Can you please explain what is caips notes?
What Is 'CAIPS'? CAIPS is short for 'Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System'. It is the computer system used by Citizenship & Immigration Canada to process visa applications, and holds all the information on the current status of every immigration application being processed by overseas offices (i.e. those outside of Canada).
Why Is This Interesting?If you are not applying for a Canadian visa, then caips notes are of no interest to you! If you have applied to emigrate to Canada with a PR visa - as a skilled worker, business applicant/investor or as a spouse or other family member of someone already in Canada - then, with our help, you can obtain a copy of your CAIPS report and find out what has happened to your application so far, and get an indication of what will happen next with your file, and when. For more detailed information on what is in CAIPSnotes, see our sample CAIPSfiles. The system also holds information on work permits, study permits and visitor visas, and we can also apply for these reports on your behalf.
Should I Get My File?There are many situations where you may want to get your CAIPS file. If you have been asked to attend an interview, then you should definitely get your notes to find out why the interview was requested, so that you can be well prepared for the interview. Any reputable immigration consultant would request the client's notes in this circumstance.
Also, if you feel that your application is taking longer than usual, or you have not heard anything from the visa office for a surprisingly long time, then you should consider getting your CAIPS notes to check that your application is on track. We have often tracked unexplained delays down to missing letters or documents which have been highlighted as soon as the file is obtained. For example, CIC may have written to an applicant requesting additional references, educational transcripts or language tests.
Finally if you have any other worry about your application status or progress, or are just generally curious as to what has happened so far, then you can get your CAIPSnotes to put your mind at rest.
Sample CAIPS File
The format of the CAIPS file you will receive is a 'screen print'. CAIPS is an old fashioned terminal based program. The information is (unfortunately) not designed for reading on paper.
You will receive approximately 7 pages (more if there are long notes, or many dependents) representing many screen prints from the CAIPS computer system. Some examples are included below.
Bring Forward DateThe 'bring forward' date is repeated in several places in the CAIPS printout you will receive (as it appears at the bottom of many screens). The typical form is as follows.
PAPER FILE SENT TO PA FILE BF'D TO: CPT ON 15-01-2006 This example above, from the Canadian High Commission London, means that the file is currently in the storage area "PA". The next action is allocation of an interview date "CPT". A program assistant will be prompted to allocate the interview date on "15-01-2005" (note this is dd-mm-yyyy format, so this means 15-Jan-2005). On this date the visa office will open the interview diary and schedule an interview.
Immigration Assessment Record SummaryThe 'Immigration Assessment Record Summary' holds two primary useful sets of information - the visa office's points computation, and the status of each of the 7 stages of issuing a visa. An example is as follows :-
IMMIGRANT ASSESSMENT RECORD SUMMARYFILE: B123456789 NAMES:
DATE REC'D: 26-06-2004 REGS: M94 NON-NAT?: CPLR: ENGLAND
PS. COMPUTER PROGRAMMER PS. CCDO: PS. IMMCAT: ND2
SEL. COMPUTER PROGRAMMER SEL. CCDO: IMMCAT: ND2
PS. NOC: 2163 . 0 SEL. NOC: 2163 . 0
AGE(34) 10 00 COST RECOVERY CODE: FPA ROLF: LFC EMP CODE:
OCCUPATION FACTOR 10 00 DESTINATION CITY: VANCOUVER
ETF/S.V.P 15 00 PROVINCE: BC
EXPERIENCE 6 0 TOTAL FUNDS $ 00030000
A.R.E 00 00
DEMOGRAPHIC FACTOR 08 00 PS DECISION: 1 24-09-2006 MTS
EDUCATION 15 00 INTERVIEW SCHEDULED:
ENGLISH 9 0 SELECTION DECISION: 4 02-10-2006 MRK
FRENCH 0 0 REVIEW OFFICER:
BONUS 00 00 SECURITY DECISION: 1 02-10-2006 MRK
SUITABILITY 00 OTHER REQ DECISION: 1 09-11-2006 MRK
TOTAL 073 000 MEDICAL DECISION: 1 09-11-2006 MRK
PRIORITY 7 RECORD CHECK: Y 09-11-2006 MRK
SPECIAL PROGRAM FINAL DECISION: 1 09-11-2006 MRK
Most of the information is fairly obvious, but there are a few special codes used on this page. As part of our service we will help you to interpret any codes.
