US outland applicants' thread :)

[Canadianinlove]

Hello Everyone,

I landed on Sunday. Submitted app in July but didn't have marriage cert or FBI check. Once I sent all that in they marked my app received on ECAS Sept. 26. They requested my Honorable discharge from the service in April and my DM only like two weeks later. COPR in the mail to the states then mailed to me because I was in Canada. Went to the border landed within mins and no problems. Had B4a form filled out and that was it

Congratulations!

 

[DanOCan]

I guess one just has to try and stay positive. I really don't want to end up adding a 6th year to our long distance. Here's hoping speedy processing for everyone.

I hear ya. We're soon going to be hitting the three year mark. Based on what we saw last year, when we submitted our application in April we were thinking "Six months is October, eight months would be Christmas -- either way, 2015 is finally our year." Now, it's looking like it could be 2016 before we finally can be together and start our family. Life is so short and it frustrates me to no end knowing we're wasting all this time waiting for someone we'll never know to determine whether or not we get to be together.

 

[EmSNYC]

Hello Everyone,

I landed on Sunday. Submitted app in July but didn't have marriage cert or FBI check. Once I sent all that in they marked my app received on ECAS Sept. 26. They requested my Honorable discharge from the service in April and my DM only like two weeks later. COPR in the mail to the states then mailed to me because I was in Canada. Went to the border landed within mins and no problems. Had B4a form filled out and that was it

Congrats! Well, guess there is some movement after all

 

[gooh]

I hear ya. We're soon going to be hitting the three year mark. Based on what we saw last year, when we submitted our application in April we were thinking "Six months is October, eight months would be Christmas -- either way, 2015 is finally our year." Now, it's looking like it could be 2016 before we finally can be together and start our family. Life is so short and it frustrates me to no end knowing we're wasting all this time waiting for someone we'll never know to determine whether or not we get to be together.

I completely agree. My fiance and I applied in March. SA was late April. My pleads are for the end of this year. I don't care if it has to be December, I just want it to be this year.

 

[jesmithers]

I've said this before but I currently live in Ottawa and would be more than happy to volunteer at the Ottawa VO and make some calls/read some data.

But seriously, it's sad how long the process takes to screen applicants across the border. We're neighbours...I wish I knew what they needed to do (is it really phone calls and reading?) I don't mean to sound ignorant, just trying to wrap my head around the entire process. I think it's unfair they're prioritizing Express Entry. I would think Family comes first. :'(

 

[fizban]

After waiting for over 6 months since SA (11/17/2014), today my common law partner got an email from the Ottawa VO requesting "Stat Dec of Common-Law IMM5409: A signed and completed Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union form (IMM 5409) bearing original signatures This must be received at this office by: 2015/06/26"

1) What the heck? We did not include this form at the very beginning because it was very clear in Guide 3900 regarding IMM5409: "This form must be completed and signed by the sponsor and common-law partner, only if the latter is a co-signer on the application" and "If you are sponsoring your spouse or common-law partner, you cannot have a co-signer." Also in Document Checklist IMM5491, it says "Original of completed Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union (IMM 5409), if you have a co-signer and he or she is your common-law partner." What gives?

2) Assuming that they want this form regardless, we are in a conundrum as we are currently travelling in Indonesia and our return tickets are not until after 2015/06/26. There is no Canadian embassy anywhere near, but there is a US embassy. Will they accept a signature from a US consular person?

3) A further question, on IMM5409, who is the "declarant" and "declarant's partner"? CIC made the document request directly to my US common law partner (she was the one who received the email), so I assume she is the one who has to send the document back as the declarant, and I as declarant's partner?

Thanks in advance to any and all that can help...

 

[spinning_sponsor]

Sorry to hear that Fizban. It's not the first time on the forums I have read that document was requested by the VO even though there was no co-signer. The instructions clearly indicate it's not needed if there is no co-signer, yet they do seem to ask for it regardless sometimes. I doubt any means of talking to them will help and that you should just find a way to get it done ASAP.

After hearing of stories such as yours, I personally included the forum even though we had no co-signer on our Common-law application, but I did not check it off on the checklist, instead I put it under the supporting documents/relationship section. I just hope that is sufficient for them if they do require it.

 

[Canadianinlove]

My husband received his FBI report yesterday. We are sending it into CIC once he sends it to me.
One more thing off of my list!

 

[saria1]

After waiting for over 6 months since SA (11/17/2014), today my common law partner got an email from the Ottawa VO requesting "Stat Dec of Common-Law IMM5409: A signed and completed Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union form (IMM 5409) bearing original signatures This must be received at this office by: 2015/06/26"

1) What the heck? We did not include this form at the very beginning because it was very clear in Guide 3900 regarding IMM5409: "This form must be completed and signed by the sponsor and common-law partner, only if the latter is a co-signer on the application" and "If you are sponsoring your spouse or common-law partner, you cannot have a co-signer." Also in Document Checklist IMM5491, it says "Original of completed Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union (IMM 5409), if you have a co-signer and he or she is your common-law partner." What gives?

