Somebody must have kicked Buffalo in the butt this week because one of my non-forum friends finally got her PPR too. She was in process for 12 months and has given me permission to post some of what she went through here. So some snippets from her story follow..
Mid Dec 2011
Hi. It's time for me to lawyer up because Buffalo has misplaced my Police Clearance and won't update my address to tell me this months ago and I'm running out of time. I'm going to use this law firm to help me because I'm sick of communicating to a black hole.
I and another friend encouraged her to go the MP route first...
Thanks ladies for your stories and concerns. By running out of time I mean I was given a specific impossible deadline to get a new original Police Clearance to Buffalo or they will return my application and make me wait another 11 months. In the meantime my temporary OHIP will expire, I could be hassled at the border if I leave Canada, I can't work here if I wanted to, or go to school here if I wanted to. I have all my documentation in order showing I sent the original police clearance to the proper place and also repeatedly tried to update my address/phone with Buffalo. Tomorrow my husband and I are camping out at our MP's office to get an audience with one of the staff members in hopes that may help. I am going to hire the attorney as I need an expert professional to form a relationship with the Immigration Officer at this point. I do not want to go it alone again if I have to redo my application with a new medical exam or even getting a new original police clearance...once in a lifetime for that exercise was enough.
End Dec
Since I posted last, my husband and I went to our MP's office on Monday, Dec. 19 and the representative there was very helpful. The next morning her and I received separate emails from Buffalo saying my the scanned pdf copy they we sent them the day before was being reviewed and placed with my application. The hope is this review will eliminate the need for me to get a new original as their answer stated I do not need to submit anything else at this time. Also, Buffalo confirmed they finally updated my address and phone number. So we have made some progress.
The MP's office told me to contact them again around January 12 if I have not received my PR approval yet and they will further pursue the matter with me. Because I had my postal receipt showing proof I mailed the original police clearance to Mississauga in February they will help me pursue the copy should be used and my application not rejected. They will also help me negotiate a date extension for my OHIP if that becomes necessary. As per your advice, I will make sure to be in the office when they negotiate with Buffalo and ask them to contact the Supervisor of Records as well as use the term, "no wish to abandon the application".
Mid Jan 2012
Friday the 13th turned out to be my lucky day! After working with my MP' office (Bob Rae's Assistant) and MPP's office (Glen Murray's Assistant) by phone, online, and in person this week, they hooked me up with the Ontario Ministry of Health. Although never requested in any instructions, I must say showing them an updated resume and a good letter of recommendation from my volunteer position here in Toronto seemed to help the situation the way a greased palm does with a maitre d'. In the span of about 4 hours yesterday by phone and email, a analyst from the Ministry resolved all my problems. I gave her my documentation regarding my PR application and I signed a release for her by scanning and emailing back and forth. She was then able to plead my case to a representative at the Federal level in Immigration so that she could have access to my file and see I have done everything right for them to process my PR application. She then decided to extend my OHIP through mid-Sept. of 2012 and with a letter I will receive next week in the mail I will be able to extend it past that date if my PR application is still not approved.
I was also given instructions of how to leave and return to Canada without a hassle at the border if I still don't have my PR card...just bring with me my proof of address, health card, and any letters from OHIP and Canadian Immigration with my passport.
Also, it looks like Immigration is so backed up in Buffalo that the processing of apps which was taking 11 months, is now taking 19 months! [She says it's posted on cic, but I checked and it still says 11 months] So instead of getting my approval in the Dec.-Jan. time, it looks like I should get it now in the July-August time. Because everyone who applied is having this problem there is a very high likelihood they are going to extend the medical exam expiration date from 1 year to whenever the app is approved.
I am a very happy how all this turned out and the money I saved so much money by not having to hire an attorney, purchase emergency private health insurance, fees for walk-in clinics if needed, and additional fees for any new documents I feel like I have won the lottery!! I hope my story helps some others trying to figure out the maze of websites, classified info traps, and secret handshakes!
Jan 17
I received an email from Buffalo saying I was in the final stages of PR approval with instructions to send them a copy of my passport and 2 PR photos. So, I think all my work last week really helped to get my application done by convincing them on several fronts to accept my pdf copy of the police clearance or prompted them to find the original one I sent to them in February. Last Friday on a whim I decided to go to the secured Buffalo webpage where you can attach documents with a note to communicate with Buffalo. There I created a short message and attached pdf copies of my resume, letter of recommendation, and a current financial asset sheet. On Monday within minutes of getting the other email mentioned above, I also received a reply thanking me for sending them the updated documents. Although these documents were never requested I am sure they helped with getting my application in it's final review stage assigned to an Immigration Officer. I carefully followed the detailed mailing directions yesterday and now the requested items have been delivered to the Fort Erie address. I am suppose to receive my final PR documents by February 1.
So by communicating with my MP's office, my MPP's office, and using the Buffalo secured message system to send updated asset information (they consider your skills on your resume assets, not just financial info) [ I've never heard of this!] I was able to get this process completed in 12 months. Perhaps if I had known to use the secured Buffalo message system back in May my address would have been updated sooner. Also, if I had known not to send in my police clearance separately or at least until I had a client number to match it with the rest of my application the approval process may have been completed much earlier. IMO, the processing times posted on the Canadian Immigration website for completing the application approval are all relative to how well you can decipher their instructions. I hope this info can help someone else navigate to a successful completion with less stress.
If any of you would like more information from my friend about her process, please PM me. I only occasionally pop in here and it is very hard to follow embedded threads of conversations as they now tend to extend over multiple pages.
Good luck all!
Allison
