TR Visa Singapore Office - process time

[Coldstream63]

My girfriend is an Indonesian citizen, working in Singapore. She submitted the completed TR Visa application at the Singapore office of the CIC, in the drop-box, as requested. This was done on August 30th.

The processing time for TR Visas for that office is listed as 14 days (doesn't say working days or calendar days). Either way, we are past that with no word on the status - no emails and nothing by way of letter post.

Is this normal for this office? Should we be concerned at all? Are applications busier at this time of year in anticipation of Christmas travellers?

I'd love to know if we should be concerned or not.

The backup plan was to be that if she was refused, that I would travel there in December, as opposed to her coming here. For that to happen, I need to have enough time to book a flight, and I'm also worried that if the application takes too long, that this won't be possible, meaning we don't get to see each other again until next June...ugh!

 

[Coldstream63]

Anyone....?

 

[NLY39739]

hi buddy!

don't bother! I am also an Indonesian though I applied for canadian visa in shanghai. the website also stated 2 weeks but when i submitted my application i was informed that it will take 2 months. talk about misleading information eh? so it's been 3 weeks for me and still no news. I already cancelled my trip and just basically sit and wait till i get the news whether my visa is granted or not.

other forumers in this forum seem to agree that 2 months is normal...

 

[Coldstream63]

2 months! OMG.....

Well thank you for the reply, NLY - it is appreciated.

I guess the next step is to find some extra $$ to buy airfare from here to Singapore, and then just cancel one or the other, depending on the decision by CIC. I just wish they would have been honest on the website. If it's going to take two months, then just tell people so they can plan accordingly. Had I known the process time was off by so much, we would have started this process after I got back from Indonesia in June!

(beautiful country, by the way, and wonderful people...)

Well, I guess, like so many others here, we are consigned to wait..........

 

[NLY39739]

2 months! OMG.....

Well thank you for the reply, NLY - it is appreciated.

I guess the next step is to find some extra $$ to buy airfare from here to Singapore, and then just cancel one or the other, depending on the decision by CIC. I just wish they would have been honest on the website. If it's going to take two months, then just tell people so they can plan accordingly. Had I known the process time was off by so much, we would have started this process after I got back from Indonesia in June!

(beautiful country, by the way, and wonderful people...)

Well, I guess, like so many others here, we are consigned to wait..........

Yes it is very annoying. I also think that it is extremely misleading to say that it takes 2 weeks when in reality it takes 2 months. I applied for my visa well 1 month in advance and that's already hard enough to do so because as a foreigner in China, I need my passport to do everything. Going to the bank, taking the train, flying domestically, etc. So the idea of not having my passport for 2 months is crazy! My flight is this Sunday, i know i will not be going to Canada at all. If you read other threads in this forum, it seems that the average length is between 30-60 days. When I finally got a replied from the Consulate General (After bazillion gazillion emails), they said that it's my fault for not applying on-time. To me that sounds like an insult because I did apply 1 month in advance. I made this judgement based on the approximation they provided.

Yesterday, I even tried to cancel my application, get my passport back, and don't care about getting the visa anymore... and guess what, i was told it will take 4 business days just to release my passport. What if *knock on wood* my dad suddenly passed away and I need to fly back to Indonesia now? would they still have me wait for 4 business days? apparently so. The consulate staff didn't budge at all. They just gave me the cold, void, robotic face and the "i don't know and i don't care" shrug...

So i think it will be better for your girlfriend to apply from the Canadian embassy in Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur. In jakarta, my mom got it in 3-4 working days and in KL, a friend of mine got it 1 day after he submitted his application.

Btw, sorry for the ranting. I am so frustrated with the situation. Thanks for the compliments about Indonesia thou. Very nice of you!

 

[Coldstream63]

I'm sorry to hear as well, all the hassles with the delays you have experienced. I really would love to see the reason why there is such a disconnect between the stated process time on the website, and reality.

For us, we sent an inquiry on Monday to find out the status, and received a reply back yesterday that read;

Dear #########,

Thank you for your enquiry to the Immigration Section of the High Commission of Canada in Singapore.

