I'm sorry to hear this. You must be very frustrated and feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty.
Yes, mistakes happen (CIC is run by human beings, after all
) Hopefully it's of some comfort that this type of thing is planned for: OP-1 has a full section on file transfers (see below). There's also info in various other manuals IIRC. To ensure process integrity, the file will be sent to the visa office that can best assess your application and you will retain your priority in the queue based on the lock-in date (ie, the date the full application was received) ... so they will slot your application in to the right place once the correct visa office receives it.
A few suggestions:
1. Send a case specific enquiry to the New Delhi office including all your info (name, UCI number, DOB in the form and also include it in the message). You should get a confirmation message that they received it. Assuming the info you got is correct and it has already been sent to New Delhi they will need to be the ones to send it back to CPC-M for rerouting.
2. Consider sending a fax to CPC-M to ask them to intervene on your behalf. Their fax number is available at
here.
If you don't hear back soon, send a fax to the New Delhi office Program Manager, attaching a copy of the documentation to show that the applicant has ties to Manila only and NONE to New Delhi. Your challenge is that applicants cannot request visa transfers - the system has to realize it made a mistake and follow the procedures to correct it.
I noticed you said there are zero ties to New Delhi - for reference of others who may read this, CIC will send your file to the visa office that makes the most sense based on your background, documents, and history for program integrity purposes.
Good luck. Hang in there - as hard as it may be right now to imagine, they will make it right and get your application processed
"5.19. File transfer
Notwithstanding the reasons that may warrant creating a file before visa offices have determined if
an applicant meets the requirements of R11, it is strongly recommended that visa offices avoid
creating a file on an application until it has been determined their visa office is responsible for
processing that person's application.
When some doubt exists regarding the applicant's residency status and/or the office's jurisdiction,
and available information is open to interpretation, a local procedure should be implemented to
determine if the requirements under R11 have been met. Some visa offices may choose to
automatically refer such a file to a visa officer for review and decision, while some offices may
entrust this responsibility to a designated individual who has the necessary expertise to make
such an assessment.
If a serious doubt exists about an applicant's country of residence or the office responsible for
processing the application, and in order to avoid a situation where the recommended office could
also refuse to process the application due to lack of jurisdiction, the applicant should be asked to
make the determination based on information available on CIC's Internet site, the address of
which is to be provided. If it appears that the applicant has no access to the Internet, the applicant
should be given the necessary information, including a list of offices showing the countries for
which the office is responsible, to assist the applicant in determining where to send the
application.
Visa offices are not required to transfer applications for permanent or temporary residence to
Canada upon the request of applicants or their designated representatives. Visa offices should
transfer files only if that transfer would enhance program integrity. Conversely, visa offices should
refuse to transfer files if such a transfer diminishes program integrity. Officers should consider
consulting potential receiving visa offices to seek assistance in finalizing cases before transferring
a file.
The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate that the transfer of their file would not compromise
the integrity of the application evaluation process.
Program integrity includes issues such as ability to effectively evaluate documents; knowledge of
local security and criminality environments; or familiarity with business practices and procedures.
Other factors may be taken into account when evaluating the impact of a file transfer on the
program integrity of visa programs.
As part of program integrity considerations, officers should also be mindful that the intent of R11 is
to ensure that, as much as possible, visa applications are reviewed by the offices with the local
knowledge and expertise necessary to conduct an effective case review.
While the Regulations define where an application must be submitted, they do not stipulate where
an application must be processed. At times, visa offices may independently decide that issues of
program integrity merit the transfer of an application to another visa office. In these cases, the visa
office should immediately inform the applicant of the file transfer. When transferring files, visa
offices should be mindful of the resource implications for the receiving visa office and, therefore,
should notify the receiving visa office of upcoming transfers, particularly multiple transfers. When
transferring a file to another office, officers should ensure that the reasons for the transfer are
clearly documented.
On those occasions when a case is facilitated through early admission, the file will be transferred
to CPC-Vegreville for finalization once all statutory requirements have been completed abroad.
For more information about early admission and the issuance of a temporary resident permit, see
OP 20, section 5.15.
For assessment purposes, visa offices receiving a transferred file must respect the original date
on which the application was received as the “lock-in” date. For processing purposes, all
processing steps for the files transferred to an office, including the scheduling of interviews,
should be the same as for all other applications received in the office on the date corresponding to
the “lock-in” date of the received file. This means that an application that is received in Paris in
July 2002 and transferred to New Delhi in March 2003, would enter the New Delhi queue as of
July 2002.
See also Section 5.24 Lock-in date.
There are no fees applicable to file transfer requests."
Source: OP-1
