One Piece of Advice

[dakonej]

Thanks Rinnerez!  LOL!

Very good advice from Chelley.  I would add one more.  Read OP Manual 6.  Then read it again.  Then read it again.  After the 3rd reading, start preparing the application. 

... etc.

errr, what's the "OP Manual 6"? i hope it's not something I have to buy, lol.

[mossee]

I wish I had found these forums before I submitted my application! I'd probably be less panicky all the time. My husband tells me to BREATH! but I just cant relax!

[rjessome]

errr, what's the "OP Manual 6"? i hope it's not something I have to buy, lol.

I made a mistake there.  It's OP Manual 2 and no, you don't have to buy it.  It's available online.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/op/op02-eng.pdf

[dakonej]

I made a mistake there.  It's OP Manual 2 and no, you don't have to buy it.  It's available online.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/op/op02-eng.pdf

Thanks rjessome! Great resource.

I've started reading it and it's eye-opening to say the least. It should be must-read for all applicants and their sponsors.

dj

[CharlizeRai]

my advice....

understand YOUR processing office... what is gospel for one, may be irrelevant to another... (for example, Kingston Jamaica near ALWAYS requests original birth certificates from the applicant and marriage certificates.).... also know what your office usually considers red flags... find out why the people who have been called for an interview were called and what questions were asked... knowing these things and preparing your application to proactively address concerns that are common will put your application one step ahead...

also, more doesn't always equal better in most cases... unless you know of a fact that the office takes a file's weight into consideration when evaluating (and apparently some do, again, know your office), then don't take 500 pages to say exactly what you can say in 50.... Many VOs will appreciate a well organized, well presented, consise application over one that has included everything but the kitchen sink in hopes of overwhelming them in information... think about it... which file would you rather jump into on a dreary Monday morning? make their jobs easy and they will repay the favour...

suggestions to do this... instead of including 100 pages of chat, 100 pages of phone records, 100 pages of emails, include 2-3 pages of each (maybe 3 "sample" days of your relationship, one from early, one from middle and one from recent) and provide the quick explaination that there are 300 more pages that you can present on request....

also once you're pretty sure your evidence is solid and you've addressed any concerns the VO will have, make it presentable!  use tabs and section things logically, use simple direct language and don't get overly detailed where it's not necessary... maybe use graphical representations (timelines, maps ect), anything that will avoid your application being a long winded story that will turn the VO glossyeyed while reading... get creative without going over the top... while what you say is important, how you say it can also work to your advantage... make it easy to understand and not something that they will have to read 5 or 6 times just to get it... the easier it is for the VO to paint the picture of your relationship in their minds, the more they will believe in it... and if they believe it, they will make it happen for you...


just my thoughts!

Any good suggestions on how to glean what your VO wants?

[bbiery]

I'd actually advise against getting a lawyer unless your case is extremely complicated or may have red flags. We missed a document, declaration of common law, just because the instructions are sloppy and only ask for it if you have a cosigner. Other than that the instructions are pretty straight forward. At the beginning of the process a lawyer quoted us 3000 for the process. Afterwards i am relieved I didn't go this route because I would have had to do most of the legwork anyways fetching documents.

[Zouk Princesse]

My advice: use a cover letter. It's not requested in the checklist, but is a great way of setting the stage for your application -think of it as your hype man It also gives you the opportunity to address any red flags upfront and tell the VO exactly where the corresponding documentation is. You can also outline how you've organized your application, so they know what they can expect to find, and use it to introduce yourselves and point out anything you particularly want them to note.

[parker24]

My major advice is one I got from a consultant.

Read through your application as an officer with CIC. Think as a person who is protecting Canadians(or trying to...) against marriage fraud. I went over our application twice thinking this way and found a few things I had to change but otherwise it was good. Whether or not I was right is yet to be seen haha!

Another thing that I saw and want to repeat, find something to do while you're waiting! It's stressful sometimes, no matter if your spouse is with you or not, it's stressful. Find some awesome friends (like on here haha) and lean on them when you're not strong *cue Lean On Me song* :p

[Fencesitter]

I'd recommend watching the movie "Stand By Me"...

FS

[Hnhkrk]

Mine was done in under a week!!!!

Tell me your secret!

[JimM]

So, I was thinking, I am (hopefully) almost done with this process and I wondered, if I could give only one piece of advice to someone who is going through this process, what would it be.  I think it would be, for those who live in the US, to request your FBI certificate AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!  Don't wait until you are gathering your supporting documents.  The second you think you will probably be going through this process, get the FBI certificate.  Because you can't really move forward without it and it takes FOREVER to get. 

I recently happened to meet someone in Calgary, where I am right now, who is also going through this process and he said his advice would be to get an immigration lawyer or, at least, a consultant.  I have a consultant and I think it's helped some, but I don't know if it's helped enough to justify what we paid him.  It most likely has.  And he's been pretty good, unlike some horror stories that I hear.  We only hired him because we were afraid that if we didn't hire someone, we would forget some stupid little thing and realize only when our application has been sent back to us, adding months to the whole process.

What would your piece of advice be, if you could only give one piece?

Great idea for a thread! However I kind of disagree with your advice....

The FBI certificate is only valid for 3 months from the date they do the check, so if you run into a delay you may well end up having to get another one. Apart from the delay it can run into a bit of money if you're doing your state police reports as well, (New York charges $75 for example). I'd wait until you had all your appointments, (medical, visa photos, etc ) set up and any other things you needed ordered on their way then submit the FBI request.

I do agree with you about the lawyer though. My wife and I decided to use one and they've caught a few things with missed that probably would have delayed things. They also explained why a couple of things that we thought could be a problem probably won't be in our case.

The one piece of advice I'd give is research and check everything before you actually start the process. We nearly had to redo my FBI certificate because I had a problem finding a photographer for the visa photos. I figured any of the mall/department store photo studios could do them just like a passport photo. Turns out they can only do certain sizes. Then I found out a lot of professional photographers don't do visa shots. By the time a found one and got a appointment I only had 3 weeks left on the certificate.

So check everything, even the small things before you start the clock running!