Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[j2m]

LANDED!!!
I wanted to give everyone a detailed update on my experience after PPR. Please excuse the length, but I want to add as many details as I could to help answer some questions.
I got my PPR on Wednesday (FEB 16) morning, that evening I flew out from Calgary to Hamilton Ontario. Rented a car from Avis (they were one of the only car rental companies that said I wouldn't have problems driving the car across the US border) drove to Buffalo NY and stayed in a hotel, did not sleep all night... Way too nervous.... I was at the Buffalo Consulate at 7:10AM Thursday. I parked in the under-ground parking at the HSBC center (cost $5.00) took the elevator up to the main floor (where you gain access to the offices). A guard asked me to go down the escalator and wait by the escalator for a guard to come get me. I was the first one in line, there were several people waiting in the Tim Hortons, but the guards do not go get you, you have to wait in line by the escalator. By 7:30 Am there were about 5 people in line and at exactly 7:30AM the guard came in and told us to follow him. When I got to the main level I had to check in with another guard to scanned my passport and gave me a sticker to put on my shirt (the sticker has you # on it, even though I was first, I was given #2). The guard instructed me to go to the elevator, where a guard checked my sticker and instructed me to go to the 30th floor (can't miss the button, red Canadian flag). When I got to the 30th floor there was another guard that took my cell-phone, and gave me a # for the locker it was secured in. The guard then instructed me to wait at the start of the line until I was called up. Immediately a lady called me up, she was very friendly, commented that she liked my Belt Buckle (Big Skull) and asked what she could help me with. I handed her my (1) Passport (2) PPR (3) Passport Pics – I brought 4, they only used 1. She filled in some information and said it would be about an hour and said that I could go back downstairs if I wanted and have coffee and breakfast and come back in about an hour. I went downstairs for about 30 mins and then came back up, without any problems. When I came back up, there was approximately 50+ people waiting. After 1 and a half hours (9AM) She called my number, handed me the paper work and asked me to check it over and said if everything looked good I was free to go and I could land immediately. She gave me 3 things (1) my passport with a VISA sticker attached (2) a COPR with my pic attached (she said not to sign until I landed) and (3) some additional information on getting SIN, health care and citizenship.
I immediately drove to the Lewiston Border (approximately 30 min's away). When I drove up to the border I instructed the IO that I was landing. He was extremely nice and said "that's great, just pull up to the left and someone will be waiting for you there". I drove to the "secondary Inspection and a lady guided me on where to park and asked me to come inside. When I went inside they asked form my paperwork and I handed her (1) my passport and (2) My COPR. She asked me to have a seat. I heard her ask another IO if she needed to go through my FOSS notes and the other IO said no. After about 10 min's she called me up had me sign the COPR, attached it in my passport and said "CONGRATULATIONS, WELCOME TO CANADA". I was so happy to hear those words!!! That was it, no problems, no hassles, and the easiest I've ever traveled into Canada. What a huge relief! Yesterday I flew back to Calgary and got my SIN at a "Service Canada" location, took 10 min's, and then went to a registry and got health care (took 15 min's) and they told me any receipts I have from the past 3 months of any doctors appointments, or medical related issues I could get reimbursed for. Which is great, because I had an outpatient surgery that cost $1,100.00.
And that was it.
Very happy that it is all over. It took me over 16 months from submitting my application to approval. It was not an easy road, but now it is over.
This site has been a huge help to me, kind of my support group... I will do whatever I can to help anyone else going through this process.

 

[adetia9]

j2m, i'm so happy for you i almost feel like shedding a few happy tears

it gives folks like dralon and i hope i think to hear of someone finally getting squared away after so long.

we're still waiting for our caips notes, hopefully they will help shed some light on whats going on for us.


did you have all your belongings with you or did you do a goods to follow?

also, i wish i'd realized you didn't have your medical coverage, here in alberta, you are actually entitled even on a visitor visa (my daughter and i have been covered for the last year).

if anyone else is from/relocating to Alberta, i'd be happy to offer any assistance or answer any questions about our experiences.
i'm thinking of doing the same as you -- flying to buffalo from calgary, but we're not up to that point, so, still have some time to figure it out.

my biggest worry now is that we're going to get into this terrible cycle of by the time they bother to look at our file again our medicals will have expired, and then by the time they look at it another time, our fbi papers will be expired... so am hoping caips will at least shed some light on what they have extended and what we need to redo.