Case StatusThe 'Case Status' screen summaries the current status of the application. It repeats the decision information from the Immigration Assessment Record Summary screen.
CASE STATUSFILE: B123456789 CLIENT ID: 12345678 CASE 1 OF 1
XREF: 1234567890 XREF2 : 9876543210 CASE TYPE: IMMIGRANT
TOTAL PERSONS: 1 APPLIC. REC'D: 18-11-2004 IMM 1017S REQUESTED: 01-12-2004
IMMCAT: SW1 INTERVIEW: TIME:
WC STATUS: ** WC TYPE: ** DECISION REASON: ** MAILING ADDRESS
PSDEC 1 01-02-2006 SELDEC 4 01-02-2006 53 WATFORD ROAD
BDEC 1 27-02-2006 MEDDEC 1 27-02-2006 WATFORD
OREQ 1 27-02-2006 FINDEC 1 27-02-2006 WD12 5VF
VISA(S) PRINTED: 28-02-2006 COUNTRY: ENGLAND
PHONE: 020 1234 5678 FAX:
CIC NAME: MISS CPC FILE: 123456789012 SPONSORSHIP STATUS:
AGENT:
CLIENT DATE STATUS MEDICAL
FAMILY MEMBERS ID OF BIRTH SEC CRIM STAGE VALIDITY
DOE, JOHN 12345678 03-08-1953 1 1 M03 12-02-2007
PAPER FILE SENT TO PA FILE BF'D TO: RET ON 11-11-2008 MICROLOCATOR: Most of the information is fairly obvious, but there are a few special codes used on this page. As part of our service we will help you to interpret any codes.
DocumentsThe 'Documents' screen lists all additional documents that have been requested, by who, and whether the requested documents have been received back.
DOCUMENTS FILE: B123456789 NAMES: DOE, JOHN
IMMCAT-PS: SW1 IMMCAT: SW1
DOCUMENT(S) REQ'D DATE REQUESTED OK AUTHORITY
RCMPx1 01-02-2006 Y ESS
RPRF 01-02-2006 Y ESS
_______________ _
_______________ _
_______________ _
We occasionally discover processing errors in the documents screen. We have seen applications on hold for several months while the visa office waits for documents that have either been sent already, not requested, or their non-existence explained in a letter that does not seem to have been received, or maybe not read fully, by the visa officer.
Medical AssessmentThe 'Medical Assessment' screen summarises the results of the medical examinations that were sent to the medical section.
MEDICAL ASSESSMENTFILE: B123456788 IMS SERIAL NUMBER: LON123456789
NAME: DOE JANE DOB: 25-10-1971
MEDICAL STATUS CODE: A MEDICAL OFFICER #: AW
MEDICAL ASSESSMENT VALID UNTIL: 12-02-2007
MEDICAL CODE
M 03 H 1 D 2 T 3 S 1 E 6
DIAGNOSIS/OBSERVATIONS:
Text: HW-DIAGNOSIS F14 Insert/Overstrike F20 to leave text area
Narrative: DIAGNOSIS: ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION NARRTIVE: MAY NEED PERIODIC
MEDICAL CARE. STABLE ON MEDICATION /AW
MOF: Alex Williams
MOF Date: 20 Feb 2006
Initials: byerss
** IMS - Visa Notified on 20 Feb 2006, Case Status 'Assessed MO3' **
******************************* 20/02/2006 ** AW ** MEDLOAD *******************
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