Thread for Outland LONDON, UK Applications!

[orly]

Hello all.. Been a few weeks since my last post.. A simple update for you..
Today is officially 4 months "In process".. Coming up on 11 months for the application process in about 10 days..

I was at the Canada Day celebrations in London on Monday and lo and behold they had a Canada Immigration desk/stall/tent.. So......

I approach the desk, Canucks hockey shirt proudly on show, (Sorry, we all have our issues) and a friendly young chap asks "Hello, can I help you!! My response : "Probably not, but can you tell me why my application for immigration is taking so damn long??"

With this I am directed to the 'manager' in the office who asks about my circumstances, takes my email address and file number (which I can rattle off in my sleep!!) and ensures me that I will have something in the mail box by the end of the week to let me know what the current situation is.. Considering I've mailed the office 4 times since the 24th May with no response, I wasn't holding my breath..

And so, yesterday I receive this email in the inbox :

Good morning,

The necessary background checks for your application remain in process. As previously indicated, the background checks are a lengthy process that can take several months. We are unable to provide a specific timeframe for the completion of this procedure. However, please be assured that we will be in contact as soon as there have been developments with the processing of your file.

Your medical examination result has been extended by an additional 12 months. The validity date is now 08/06/2014.

Kind regards,
CDD

Now I know that this isn't massive progress and realistically I'm still no closer to 'decision made'.. However, the extrension on the medical is at least a good thing.. I guess..

Anyways, just thought I'd drop this update in.. Still holding thumbs for ScottishMaple!!

AlanJB

Hope you took the opportunity to berate them for their sluggish inefficiency at the same time.

 

[mariannamurrieta]

::_:

 

[scottishmaple]

Hello all.. Been a few weeks since my last post.. A simple update for you..
Today is officially 4 months "In process".. Coming up on 11 months for the application process in about 10 days..

I was at the Canada Day celebrations in London on Monday and lo and behold they had a Canada Immigration desk/stall/tent.. So......

I approach the desk, Canucks hockey shirt proudly on show, (Sorry, we all have our issues) and a friendly young chap asks "Hello, can I help you!! My response : "Probably not, but can you tell me why my application for immigration is taking so damn long??"

With this I am directed to the 'manager' in the office who asks about my circumstances, takes my email address and file number (which I can rattle off in my sleep!!) and ensures me that I will have something in the mail box by the end of the week to let me know what the current situation is.. Considering I've mailed the office 4 times since the 24th May with no response, I wasn't holding my breath..

And so, yesterday I receive this email in the inbox :

Good morning,

The necessary background checks for your application remain in process. As previously indicated, the background checks are a lengthy process that can take several months. We are unable to provide a specific timeframe for the completion of this procedure. However, please be assured that we will be in contact as soon as there have been developments with the processing of your file.

Your medical examination result has been extended by an additional 12 months. The validity date is now 08/06/2014.

Kind regards,
CDD

Now I know that this isn't massive progress and realistically I'm still no closer to 'decision made'.. However, the extrension on the medical is at least a good thing.. I guess..

Anyways, just thought I'd drop this update in.. Still holding thumbs for ScottishMaple!!

AlanJB

Can you go ask them about mine?.....lol

 

[scottishmaple]

Bad news guys, I still can't believe it but my boyfriend broke it off, this whole process was too much and me being depressed and sad (because of the stressful situation this puts you in) did it for him so yeah I haven't got my answer yet but CIC won this one... One less Canadian+non Canadian couple so my practical question is how do I contact CIC to withdraw my application and do I get a refund if my case is 'in process'??! I payed all of the fees so I want them back kind of...omg this is so surreal

I'm really sorry to hear that!!

This process has also been really hard on my marriage and our family life so I as well as a few others on here understand the stress you guys are under.

Please take some time to make sure you really want to withdraw your application because if you change your mind, (it is my understanding) you would have to start all over again.

 

[scottishmaple]

I calculated my number of days since application received and I am sitting at 331 with 297 days from sponsorship, I think I might actually hit 365 days...