 

[j2m]

adetia9: Thank you! Yes I agree, you and Dralon just hang in there, it IS coming SOON!
I wish I had known about the health care, i found it weird that when I signed up for AB health care, she didn't eve look at my passport or ID, or even my COPR...

I did not have any goods to follow. I have been living in Canada for almost 2 1/2 years and didn't have anything else to bring... So that made it easy. Another thing I forgot to mention is that I had my medical completed in Oct of 2009. On the Visa it stated that my medicals expired on April 20, 2011. This was 1 year from when they were uploaded to Buffalo, not 1 year from the date my medicals were completed.
RE: FBI I had my FBI certificate to Buffalo in FEB 2010, I thought they would have expired, but apparently they didn't.

 

[Dralon]

adetia9: Thank you! Yes I agree, you and Dralon just hang in there, it IS coming SOON!
I wish I had known about the health care, i found it weird that when I signed up for AB health care, she didn't eve look at my passport or ID, or even my COPR...

I did not have any goods to follow. I have been living in Canada for almost 2 1/2 years and didn't have anything else to bring... So that made it easy. Another thing I forgot to mention is that I had my medical completed in Oct of 2009. On the Visa it stated that my medicals expired on April 20, 2011. This was 1 year from when they were uploaded to Buffalo, not 1 year from the date my medicals were completed.
RE: FBI I had my FBI certificate to Buffalo in FEB 2010, I thought they would have expired, but apparently they didn't.

you got lucky really lucky hope they will not request medical again.. however if they wait too long my wife csq expire and that i will have to renew

sigh

 

[kerianne]

Well, at least there's still hope for us

Congratulations j2m, glad to hear that it's finally over for you! Good luck and welcome to Canada!

 

[j2m]

I have been asked a few times how I applied for PR. So I thought I should post.
I applied through Common-Law. My partner and I waited until we had lived together for just over a year and then applied. We had already had one child together. I was still legally married, we sent about 50 pictures and 12 letters of support from various family members. We did not get these letters notarized, and our family was never contacted by CIC.

 

[kelKel]

Hoping to see some movement this week in Buffalo!

 

[Ines]

Hoping to see some movement this week in Buffalo!

Let's hope so. It's almost two months now since my husband received the letter saying an interview is needed and no other letter yet. We ordered the CAIPS notes and nothing yet.

 

[jessibee]

I'm hoping for some movement, too! Everybody stay positive.

 

[zzz2010]

Let's hope so. It's almost two months now since my husband received the letter saying an interview is needed and no other letter yet. We ordered the CAIPS notes and nothing yet.

Ines, you are not alone. I have received a letter saying an interview is needed and I have not received another letter for the details of the interview for almost 7 weeks now. We ordered CAIPS too last week. I wonder what is taking it too long just for them to schedule us for the interview. It will be frustrating it we received the CAIPS notes before the other letter coming from Buffalo.

 

[Ines]

Hey zzz2010, it seems we recieved the letters the same week. Hopefully we'll hear from them very soon.
We have ordered the CAIPS notes on Jan 5 and we haven't received them yet. We're hoping to receive them by next week. At least we'll have an idea about what was wrong with our application. Meanwhile, my husband and I trying to gather more proofs as we haven't enough in our application.

 

[zzz2010]

Hey zzz2010, it seems we recieved the letters the same week. Hopefully we'll hear from them very soon.
We have ordered the CAIPS notes on Jan 5 and we haven't received them yet. We're hoping to receive them by next week. At least we'll have an idea about what was wrong with our application. Meanwhile, my husband and I trying to gather more proofs as we haven't enough in our application.

Yeah, hopefully we hear from them sooner. I'll post it here once I got something from them. And hopefully you received your CAIPS notes too. Thanks.

 

[jessibee]

Hello again!

For people who have received their PPR or interview request: Where does it get mailed? To the sponsor or to the applicant?

