~~ Full Documents sent in August or September 2010 (FSW)~~

Dear friends,

please read this, as one of our friend received an e-mail mentioning that VO (Damascus) is reviewing his case. Here is the mail.

Dear Madam/Sir,

This refers to your application for permanent residence in Canada which was received at this office.

We have created a file with the file number pasted above. You must quote this file number in any future correspondence.

You may be aware that the Parliament of Canada has enacted amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). These amendments permit the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism to give instructions to officers regarding the processing of certain types of applications filed on or after February 27, 2008.

The Minister issued Instructions pursuant to these amendments on November 28, 2008. These Instructions affect Federal Skilled Worker applications received on or after February 27, 2008. Your Federal Skilled Worker application was received on or after this date. As a result, your application will be reviewed to determine whether it meets the requirements for processing as outlined in the Minister's Instructions.

Once this review is complete, CIC will inform you in writing whether your application is eligible for further processing. Until this time, please be patient and do not make any inquiries to our office about the possible impact of these Instructions on your application.

You can find information on the legislative amendments and Instructions at the following website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/laws-policy/irpa.asp.

Processing time

We are currently processing post-Ministerial Instructions Federal Skilled Worker files received prior to March 2009.

Interview

You will be notified of the appointment for your interview, if required, approximately 2 months prior to the date of the interview, and you will be provided with further instructions at that time.

Section 15 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act authorizes an officer to proceed with an examination where a person makes an application for permanent residence in Canada for the purpose of determining whether the person and all his or her accompanying family members, appear to be persons who may be granted entry into Canada. To proceed with an examination, a personal interview is frequently required. Section 16 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states that a person who makes an application must answer truthfully all questions put to them for the purpose of the examination. If an applicant appears for the interview without all the family members as required by the officer, then the required examination cannot be completed. This means that the applicant would be found to be inadmissible to Canada as a foreign national by virtue of the fact that he or she is unable to comply with all the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Regulations, following sections 11 and 41 of the Act.

Non-resident applications

If you or any of your accompanying family members are not normally resident in the area of responsibility of this office, then you should be aware that there may be additional delay in the processing of your application for permanent residence in Canada. This delay will result from the need to refer your case to the Canadian Immigration office which is responsible for the country in which you or your family members normally reside. This referral is necessary to verify any information that you have provided with your application, or for advice concerning qualifications or other matters of a local concern that should be taken into account when assessing your application.

Let us know

If there is a change in your personal circumstances, such as the birth of a child, a marriage or divorce, you have to let us know (see address, fax number and email address below).

You must also inform us of a:

• Change of address, including change of e-mail address;

• Change of immigration representative;

• Request for withdrawal of your application.

Prepare yourself for immigration to Canada

Your application has just been received at visa office and some months will probably pass before you know the final decision on your application. We nonetheless encourage you to use these months to gather information on Canada.

One of your first steps should be to begin researching potential employment in Canada. Most occupations in Canada are not regulated. For those occupations, the employer is responsible for assessing and recognizing your qualifications.

However, some occupations are regulated and do not permit persons to practice without a license. To obtain a license to practice a regulated occupation, you must go through an assessment and an acceptance of your education and professional qualifications by a regulatory body. This assessment will compare your training, education and experience to Canadian requirements. The assessment will also help determine whether further training and evaluation may be needed before you acquire a license to practice your occupation in Canada.

In partnership with Service Canada, the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO) provides information and referrals. You can find more information on the FCRO Web site at: www.credentials.gc.ca. Clients in Canada can call 1-888-854-1805 or the Service Canada general enquiries number at 1-800-O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) for more information. Clients in Canada can also obtain in-person service at Service Canada Centers.

The Going to Canada Internet site (at www.directioncanada.gc.ca ) contains important information about living and working in Canada as well as the “Working in Canada Tool” which will tell you what the current prospects are for your occupation across Canada. It offers information on essential skills, job descriptions, work conditions and opportunities. It will also tell you whether your occupation is a regulated profession in Canada.

We trust that this information is helpful.

Thank you for your interest in Canada.

Immigration Section (OSK)

Canadian Embassy, Damascus, Syria

P.O. BOX 3394

Fax number: (963-11) 611-8034

Web Site: http://www.international.gc.ca/mission