It's not the number of days processing that bothers me so much, it's the lack of not knowing where we are in the process that bothers me. If CIC would just say, we are currently waiting on your background checks coming back or we are reviewing your relationship evidence...just something.

People say that no news is good news, I am not so sure about that.

 

[zardoz]

Is there anything "special" about some of the places that you've visited or something?

Do you have any military or intelligence related history that might be taking time to check on?

If not, I can't imagine why they are taking so long...

 

[scottishmaple]

Is there anything "special" about some of the places that you've visited or something?

Do you have any military or intelligence related history that might be taking time to check on?

If not, I can't imagine why they are taking so long...

They lost my daughters medical for 2 months, or I think it was 2 months as I asked them in december if they had it and they told me it was being reviewed and then in March I asked them for an update and they told me they couldnt locate it.

so I am not sure if they just didnt work on my file the entire time they couldnt locate it.

I say lost, but technically that is not true. They just didnt bother to read my file and look in the place I told them it would be...lol

 

[Eabie]

I calculated my number of days since application received and I am sitting at 331 with 297 days from sponsorship, I think I might actually hit 365 days...

It's not the number of days processing that bothers me so much, it's the lack of not knowing where we are in the process that bothers me. If CIC would just say, we are currently waiting on your background checks coming back or we are reviewing your relationship evidence...just something.

People say that no news is good news, I am not so sure about that.

I'm surprised your MP didn't do more to clarify the situation for you. I asked our MP's office for help and the Immigration Assistant there (although a woman of very few words - "thanks," "file no. please," etc. being the sum total of some of her emails) at least got back to us quickly with some specific info. She said we had passed the background checks. (When I contacted her, I didn't know that we had already gone In Process.)

 

[herewecome]

Scottishmaple, it's clear something's gone Pete Tong and the only way to resolve it, sadly, is to push them on getting it sorted. Contact your Canadian MP and request a copy of your notes. It should not be this way but ultimately if it gets things moving quicker, it is your best option. Chin up

 

[Canooknic]

Scottishmaple, it's clear something's gone Pete Tong and the only way to resolve it, sadly, is to push them on getting it sorted. Contact your Canadian MP and request a copy of your notes. It should not be this way but ultimately if it gets things moving quicker, it is your best option. Chin up

You just made me laugh so hard - I haven't heard 'it's all gone Pete Tong' for so long!!! Thank you herewecome xx

 

[herewecome]

Hahaha. No worries

So the London spreadsheet, do we know how many of those outstanding for 2012 have just fallen off the board and therefore could actually be approved but haven't reported as such?

Also, 2013 looks like applications are rather down compared to 2012. Has anyone any thoughts on this?

 

[Eabie]

Hahaha. No worries

So the London spreadsheet, do we know how many of those outstanding for 2012 have just fallen off the board and therefore could actually be approved but haven't reported as such?

Also, 2013 looks like applications are rather down compared to 2012. Has anyone any thoughts on this?

I'm slightly obsessed with the spreadsheet, so I can probably help answer this. I know that FK22, for example, was approved in May but he wasn't turned red until recently. I sent him a PM and asked him about his status 'cause I was curious, and he said that he received his COPR in "late May" but so far hasn't said when he got DM. Sweden just put an approximate date for DM for him. Qtazngal is, in fact, still waiting and still posts on this forum, though mostly not in this thread. I think she has the longest processing time of anyone on any of the London spreadsheets from the last several years, and by quite a wide margin.

Leeson123, tgmart, and Won King are complete mysteries to me. I couldn't find any of them in the members lists on either this forum or BritishExapts, let alone posts by them. BlueBerryPie used to post on the BritishExpats forum but hasn't logged in in several months, so he/she may have just fallen off the radar as you said.

 

[herewecome]

Wow thanks for all that info. I can't believe someone is still waiting from Feb 2012!!

 

[sugalk]

herewelcome! I have been waiting since May 2011.

 

[zardoz]

Can't help wondering it it would be quicker to withdraw and start again... How do you keep sane?