What's the point of holding our passports?

[motorcyclerider]

Not sure if this has been addressed before but couldn't find a clear answer. So after PPR why do they hold on to your passports for anywhere between 1 month to some cases over 4 months. I don't understand. If they request your passport doesn't that mean that they have done all their checks and are ready to give you the COPR. Shouldn't it be the case that as soon as they get your passport they simply attach the COPR and mail it back to you right away. Why ask for the passport when they aren't planning to issue you the COPR right away? I'm in no hurry. But I know some people might actually need their passports back asap so that they could travel for business or personal reasons.

 

[truesmile]

It depends on the VO, some of the offices request it at the very beginning of processing (holding on to it like you have suggested) and YES, at least one case here has had to ask for their passport back for emergency travel purposes.

 

[spaceraceone]

Not sure if this has been addressed before but couldn't find a clear answer. So after PPR why do they hold on to your passports for anywhere between 1 month to some cases over 4 months. I don't understand. If they request your passport doesn't that mean that they have done all their checks and are ready to give you the COPR. Shouldn't it be the case that as soon as they get your passport they simply attach the COPR and mail it back to you right away. Why ask for the passport when they aren't planning to issue you the COPR right away? I'm in no hurry. But I know some people might actually need their passports back asap so that they could travel for business or personal reasons.

If you mail it, it can take long, but if you go in person it takes only a week.
I guess if you know your schedule and if you can go drop it off yourself - just plan your business around that week.

But yeah, as far as I know it's pretty much stamp and attach - I do not see any other reason but certain office complications (people are doing it, you know, and people misplace things, or files get transfered to another officers, etc)

 

[motorcyclerider]

Most VOs won't allow you to drop it off in person. HK is an example of that. But I still don't know why they have to hold the actual passport, even for applicants who are visa exempt. Is there an actual purpose? VOs like Manila and New Delhi hold passports for over 3 months for no apparent reason. Why not ask for them once the visa is ready for issuing?

 

[Sweden]

Most VOs won't allow you to drop it off in person. HK is an example of that. But I still don't know why they have to hold the actual passport, even for applicants who are visa exempt. Is there an actual purpose? VOs like Manila and New Delhi hold passports for over 3 months for no apparent reason. Why not ask for them once the visa is ready for issuing?

I am really not sure there is a reason - because lots of other VO do it another way - London for example, only asks for non visa exempt passport, and once they are ready to issue the visa - so usually the applicant get the passport back within 2 to 3 weeks ( time to send it, and send it back) of submitting it...

BUt I agree with you - would be nice to understand the reason, because it does not very unpractical.
Good luck,
Sweden

 

[R151NG5UN]

There are 2 reasons I guess why they are held so long, the first being they need the passport to perform all the appropriate background checks apparently in ND that is quite time consuming. Also another possible reason and 1 that I believe strongly is, they don't want people who know their application is in progress, to just up and leave and move to Canada without COPR. Which is probably likely and I would not even want to imagine the volume of applicants going through Manilla and ND VO. Once people decide to wait out the process in Canada, if for any reason their application is denied then to remove individuals from Canada is a long, expensive process.

 

[motorcyclerider]

Good points. Your second opinion is probably the most likely reason I think.

 

[user828]

There are 2 reasons I guess why they are held so long, the first being they need the passport to perform all the appropriate background checks apparently in ND that is quite time consuming. Also another possible reason and 1 that I believe strongly is, they don't want people who know their application is in progress, to just up and leave and move to Canada without COPR. Which is probably likely and I would not even want to imagine the volume of applicants going through Manilla and ND VO. Once people decide to wait out the process in Canada, if for any reason their application is denied then to remove individuals from Canada is a long, expensive process.

Why do they need PP for background checks?, normally when they ask for passports and meds, its done after the background checks
For eg, Parents Application - Meds and PP request are done together and then pp is returned within 2 months ( mostly waiting for meds ) but not background check

 

[BC_guy]

There are 2 reasons I guess why they are held so long, the first being they need the passport to perform all the appropriate background checks apparently in ND that is quite time consuming. Also another possible reason and 1 that I believe strongly is, they don't want people who know their application is in progress, to just up and leave and move to Canada without COPR. Which is probably likely and I would not even want to imagine the volume of applicants going through Manilla and ND VO. Once people decide to wait out the process in Canada, if for any reason their application is denied then to remove individuals from Canada is a long, expensive process.

This topic has been discussed at the following link:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/manila-passport-request-at-start-of-processing-t93355.0.html

However the above reasons given by R151NG5UN make no sense to me. First of all a photocopy of the passport must be submitted with the application. So they already have all the information they need. What's the point of requesting a photocopy if you're just going to ask for the original a few weeks later?

As for the second reason, many applicants are denied a visitor visa (TRV) to Canada. So waiting out the process in Canada is not an option. Therefore I have yet to receive any plausible reason for requesting a passport at the START of processing. Many (most) Canadian visa offices only request the passport if and when they are ready to issue the visa.

Manila (and a few others) immediately request the passport and hang on to it for the entire period (despite their own published processing times being 9+ months!)