackadaisical about the whole thing since she went to meet with her MP. I encouraged her back in November to get her notes and see what is really going on, but she hasn't done it. She did re-do her medical and submitted it and is hoping that it won't be lost AGAIN!

So, I had lunch today with my "19 month friend". She re-did her medical exam in mid December. Today she got an actual snail mail letter dated January 20 from the Consulate General telling her she needed to re-do her medical! Hopefully, this is just the official notification she never got back in the fall, but who knows...the saga continues in February, I guess.

 

[ddobro2]

I'm going to PM you some info.....

So, I had lunch today with my "19 month friend". She re-did her medical exam in mid December. Today she got an actual snail mail letter dated January 20 from the Consulate General telling her she needed to re-do her medical! Hopefully, this is just the official notification she never got back in the fall, but who knows...the saga continues in February, I guess.

 

[AllisonVSC]

I'm going to PM you some info.....

Thanks. And YES. I'm pretty sure she would be interested!

 

[ben_449]

Thanks Quince777

Copy of it would be fine. Yes, quote your file number, so it gets to the right place or person.

 

[FloridaNative]

Hi Everyone,
It has been quite a while since I have posted. I am a December 2010 applicant, now waiting almost 14 months. I am American my husband Canadian. We met, married and lived in Florida for 3 years before we decided to move to Ottawa.
I am beyond frustrated with Buffalo, and have tried everything short of working with a Lawyer to get answers. If appears my FBI never made it from Mississauga to Buffalo. We have received final notice letters from Buffalo, requesting the same documents that were over-nighted to them months before. We have ordered CAIPS notes 2 times, and all that shows is very little is being done with our file. Our MP was useless, and has done nothing to help us.
We just do not know what to do anymore. There is no one to call. We have no idea who is working on our file.
We never dreamed 14 months ago, it would take this long. I have been unable to work, and have no Health Care.
Does anyone share our experience?

Thanks for reading...

 

[ddobro2]

I'm pissed off on your behalf. Can you share a detailed timeline of what exactly went down?

Hi Everyone,
It has been quite a while since I have posted. I am a December 2010 applicant, now waiting almost 14 months. I am American my husband Canadian. We met, married and lived in Florida for 3 years before we decided to move to Ottawa.
I am beyond frustrated with Buffalo, and have tried everything short of working with a Lawyer to get answers. If appears my FBI never made it from Mississauga to Buffalo. We have received final notice letters from Buffalo, requesting the same documents that were over-nighted to them months before. We have ordered CAIPS notes 2 times, and all that shows is very little is being done with our file. Our MP was useless, and has done nothing to help us.
We just do not know what to do anymore. There is no one to call. We have no idea who is working on our file.
We never dreamed 14 months ago, it would take this long. I have been unable to work, and have no Health Care.
Does anyone share our experience?

Thanks for reading...

 

[Quince777]

I have been unable to work, and have no Health Care.

I've been unable to work/study and with no health coverage for a year now! I hear you. I've been waiting for my visitor extention first for about 6 months (that's how long they've been processing it last year), then I submitted my application to Buffalo and it's been 5 months now. I'm beyond than frustrated at times. Honestly I don't know why I'm doing this to myself - was it really all worth it?! Sorry had to vent..

 

[mumbles]

I've been unable to work/study and with no health coverage for a year now! I hear you. I've been waiting for my visitor extention first for about 6 months (that's how long they've been processing it last year), then I submitted my application to Buffalo and it's been 5 months now. I'm beyond than frustrated at times. Honestly I don't know why I'm doing this to myself - was it really all worth it?! Sorry had to vent..

Quince....I was under the impression that if you had a visitors visa and were in process of applying for permanent residence that you were able to get health care? is this not true in your case?

 

[FloridaNative]

No permanent residency, no OHIP in Ontario.

 

[ddobro2]

Technically, these are the conditions for getting on OHIP:

You may be eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) if you are included under one of the following categories:
•you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, landed immigrant or are registered as an Indian under the Indian Act;
•you have submitted an application for permanent residence in Canada, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada has confirmed that you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for permanent residence in Canada;
•you have applied for a grant of citizenship under section 5.1 of the Citizenship Act (Canada), and Citizenship and Immigration Canada has confirmed that you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for citizenship (i.e. children adopted internationally by Canadian citizens);
•you are a “protected person” - i.e. a Convention Refugee or a person in need of protection as referred to in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
•you are a foreign worker who holds a work permit valid for at least 6-months which permits you to work in Canada, and you are working under a formal agreement in place to work full-time for an employer situated in Ontario which sets out the employer's name, your occupation, and states that you will be working for no less than six consecutive months;
•you are a foreign clergy member who will be providing services to a religious congregation in Ontario for at least six months;
•you hold a Temporary Resident Permit with case type 80 (for adoption only), 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94 or 95;
•you are the spouse, same sex partner, or dependent child (under 22 years old or 22 years and over if dependent due to a mental or physical disability) of an OHIP-eligible foreign clergy member or OHIP-eligible foreign worker;
•you hold a valid work permit under the federal Live-in Caregiver Program;
•you hold a valid work permit under the federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program;

AND, generally speaking
•you make your primary place of residence in Ontario;
•you are in Ontario for at least 153 days of the first 183 days immediately following the date you establish residence in Ontario (you cannot be absent for more than 30 days during the first 6 months of residence);
•you are in Ontario for at least 153 days in any 12-month period.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,

In practice, I believe people have posted on here about how they've gone to OHIP offices and shown them various things from CPC-M and Buffalo that would validate themselves under the bolded point above but been turned down.

 

[FloridaNative]

Applied in December 2010
Jan 2011-Sponsorship approves and file sent to buffalo

Feb2011- Nothing

Mar 2011- I moved to Ottawa and was issued a Visitor Visa. No problems at the border everything went perfect.

April 2011- Nothing

May 2011- Nothing

June 2011- Nothing

July- Nothing

August- Drove to Buffalo to reinstate Visitor Visa. Was told, I am inadmissible due to conviction from 13 years ago. The officer told me I will receive a letter from Buffalo stating inadmissibility. After payiing $300 he issued me a Temp. Resident Permit. We order CAIPS notes after returning home to see what was stated in my file.

September- Received first correspondence from Buffalo after 9 months. State they needed FBI records, and Florida state clearance. and all court documents from convictions. Since we had already mailed FBI back in to Mississauga we sent the the copy of original, attached to cover letter we mailed with Original FBI report.We also sent court docs and Florida state clearance. We mailed all these documents the same day, we received email request.

October-Nothing
November- Requested second CAIPS NOTES.
December- Received a final letter asking for the Exact same documents they requested in September. We re-sent for a second time all the exact same documents they had requested in September
Jan 2012- Recieved CAIPS notes. Nothing had been noted on our file since MAY.

In regards to the arrests, I was 21 years old at the time and very immature and irresponsible. I was only convicted of one of the crimes, the other adjudication was withed. Both were consider Misdemeanors. I am a 36 year old woman today and I am so disappointed to find my mistakes of the past have led to the inability to gain permanent residency.
Now we still wait.