Thread for Outland LONDON, UK Applications!

[taffy7]

Its been 3 months today since I left the U.K after seeing my husband. Not having another trip planned is the worst. I was home in Jan for my mums funeral and had to take my two children so funds are a bit scare right about now so no trip planned . I am grateful that my marriage is very strong but shi** it takes a toll on any relationship ....


A cup of tea and a custard slice is always my first stop when heading home. Its 7 pm at home and I'm going to facetime my husband and he's going to ask any news love....

 

[Scotmoose]

AndrewBrit - Sorry to hear you have to uproot your self. Taffy is spot on about the MP, what a bunch of BS!! Have you order Notes?

In a couple weeks we will be 12 months since application received. We are fortunate to be together while waiting DM, so I personally have nothing to complain about. However, I truly feel for those who are apart, their applications stuck in London and seeing applications filed in 2015 getting DM because they were lucky enough to be processed in Mississauga...Brutal!!!

It's been a year since I got married to my wife and we've spent a grand total of 3 weeks together in that time. before we got married we were apart for 8 1/2 months. It really is hard on us all and hard to explain to your step son why you're always back and forth all the time and he's asking every day when you're coming home . I'm pretty sure about 99% of relationships couldn't survive going through this.
And the whole thing about more complicated applications being sent to London is rubbish. Me and my wife have known eachother 12 years, a couple of years apart age wise, no criminal records, no travelling other than to Canada. So it's just pot luck

 

[kettle]

I know, it does not make sense. Nor does telling us our application will take somewhere in between 11-29 months.

We have been waiting since January 2014 to get our lives back on track. From January 2014 - February 2015 my previous employer was trying to get me a work permit via LMIA but eventually we said was enough was enough and applied for PR in September 2014. Hindsight!

We know it is coming but for someone like me who prefers to be too busy rather than sitting around the house all day this is killing me. The plan is I will go back to the UK without my wife and work there until whenever we get PR.

I feel for other London applicants who applied before me. It is so unfair that some go to Mississauga and the only choice for London based applicants is to accept it.

I know this isn't nearly the same situation as our application is in Mississauga, and will presumably go faster than yours (sorry, I really am) but I agree, it certainly does suck for people to have to uproot and disrupt their lives. We had originally planned for a year apart when we did the paperwork in December. He went home and stayed home for Christmas basically and spent 2.5 months in the UK looking for a job.. The processing times jumped to 29 months immediately in January, (I didnt find this forum until much later) so we made a new plan to work on getting me over to the UK once my sponsorship was approved, it also changed his course of action for job seeking, he was looking for something that would support us both financially and was being extremely picky about what work he took on. Meanwhile I began the process of getting a new birth certificate for me to prove parentage, right of passage visa for the UK in the works etc etc.

The consultant we used advised the other half to come back and reapply inland, so he booked his ticket. Before he landed we received confirmation that our package was received, that I was approved as a sponsor and I found this forum and was advised to leave our application as is. My other half just cancelled his return flight to the UK and is waiting. We don't know how long he will wait in Canada. Perhaps until our funds dry up. I honestly don't know.

Everything kind of gets put on hold in many ways. We're buying a new house, but really I am buying a new house until his residency comes through. Both of our vehicles were recently written off in a single hit and run collision, so we have to re-purchase those, all of that would be much easier if he had residency, or if we knew a time frame. As it is, you wait and wait and push things back and push things back hoping that it'll come soon.

As for being apart, its pretty awful at times. Especially with the time zone differences. It can be very hard on the relationship as all of us living it know.


This post wasn't just directed at you andrewbrit, I guess I am just commiserating with all of the others on thread to some extent, and sharing a personal experience with what the system does to ones life.

At least there is the option to sponsor a family member... Right? I mean this all could be much much worse.

 

[mec14]

Its that new building they just moved into ..honestly my file said it was in room 305, so when I email them I'm going to tell them where to look for it pmsl

We are room buddies! Ask them to pickup mine while they are there

 

[SchnookoLoly]

Yeah, the being apart sucks. My husband and I did it as well but that was waiting on the UK for my British citizenship as opposed to waiting on CIC... but still, being apart sucks donkey nuts.

I really wish we could have some insight as to which apps go to Mississauga vs Ottawa vs London... it's certainly not anything about some apps being more complicated than others. The retired visa officer at BE said it MIGHT be because some checks can only be done in the UK on the UK person, or some verification of some documentation or whatever, but it was rather just a guess and more seemed to be luck of the draw.

Just remember there is light at the end of the tunnel, and you will be elated once you have that piece of paper in your hand and you are able to cross the Canadian border as a Canadian PR and start setting up your new life. It can be trying while you're waiting, but you will get there in the end.

ANd in the meantime, we are all here to help you navigate the insanity and frustration of the waiting process.

