Finally - my eCAS status is now updated and shows that my application for permanenet residence is "In Process". I wonder if this means that the file has been transferred to Buffelo VO already.
The CIO got so fast these days that your online status changed after you got your PER
It used to be that the online status changed about a week after your credit card got charged, and it would not change until the visa office has received your application (I think, a couple of weeks after the 2nd AOR). I think it just implied that your application has been received by the CIO. You can click on 'In Process' to get more details, though most like it's just going to say that your PR application has been received at such and such date.
I have a couple of questions regarding the work experience. I have completed over 3 years in my PhD program and have been alternating between RA and TA during that period. Unfortunately, there is a gap of one semester during which I got a fellowship. So I have 4 semesters of TA/RA, 1 semester with a fellowship, and 5 semesters of TA/RA. I'm wondering if that would give me two years of experience? Especially since it seems it is unclear if I'll get the 5 points for adaptability based on what I've read in this thread.
Also, do I need to provide the original contracts, a copy, or just a letter from my supervisor/department. RA contracts state that I'm expected to work 70 hours biweekly (so that's 35 hours a week). But I'm worried about the payment rate. When I calculated it, it was about $12/hour! Should I try to get a letter from my supervisor which states a less number of hours to increase the rate?
Hi informer2000, fellowship counts as income. As we have discussed, there was never a mention that the income needs to be taxable, so fellowship (or graduate research scholarship or something similar) would count as an income. Several posters here have gotten PER's with only TA/RA experience, and a lot of them actually receive the RA portion through scholarship.
The minimum wage is, I believe, $10.25/hour, so $12/hour would not be a problem. However, I'm not sure though if you can actually claim full-time of work experience at the same time you're claiming to be studying full-time as well. The norm here is to claim about 20 - 25 hours of work per week (since the requirement for full-time PhD study would require the other 15 hours a week). Do you have other work experience within the last 10 years? What about your Master's degree? Any chance that you can claim the TA/RA for your Masters as work experience as well?
And apparently, regarding the 5 adaptability points, a user (I believe it was beishidashuo) had his NER overturned to PER after sending a complain to the CIO through fax, so apparently, there still has been some confusion whether to award these 5 points or not among, even the officers, though indeed that the default practice has been so far for them not to award these points to applicants that have not completed a degree in Canada (though it was clear from the Instruction Guide 7000 that one need not have completed the degree to be awarded these points).
I just hope that the visa office would have more common sense, and would not reject applicants simply because they have different interpretation than the CIO regarding these 5 adaptability points.
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