Question about when to send Passport to Visa office in London

[chicadeb]

Hi,

I have recently applied for Permanent Residency from OUTSIDE of Canada via sponsorship from my Canadian common-law partner.  The CPC in Mississauga have finished processing the Sponsorship part of the application and they have now sent it to the Visa Office in London (it arrived there on 16th March).

A few questions if I may.....

1)  To save valuable time, would it be a good idea to send my passport to my mum´s home in the UK so that when they request it she can get it there (via courier) in a much shorter time than if I sent it from here (in Canada - where I´ll be staying during the full application period).

2)  Normally, how long after receiving the application will the Visa Office ask for my passport?

3)  How do the Visa Office normally contact the applicant - Mail/Email?

4)  Is there a way of tracking the application at the London Visa Offfice to see at what stage it is at?

4)  Assuming everything goes through smoothly, does anyone know what the average time currently is for a PR`application from OUTSIDE of Canada?  The Visa Office received my application two weeks ago and I just wondered if, say, 5 months is a realistic time or if it could be the full 8 months as stated on the website.

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR ANY RESPONSES!!

[pkeats1229]

Hello,
Thought I'd shed some light on the questions you have...

1) Sending your passport to your Mum's seems like a good idea as long as you know you won't need it for anything- this could be upto 8 months so make sure you'd be ready to be without it for as long as possible.

2) As for asking for your passport, it's up to the IO working your case unfortunately. For London people say around 3 months but we've seen people get it quicker. Unfortunately I'm part of a couple that hasn't heard anything and our application has been there longer than a few people who've already received their PPRs.

3) That's another one dependent on the IO. I think most are by email but check your mailbox too.

4) NO WAY whatsoever to track your application status at London- don't try to email them- they won't respond. Seemingly they're crap at updating e-cas as well so all you will know is that it's got there. Any news in between them asking for your PPR is a blessing.

5) I would hope that your application takes 5 months or less but this is dependent once again on the IO processing your application and how complicated your case is.

Sorry that I couldn't give you concrete answers! From what I've learned from our wait with London is you literally have to sit pretty and hope for the best. At least you're in Canada with your loved one (bright side).

[chicadeb]

Pkeats1229, Thanks for taking the time to respond to me with your experiences.

[PMM]

Hi

Pkeats1229, Thanks for taking the time to respond to me with your experiences.

1.  Wait, send your passport to London by courier when they request it.  It takes the same time if it was mailed from the UK to London or from Canada to get the COPR about 3/4 weeks.  If you send it to your mother, she would send it to London, wait 3/4 weeks, then she would have to send it to you.

[chicadeb]

Hi PMM,

Would it matter if they knew I was currently in Canada whilst waiting for my PR?  (they would obviously see that it had been mailed from Canada).  Could I request that they send it back to me directly here (in Canada)?  Would I have to pay further costs for the extra distance or would they be included?  Also, looking ahead, if I´m in Canada when I get my PR, do I have to leave the country and return in order to get my papers stamped or could I cross the border (shopping in Buffalo for the day, for example).  How long do I get to do this?  Is it 3 months?

Thanks very much for any advice/comments.

[PMM]

Hi

Hi PMM,

Would it matter if they knew I was currently in Canada whilst waiting for my PR?  (they would obviously see that it had been mailed from Canada).  Could I request that they send it back to me directly here (in Canada)?  Would I have to pay further costs for the extra distance or would they be included?  Also, looking ahead, if I´m in Canada when I get my PR, do I have to leave the country and return in order to get my papers stamped or could I cross the border (shopping in Buffalo for the day, for example).  How long do I get to do this?  Is it 3 months?

Thanks very much for any advice/comments.

1.  They don't care that you are in Canada.
2.  You can include a pre-paid shipping envelope with your passport.
3.  You can either "flagpole" at border point or make an appointment at an inland office to "land"