Thread for Outland LONDON, UK Applications!

[apcmwh]

Hi - I'm not sure if this has already been posted, but I just stumbled upon the CIC's Quarterly PR Applications Data Release which has some great stats on processing times for the 12 months to Sep 2011. I'm not allowed to post links, but if anyone's interested, it is at the Canadian government's Open Data Pilot Project site:

1) Google - "Canada Open Data Pilot Project"
2) Search General Datasets: "Immigration"
3) It's called: "Permanent Resident Applications Processed Abroad and Processing Times - English Version" (sixth link down, when I did the search)

It's interesting to note that 50% of PR applications (second stage, I assume) are approved within 3 months through London. At least it's not as bad as Islamabad at 19 months!

 

[pinklady]

Hi Pinklady! I am on the other forum british expats and was wondering if we could be added to your spreadsheet please?
Bally21 and our spousal application was sent Feb 4th 2012 and it apparently arrived the 8th Feb. Thank you!

No problem, I'll add you now.
Welcome!

 

[bally21]

No problem, I'll add you now.
Welcome!

Thank you! And now the waiting begins! We already booked our flights and our dogs and cat for June 17th so will go for dual intent entry if hubby's visa hasn't arrived by then! So exciting, can't wait to be home!!

 

[Irish Colleen]

Pink Lady, can you update us when you get the chance?

Hi, I posted on the December Applicants, but just in case you don't see it, can you update me please? Happy happy happy, first stage approval granted on 7th Feb!!!! Thanks very much for your help

 

[apcmwh]

Congrats Irish Colleen!

I've also just received AOR this morning but no sponsorship approval yet. PinkLady, can you please update me as well?

 

[kamika]

Hi All and Pinklady,

I just discovered this thread, it's amazing. Thank you all for the helpful information. I hope you can give me some tips on our situation.

I am Canadian visiting my boyfriend in London. We will get married in April and I will go back to Canada soon after. I was thinking of sending the outland sponsorship application to Mississauga early May, but I am not sure about the following (sorry, if some of my questions have already been addressed, couldn't find the exact answer). Also, excuse my frenglish, I am from Québec;-)

- I understand it's better to do the medical exam before and send the proof (Appendix C) with the application. I was wondering how the Embassy in London will know that they have to keep the results sent by the doctor if they didn't receive any info on us before.

- Where can we find a list of approved doctors in London area? The website doesn't show UK in the country list.

- My partner is planning to come visit me in Canada in July/August. Is he allowed to get in the country while his application is in process? Also, do you think his passport might already be in hold at the London Embassy?

We are really happy to see that the processing time is much faster that the official one. What a wonderful idea Pinklady!! I will probably ask you to add us to the list once we get there ;-). I am now in the process of printing all the forms and starting to fill them, it seems very tedious.

In advance, thank you all for your help! Enjoy the snow (feels almost like back North;-)

 

[Jeri27]

Can anyone give me a recent update on how long it took for you to receive your visa? My wife sent in her pictures and info three weeks ago and next week will be a month. Can you also let me know where you are located as well?

 

[Victorfoxtrot]

Morning all - feeling better now! Got a response back from London this morning to say they have re-posted it under my boyfriends name today and they've given me the tracking number. So I guess it will arrive next week some time. Looking on Royal Mail it can take anything from 2-7 working days. I hope it arrives before Friday as we're off to Ottawa for the Winterlude festival, and we can then really celebrate!

Interestingly though, I got another response - someone else replied to my original email telling me it was first posted out on 19th Jan (oh the torture!), so that's the day before my Ecas was updated to Decision Made. I am guessing therefore it would have arrived by 27th Jan, so perhaps you should update the spreadsheet with that date Pinklady.

 

[Victorfoxtrot]

- I understand it's better to do the medical exam before and send the proof (Appendix C) with the application. I was wondering how the Embassy in London will know that they have to keep the results sent by the doctor if they didn't receive any info on us before.
It's actually mandatory to do the medical and send in the results. Your doctor will give you a copy of a form IMM1017 which he has. You just take your appendix C, plus some photos and he will fill out the form whilst you are there. You should make sure your fiance leaves with his copy, as this is what he needs to post. The doctor then sends the medical results to a main office in Ottawa where it is basically placed on file - doesn't matter that your application will not have been filed yet, they will match it up later. The only advice I have is that you should leave the medical until as late as possible, because applications can (although it's rare) take over a year, and in those instances the medical expires so he'd need another one.

