^ That is precisely the point of the spreadsheet. It gives more real-time data, and it also filters out the vast majority of very complex cases. About 95% of cases that come through the spreadsheet are 'straight-forward' cases ... canadian sponsor meets non-canadian partner, usually British or similar, they live together for awhile, or get married, it's all very poetic, then they decide to come to Canada together, and thus do sponsorship. Sometimes there's kids, sometimes they've lived in a few other places, but generally speaking the file is pretty straight-forward. When more people come on here trying to get an idea of timelines, they usually fall in the same bucket, which is why being able to quote average timelines for "straight-forward" cases is a better metric for us than the 80% metric that CIC quotes.
This is part of the reason that we have started tracking processing via different offices (which, worth mentioning, was a pain in the backside to get those stats cooperating in the spreadsheet, but I digress)... tracking applications from "standard" applicants who would normally apply via London, how those application processing timelines vary depending on whether they're processed in Mississauga vs Ottawa vs London, then also helping profile Pakistani applications that have been sent directly from Mississauga to London and how those timelines compare.
I've kind of lost track of where I was going with this, so I'll just shut up now.