 

[katathfx]

Just remember there is light at the end of the tunnel, and you will be elated once you have that piece of paper in your hand and you are able to cross the Canadian border as a Canadian PR and start setting up your new life. It can be trying while you're waiting, but you will get there in the end.

No truer words Thanks SchnookoLoly... Going to print this off and tape it to the fridge

 

[taffy7]

We are room buddies! Ask them to pickup mine while they are there

lol will do

 

[CanadaCanary]

I can only begin to understand how hard it must be to be apart for so long. My wife and I were apart for two months and it was horrible.
We are lucky and I was able to come to Canada on an IEC permit and now have another two years to work and live here while my PR is processed.

That being said I have a less common issue of still being held back in work and not being considering for certain jobs because I'm not a resident. I work in film and TV and because of the tax credit system in BC, companies can't get the full amount of tax back on employing me so they don't consider me. I'm a BC resident so they get most of it but until I'm PR they won't get all of it, really sucks (although I have had full time work until now). So for me like a lot of others it can't come soon enough!

My wife got the AOR today, if you want to update the spreadsheet. Fingers extremely crossed that when we get SA it goes to Mississauga.

Thanks guys.

 

[brucem]

@Andrew - When we contacted the MP the assistant told us she contacts the ottawa office as it is the 'head office' rather than contacting the actual visa office processing the app (although we were processed in Ottawa) Im not sure if I maybe misinterpreted her but that's what I remember he saying. However that aside I emailed her the other day to see whether she can find out if my medical was extended but apparently she has 20 other cases she's dealing with and she can only enquire about so many at a time with CIC, maybe some of the MP's are trying to put people off enquiring due to the volume of requests. I had no idea they would be that busy!

 

[andrew-brit]

My wife got the AOR today, if you want to update the spreadsheet. Fingers extremely crossed that when we get SA it goes to Mississauga.

Thanks guys.

Spreadsheet updated. That was a pretty fast AOR.

 

[WidnesPR]

I know, it does not make sense. Nor does telling us our application will take somewhere in between 11-29 months.

We have been waiting since January 2014 to get our lives back on track. From January 2014 - February 2015 my previous employer was trying to get me a work permit via LMIA but eventually we said was enough was enough and applied for PR in September 2014. Hindsight!

We know it is coming but for someone like me who prefers to be too busy rather than sitting around the house all day this is killing me. The plan is I will go back to the UK without my wife and work there until whenever we get PR.

Hello Andrew-Brit. I am not if this is against the forum policy but who is your MP ? We are also in calgary and my common law spouse is trying his best to stay busy and positive ! We started this process last June while also waiting on a Lmia which didn't come through. He had to leave for 5 months over the winter and I can totally appreciate how hard it is ! He's now here as a visitor until September and we will have to make a decision on what to do at that point. My question on your MP is just to see if we would get the same type of response should we have to engage them later this year

I feel for other London applicants who applied before me. It is so unfair that some go to Mississauga and the only choice for London based applicants is to accept it.

 

[SchnookoLoly]

^ use

[/quote]

and

[quote]

to break up the text box, I have no idea what in the above quoted text is you!

 

[andrew-brit]

Hello Andrew-Brit. I am not if this is against the forum policy but who is your MP ? We are also in calgary and my common law spouse is trying his best to stay busy and positive ! We started this process last June while also waiting on a Lmia which didn't come through. He had to leave for 5 months over the winter and I can totally appreciate how hard it is ! He's now here as a visitor until September and we will have to make a decision on what to do at that point. My question on your MP is just to see if we would get the same type of response should we have to engage them later this year

is from WidnesPR

Edit: My MP is Michelle Rempel - Calgary Centre North.

 

[coreygirl]

Don't know if y'all are tracking this as well but here goes!

After being told that my husbands PR card would be mailed out in 4-6 weeks, we have received it. At the 6 week mark.
Seems our case went along with the posted estimates for our particular timeline.

True to fashion with our experience, the border guard who did the landing procedure for us, changed our address here in Vancouver to the new one, but of course, it went to the old one.
Ah well, now we are truly done with it all!

 

[taffy7]

@ Andrew - When we contacted the MP the assistant told us she contacts the ottawa office as it is the 'head office' rather than contacting the actual visa office processing the app (although we were processed in Ottawa) Im not sure if I maybe misinterpreted her but that's what I remember he saying. However that aside I emailed her the other day to see whether she can find out if my medical was extended but apparently she has 20 other cases she's dealing with and she can only enquire about so many at a time with CIC, maybe some of the MP's are trying to put people off enquiring due to the volume of requests. I had no idea they would be that busy!

They contact the office who is processing your case.. so yours went to Ottawa .As for only processing so many cases, they are the government they can request what ever they like and how many times .. LOL I just confirmed this with a friend of mine that works both in the local office and federal building in Ottawa... So another MP who is to frigging lazy to do to much work that day and gives you the runaround.