- Where can we find a list of approved doctors in London area? The website doesn't show UK in the country list. No the drop down list shows the UK under its constituent parts; England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland etc.
- My partner is planning to come visit me in Canada in July/August. Is he allowed to get in the country while his application is in process? Also, do you think his passport might already be in hold at the London Embassy?

Good luck. You have the right idea. I printed off all the forms, got a folder of them and just started reading and trying to complete them. Everytime I got to something I wasn't sure about I made a note. Your fiance will also need to complete police checks for any country he has lived in for 6+ months. Including the UK - (assuming this is where he was born and where he lives).

 

[pinklady]

Hi All and Pinklady,

I just discovered this thread, it's amazing. Thank you all for the helpful information. I hope you can give me some tips on our situation.

I am Canadian visiting my boyfriend in London. We will get married in April and I will go back to Canada soon after. I was thinking of sending the outland sponsorship application to Mississauga early May, but I am not sure about the following (sorry, if some of my questions have already been addressed, couldn't find the exact answer). Also, excuse my frenglish, I am from Québec;-)

- I understand it's better to do the medical exam before and send the proof (Appendix C) with the application. I was wondering how the Embassy in London will know that they have to keep the results sent by the doctor if they didn't receive any info on us before.

- Where can we find a list of approved doctors in London area? The website doesn't show UK in the country list.

- My partner is planning to come visit me in Canada in July/August. Is he allowed to get in the country while his application is in process? Also, do you think his passport might already be in hold at the London Embassy?

We are really happy to see that the processing time is much faster that the official one. What a wonderful idea Pinklady!! I will probably ask you to add us to the list once we get there ;-). I am now in the process of printing all the forms and starting to fill them, it seems very tedious.

In advance, thank you all for your help! Enjoy the snow (feels almost like back North;-)

http://www.cic.gc.ca/dmp-md/medicalinfo.aspx?CountryID=1872&CountryName=England

First of all, here is a list of designated medical practitioners in England.
You must do the medical check before sending off the application. If you look at the checklist, the appendix A which the doctor will give you is listed.

Your partner will be fine to visit you. He should bring proof of the ongoing application with him. Perhaps the sponsor approval letter and the receipt of payment of fees.

On the subject of fees, its best to pay the total amount up front $1040. Some people choose not to pay the RPRF (right of permanent residence fee) until requested by CIC, but this can delay things by up to 2 months! Also, if the application is unsuccessful for whatever reason, the RPRF will be refunded.
London request passports when they are ready to issue the visa. It is perfectly acceptable to send the passport from Canada to England and receive it back in Canada (as I did). However, since Dec 1st, CIC London are phasing out this step as British citizens are visa exempt. Instead, they have been either requesting photocopies of the passport or just sending the COPR (confirmation of permanent residence) out directly.

If your husband will be visiting for a while, he should update his mailing address to your Canadian address.

I think that’s it for now.
Good luck and if you have more questions let me know.

 

[pinklady]

Congrats Irish Colleen!

I've also just received AOR this morning but no sponsorship approval yet. PinkLady, can you please update me as well?

When you say you received AOR, what exactly do you mean? A letter/email from Mississauga?

 

[lesleyaddy]

Ohhh what a nice little suprise in my post box this morning. A cheque for $150, apparently I overpaid all our fees..lol!!! Must have been too excited. Im hopeing this is a good sign that they are beginning to process my hubbys application and when checking the application and fees theyve noticed the over payment. Fingers Crossed

Back to the tick tocking of the clock!!! Grrr

xxxx

 

[apcmwh]

When you say you received AOR, what exactly do you mean? A letter/email from Mississauga?