2) Assuming that they want this form regardless, we are in a conundrum as we are currently travelling in Indonesia and our return tickets are not until after 2015/06/26. There is no Canadian embassy anywhere near, but there is a US embassy. Will they accept a signature from a US consular person?

3) A further question, on IMM5409, who is the "declarant" and "declarant's partner"? CIC made the document request directly to my US common law partner (she was the one who received the email), so I assume she is the one who has to send the document back as the declarant, and I as declarant's partner?

Thanks in advance to any and all that can help...

Yep, let the games begin. Or wait, not games, Ottawa stall tactics.

Why is it, it takes 30 days to get the notes emailed to someone, because many people have to review and authorize it. BUT, some idiot who's incapable of reading a file is free to send out requests for documents that are already there and stall an applicant further. It baffles me!

 

[Evadyrrehs]

Nah definitely not, however someone said "slow down for summer vacation" and I just wanted to mention that last year the exact opposite happened and applications actually sped up drastically in the summer.

That was me that said that back a few posts.. My deduction was if I was a federal employee with my 5-6+ weeks of vacation time per year (senior employee etc), I'd probably like many would want to take some summer time holidays.. So I was thinking just in case it would be nice to have all this finalized before the time of mid June till mid Sept or so. Hopefully though instead they speed up as last summer seemed to go for folks 8)

 

[Amalthea]

That was me that said that back a few posts.. My deduction was if I was a federal employee with my 5-6+ weeks of vacation time per year (senior employee etc), I'd probably like many would want to take some summer time holidays.. So I was thinking just in case it would be nice to have all this finalized before the time of mid June till mid Sept or so. Hopefully though instead they speed up as last summer seemed to go for folks 8)

For sure It would only make sense, honestly!

However, I forgot about Express Entry:/ that could be why things are slowing down... D: Ugh, who knows what will happen.

 

[Evadyrrehs]

For sure It would only make sense, honestly!

However, I forgot about Express Entry:/ that could be why things are slowing down... D: Ugh, who knows what will happen.

Yeah it's going to be hard to guess how it will go with the Ottawa VO till they start really moving again, keeping positive though! 8)

Got some good news in the mailbox yesterday which was nice.. We mailed my wife's visitor extension application via Canada Post, and CIC received it Feb 4/2015. Finally got news back in the mail May 26/2015.. Extension of 6 months was applied for and granted till Sept 13/2015 Whew! ;D

 

[Ineffable]

Yeah it's going to be hard to guess how it will go with the Ottawa VO till they start really moving again, keeping positive though! 8)

Got some good news in the mailbox yesterday which was nice.. We mailed my wife's visitor extension application via Canada Post, and CIC received it Feb 4/2015. Finally got news back in the mail May 26/2015.. Extension of 6 months was applied for and granted till Sept 13/2015 Whew! ;D

Wow. It takes that long to extend a visitor's visa? I was told at 5 month mark of 6 month visa to apply for an extension. Was yours just a straight-forwad extension?

 

[Evadyrrehs]

Wow. It takes that long to extend a visitor's visa? I was told at 5 month mark of 6 month visa to apply for an extension. Was yours just a straight-forwad extension?

Yes it was just a straight forward normal visitor extension for my US spouse.. Yes the site recommends to apply 30 days prior to your visitor status expiring, and so I like to comply with what they recommend personally although many here do not.. It is faster processing if you do an online extension, but for us it was easier to go old school mail.. You have implied status regardless of which way you submit the forms, and the mail method buys you more time together in case of bad news, although a longer time living under more unknown's I guess. My wife arrived here on Sept 13/2014 and her 6 months was up on March 13/2015. We send out the extension and they had it in their mail room early Feb and we just heard back yesterday.. The processing times are very long as you can see on the website for paper application visitor extensions from inside Canada.

Here's the wait times : http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/temp.asp

Technically we should still be waiting to hear back from them as it states they are working on apps from Jan 27 and we didn't have ours there till Feb 4 8)

 

[lleahdoll]

Congrats on the extension!
We're probably going to do mine this weekend. I wanted to wait to see if we would hear anything from CIC at the end of this month, but so far nothing. My status expires June 8th and we'll probably do it online, as that's how we did it last time. I like the piece of mind knowing it's submitted instantly.

I'll probably just ask for 6 months this time since that would make the extension until December. And that would be the 15 month mark in my PR application if it goes that long.