Please be advised that the result of your application is ready for pick-up.

We hope this information will be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Immigration Section | Section d'immigration
High Commission of Canada | Haut Commissariat du Canada
Singapore | Singapour

How's that for odd? I have no clue what the "ready for pickup" bit means, as an envelope and labels were included with the submission. Either way, they would mail her something, right?

And by the way, the comments about Indo were well deserved. i loved it!

 

[NLY39739]

Congratulations!!! Glad that it didn't take you as long as mine

I received an e-mail from CG Shanghai on October 3, 2012. Just a bit more than a month. What a relieve!

Dear applicant,

Please note that your application has been finalized today. You may contact the visa application center to arrange pickup tomorrow.

Regards,

Visa Section

When I checked the status of my application on the visa application center, it is stated that "your passport with the visa is ready for collection. please come in person to collect it".

So I guess your girlfriend will get another confirmation e-mail or at least you can contact the embassy (if that is possible). If i were you, i would just print the e-mail and go to the embassy. All the best buddy!

 

[Coldstream63]

Hey, congrats on the good news! You still plan on visiting Canada? You had said that your flight was scheduled for the end of September, right? I hope you are able to reschedule now though.

For my girlfriend, she did send another inquiry, seeking clarification on the initial reply from CIC. That was this past Friday. I'm hoping she gets something soon from them, otherwise she'll just print off the email and go there in person.

You said you were able to check the status of your application on the visa application centre? How were you able to do that? My understanding is that there was no mechanism to electronically check the status of TR Visas.

 

[NLY39739]

Thanks buddy! Yeah thank god the fare i chose from air canada entitled me for full refund. I schedule my trip to be in December and have chosen Cathay Pacific this time since the schedule fits me better.

Anyway, with regard to your question about checking the status online, in shanghai you can apply for a TRV in two ways. You can either go to the Consulate General or you can go to a Visa application center. First I went to the Consulate General because it's just a stone's throw away from my apartment. However, they required appointment and the earliest appointment is in November (again, nothing mentioned about this on their website). So i decided to go to Visa Application Center. The benefit of applying there is they gave me a code in which i can punch in on their website and it will tell me the status of my application.

Having said that, as soon as i received the e-mail from Canadian CG that my application "has been finalized"(whatever that means lol) i immediately went to the website of the visa application center and checked the status of my application. Indeed, it was stated "ready for collection".

I don't know whether the same system goes for Singapore or not. Like I said before, if i were you (especially if your flight departs soon), I would print the email and march myself to the embassy and insist to get an answer even if the security guards won't let me in ;D

Good luck!

 

[Coldstream63]

That's fantastic that your fare was refundable (a rarity, these days), and that you will be able to come to Canada in December. Where are you headed?

About the online accessibilty for viewing the status of the TR Visa, it's unavailable through the Singapore office of the CIC. The VAC may be available in Jakarta, but not Singapore. Oh well, c'est la vie.

We actually did get an answer back last night from CIC, essentially saying come and pick up the result Tues-Thurs 8AM-12:30PM. So... we now wait until next Tuesday for the results. What bugs me are the words "the result", as opposed to the phrasing they sent you. For some reason, it just doesn't sound very reassuring . Hopefully though, the difference in wording is just from differences between offices (fingers and toes crossed...)

 

[NLY39739]

indeed i was also surprised that air canada refunded my money. well... i had to pay cancellation fee but that's better than nothing right? I am going to visit Toronto to see my older sister and then we will hit Quebec Ville, Halifax, and Prince Edward Island. After that much snow, we will head south to San Fransisco and Los Angeles to thaw ourselves

Where are you and your girlfriend heading?

I agree with your point that as official institutions, the embassy, consulate general, and the visa application center don't seem to be on the same page in terms of the Standard Operating Procedures and the terms or statement that they use to convey the same message. Even their standardized answer is not standardized ??? "The result" means nothing for us as receivers. Both rejected and approved fall within "the result". All the best for both of you! I hope she gets it as soon as possible and no more visa application saga in the future

Have a nice weekend!