Why is CPC-Ottawa so quick compared to other VOs?

[rand75]

This is true even for applicants from countries who do not have info sharing agreements with Canada (e.g. UK).

I'm very worried after hearing that CIC has an immigration levels plan to stick to. What if applicants processed at CPC-Ottawa end up filling the majority of this year's 60,000 spouse/common-law quota? Does that mean applicants being processed at other visa offices get left in the dust and will be made to wait until next year?

 

[CDNPR2014]

no, as i understand it, the quota for spousal applications doesn't have a cap like other streams do. that means, that even though they have reached their "goal", they will continue to accept and process other applications. they do not stop processing spousal applications because they have reached quota. i'm pretty sure they surpass their quota every year, and that is part of the reason they increased it. i'm sure the quota has something to do with funding, # of agents assigned to spousal sponsorships, and other internal stats/initiatives.

 

[rand75]

no, as i understand it, the quota for spousal applications doesn't have a cap like other streams do. that means, that even though they have reached their "goal", they will continue to accept and process other applications. they do not stop processing spousal applications because they have reached quota. i'm pretty sure they surpass their quota every year, and that is part of the reason they increased it. i'm sure the quota has something to do with funding, # of agents assigned to spousal sponsorships, and other internal stats/initiatives.

That puts my mind at ease. Thank you.

 

[gabba50]

This is true even for applicants from countries who do not have info sharing agreements with Canada (e.g. UK).

I'm very worried after hearing that CIC has an immigration levels plan to stick to. What if applicants processed at CPC-Ottawa end up filling the majority of this year's 60,000 spouse/common-law quota? Does that mean applicants being processed at other visa offices get left in the dust and will be made to wait until next year?

Yes there is an annual quote, the rest of applications wait for the next, that's why there is a backlog and the govt is trying to reduce it by expanding the annual quota to 62.000. It's hard to guess how many people will be accepted when this quota of 62.000 is reached. But don't worry Ottawa alone will not fill the quote:
According to the immigration department, as of June 1, the in-Canada spousal sponsorship backlog was estimated to be around 34,000 people, while the overseas backlog was about 48,500.
https://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2016/06/18/ottawa-cutting-spousal-sponsorship-backlog.html

 

[CDNPR2014]

Yes there is an annual quote, the rest of applications wait for the next,

I don't think that's how it works with spousal sponsorships. from what i understand, they don't stop processing them just because they reached quota. that is the case for other streams, not necessarily spousal. i have yet to see spousal sponsorship approvals just stop completely for a specific amount of time. while priorities may limit the amount worked on, i've never seen them stop completely (office closures and holiday breaks aside).

 

[rand75]

Here's what got me thinking about this whole thing:

Processing times will vary based on:

Type of application submitted;
Volume of applications received;
How easily we can verify information;
How well and how quickly you respond to any requests or concerns;
Whether the application is complete.

Many more people want to immigrate to Canada than the Government of Canada can bring in each year under our annual immigration plan. Applications received after the maximum has been met may have to wait longer to be processed.

Learn more about how Citizenship and Immigration Canada calculates processing times.

This is copied from CIC's processing times page. Click the blue question mark next to the average processing time and you'll see this. They show the same message regardless of what stream was selected, so I don't know if this applies to spousal applications as well.

 

[rand75]

I don't think that's how it works with spousal sponsorships. from what i understand, they don't stop processing them just because they reached quota. that is the case for other streams, not necessarily spousal. i have yet to see spousal sponsorship approvals just stop completely for a specific amount of time. while priorities may limit the amount worked on, i've never seen them stop completely (office closures and holiday breaks aside).

I wouldn't know because I haven't really looked too much into past data, but I really hope you're right.

 

[CDNPR2014]

Here's what got me thinking about this whole thing:

This is copied from CIC's processing times page. Click the blue question mark next to the average processing time and you'll see this. They show the same message regardless of what stream was selected, so I don't know if this applies to spousal applications as well.

and? CIC writes a lot of things. this doesn't mean they stop processing applications. it says they may have to wait longer. as you point out, this isn't necessarily specific to spousal sponsorships. again, in the 2 year's i've been following, i've never seen applications STOP processing for a specific amount of time. slow down, yes. stop completely, no.

considering the processing times posted on the site are misleading, i really wouldn't take anything CIC writes on their website as 100% guaranteed acurate. real life experience from people on this forum proves what is written isn't what actually happens.

 

[gabba50]

I don't think that's how it works with spousal sponsorships. from what i understand, they don't stop processing them just because they reached quota. that is the case for other streams, not necessarily spousal. i have yet to see spousal sponsorship approvals just stop completely for a specific amount of time. while priorities may limit the amount worked on, i've never seen them stop completely (office closures and holiday breaks aside).

That's right! there is no STOP button. They keep receiving applications and keep processing them but each application has a time frame depending on available resources, that's how they determine a quota. Reaching the quota won't automatically stop processing because it will be reached probably by end of the year! Logically if an application is not finalized in 2016 it will then be 2017 or 2018. In planning there has to be a proposed number otherwise this statement would be meaningless: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will expand its annual quota of admissions for foreign spouses married to Canadians by 25 per cent to 62,000 in 2016

 

[CDNPR2014]

That's right! there is no STOP button. They keep receiving applications and keep processing them but each application has a time frame depending on available resources, that's how they determine a quota. Reaching the quota won't automatically stop processing because it will be reached probably by end of the year! Logically if an application is not finalized in 2016 it will then be 2017 or 2018. In planning there has to be a proposed number otherwise this statement would be meaningless: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will expand its annual quota of admissions for foreign spouses married to Canadians by 25 per cent to 62,000 in 2016

exactly!