Hi PinkLady - I received an email from Mississauga:

UCI: XXXXXXXX
Application No.: F0000XXXXX
Quote these numbers when corresponding with our office. This is an automated message. Please DO NOT RESPOND to this message. Dear X, This confirms that your application for permanent residence in Canada has been received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on 2011/12/22. When should I contact CIC?
You must notify CIC of any changes to your application. Examples of changes include:
• Changes in your personal circumstances, such as birth or adoption of a child, a marriage or a divorce
• Change of contact information (e-mail, mailing address, telephone number)
• Appointment or change of immigration representative or designated individual
• Decision to withdraw your application
To notify CIC of changes to your application, visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions.asp, select the office stated below, and follow the directions for “Case Specific Enquiry.”
When will CIC contact me?
CIC will contact you if we require additional information, documents, or an interview. For general guidance on what to expect, you can visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications and consult the “What happens next” section of the instruction guide associated with the application form you used. How do I check the status of my application?
You may use either the Unique Client Identifier (UCI) or Application Number above to check the status of your application on the CIC website. Please visit www.cic.gc.ca/english and in the “I Need To ...” section on the right-hand side of the page, select “Check application status.” How long will it take to process my application?
Processing times vary. You can consult the processing times for reference at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times
Please be aware that answering e-mails takes time away from processing applications. For this reason, unless your application has exceeded normal processing times, please limit your correspondence to notifying us of changes in your application. How can I prepare for immigration to Canada?
Please consult the following resources about settlement in Canada:
• For information on language assessment and training, visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/before-language-training.asp
• For information on employment, visit www.credentials.gc.ca and www.workingincanada.gc.ca
• For information on housing, education, health, important documents, and other topics, visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers
We trust that this information concerning your application for permanent residence in Canada is helpful. CPC Mississauga
P.O. Box 6100, Station A
Mississauga, ON
L5A 4H4

 

[pinklady]

Thanks for posting that. When I applied in Dec 2010, Mississauga were not sending out AOR's. I guess because the processing time then was only around 30 days.

Thanks though. Hopefully your sponsor approval letter will be just around the corner!

 

[NevilleUK]

Hi PinkLady - I received an email from Mississauga:

UCI: XXXXXXXX
Application No.: F0000XXXXX
Quote these numbers when corresponding with our office. This is an automated message. Please DO NOT RESPOND to this message. Dear X, This confirms that your application for permanent residence in Canada has been received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on 2011/12/22. When should I contact CIC?
You must notify CIC of any changes to your application. Examples of changes include:
• Changes in your personal circumstances, such as birth or adoption of a child, a marriage or a divorce
• Change of contact information (e-mail, mailing address, telephone number)
• Appointment or change of immigration representative or designated individual
• Decision to withdraw your application
To notify CIC of changes to your application, visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions.asp, select the office stated below, and follow the directions for “Case Specific Enquiry.”
When will CIC contact me?
CIC will contact you if we require additional information, documents, or an interview. For general guidance on what to expect, you can visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications and consult the “What happens next” section of the instruction guide associated with the application form you used. How do I check the status of my application?
You may use either the Unique Client Identifier (UCI) or Application Number above to check the status of your application on the CIC website. Please visit www.cic.gc.ca/english and in the “I Need To ...” section on the right-hand side of the page, select “Check application status.” How long will it take to process my application?
Processing times vary. You can consult the processing times for reference at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times
Please be aware that answering e-mails takes time away from processing applications. For this reason, unless your application has exceeded normal processing times, please limit your correspondence to notifying us of changes in your application. How can I prepare for immigration to Canada?
Please consult the following resources about settlement in Canada:
• For information on language assessment and training, visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/before-language-training.asp
• For information on employment, visit www.credentials.gc.ca and www.workingincanada.gc.ca
• For information on housing, education, health, important documents, and other topics, visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers
We trust that this information concerning your application for permanent residence in Canada is helpful. CPC Mississauga
P.O. Box 6100, Station A
Mississauga, ON
L5A 4H4

Hi apcmwh,

May I ask how long it took for you to get confirmation from Mississauga that they had received your application? I know that it was signed for a while ago, but they haven't acknowledged that.

Has anyone else received any confirmation of receipt by Mississauga who posted theirs off around the same time as mine, 5/1/2012?

I hate all this waiting and not knowing