When my husband logs into E-Cas using his #B****** we can see that his address was entered incorrectly (the put Canada instead of USA). When he e-mailed to ask them about it they just replied with this:

e-Cas is for applications processing within Canada only.



Immigration cases being processed in Visa offices outside Canada use a system different from that used to process similar applications in Canada. As a result, the e-Client Application Status (e-CAS) does not reflect the status of cases being processed in Buffalo.

Do not use the CIC e-Cas on-line change of address system. Your new address will not be downloaded to your file in Buffalo.

Regards,



Canadian Consulate General Buffalo

Immigration Section


Now I am worried! Like we needed more to worry about...

 

[j2m]

Hello again!

For people who have received their PPR or interview request: Where does it get mailed? To the sponsor or to the applicant?

When my husband logs into E-Cas using his #B****** we can see that his address was entered incorrectly (the put Canada instead of USA). When he e-mailed to ask them about it they just replied with this:

e-Cas is for applications processing within Canada only.



Immigration cases being processed in Visa offices outside Canada use a system different from that used to process similar applications in Canada. As a result, the e-Client Application Status (e-CAS) does not reflect the status of cases being processed in Buffalo.

Do not use the CIC e-Cas on-line change of address system. Your new address will not be downloaded to your file in Buffalo.

Regards,



Canadian Consulate General Buffalo

Immigration Section


Now I am worried! Like we needed more to worry about...

Jessibee
I received my PPR via email. I had given Buffalo an old e-mail address, so I did a "Case Specific Enquiry" on the Buffalo Web-site and updated my email address and they e-mailed my PPR to my new e-mail address, although they never did confirm that they updated my e-mail address.
I was also using an attorney, so I was happily surprised that they e-mailed me directly.
2 days after I received my "Decision Made" update one E-Cas, I e-mailed Buffalo to ask if I could bring my passport and they sent me the following e-mail (very similar to yours):
No decision has been made on your application to date.

e-Cas is for applications processing within Canada only.

Immigration cases being processed in Visa offices outside Canada use a system different from that used to process similar applications in Canada. As a result, the e-Client Application Status (e-CAS) does not reflect the status of cases being processed in Buffalo.
Do not use the CIC e-Cas on-line change of address system. Your new address will not be downloaded to your file in Buffalo.

Regards,

Canadian Consulate General Buffalo
Immigration Section
buffalo-im-enquiry @ international.gc.ca

I was extremely worried, as you are, but 5 days later I received my PPR.
If you want to update your physical address you should fill in the form that they mailed you with the AOR and fax it to Buffalo (per their request on the form) Because it is being processed outside Canada, you can't use E-Cas to update your address. You might also want to do a case specific inquiry to make sure they have your e-mail address and request that they send the PPR via e-mail.

 

[kelKel]

Hello everyone,

I have a quick question if somebody can answer it, before that a brief history of my case. I submitted my PR application on 30 March, 2010. Because of FBI PC everything messed up. Anyway Immigration officer put a Bring forward date on my case which was 25 Feb, 2011. As he was waiting for my FBI PC and i guess it is the last document IO required to finalize me case. So far i don't know what decision is made on my case or IO might have needed couple of more years to finalize my case.

Now my question is, is there any way to know what happened on 25 Feb? did he make any decision or not?

Caips Note


Summary of Your File

Case type: immigrant
Class: family
Number of persons: 1
Application received: 30-Mar-2010
Paper screening decision 1: 08-Sep-2010 (passed) Why it says paper screening decision 1?
Interview date: waived
Selection decision 4: 08-Sep-2010 (passed) Here it says selection decision 4? What does 4 mean here any idea?
Final decision: not entered
Medical stage validity 14-Mar-2011
Bring forward date: 15-Feb-2011

Assessment of Your File

On 06-Jan-2011 (page 3 of your CAIPS file), the date of the last note, Buffalo received
communication from you that you had applied for the FBI certificate. Prior to that, on 08-Sep-2010
your file was assessed and your selection decision was interview waiver. Buffalo sent you a letter on
that date notifying you of the interview waiver and the additional documentation required for the
final decision.

Thanks

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