Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[achander]

Hello all,

Does anyone know the timeline to receive PP back from LA? I sent my passport and photos on 21st Feb and they received it on 23rd Feb. I enclosed a UPS 2nd day air return envelope with tracking number and the tracking number doesn't show up on the UPS website yet, which could mean they haven't mailed it out yet. Its been more than 2 weeks now. Wondering if anyone went through the "Mail to LA" experience. Thanks and good luck

AC

[mumbles]

Just because it's been a popular topic resently, anyone else have medical results received before going in process?

yup...mine did too .... Application received and medical results received as well...jan 6/12 and then feb 17/12 it went into process

[Kiri]

I was thinking earlier tonight about something and I wanted to get thoughts from you guys, and/or find out if any of you know for sure... (this is hypothetical and just to ease the ".. if I had've thought of this, could I have actually done it" kind of thing since I am just now mailing off for FBI tomorrow so it won't be back in time.. in fact, I'm scared it won't be here for May 14.)

But anyway, onto my thought..

I was thinking that since it takes upward of 2 month to approve a Sponsor before processing the actual PR application could we have sent in everything NOW even though we are not considered common law (residing together for 1 year) until May 14, 2012? 

I mean, I was considering this frame of things (if we had my FBI already and medical finished):
Send off application in the next couple weeks and show proof of the PR app with application for extension of stay (which I'm applying for the last week of the month to be within 30 days of the visitor record expiry)  -- or would they actually deny it because it would be sent in too early?

Again, this is just hypothetical late night/early morning thoughts as I get nervous on the application for extension not being approved since I've been in Canada for so long.

[ddobro2]

Question 8 of Application to Sponsor and Undertaking asks you to, "Enter the date (year, month, day) you were married or you entered into your current common-law relationship." Note that this is actually the date your status officially changed from being single to common-law, not the date you started living together (I think I may have misinformed someone before.) The sponsorship guidelines imply that it is at the time of applying that you need to have been cohabiting in a conjugal relationship and have done so for at least one year. First of all, this is part of the undertaking forms, as I already mentioned. Second, you are supposed to send a full and complete application package at the initial time, not as it becomes available. Since one of the aspects of sponsor eligibility is sponsoring a member of the Family Class, it follows that the sponsorship undertaking may be refused on the basis of not being applicable to a member of the Family Class, which the immigration officer would determine when he or she sees that you are applying under the common-law category and have entered a date in the future for question 8. You could try though but you may get a letter about it from Buffalo anyway. I don't recommend lying to CIC either.

[GOGOGO]

Do you know if Hong Kong Police has sent off the results to Buffalo yet?

Not sure which email address you sent to, I did this and successfully got response from them -> eo-cncc-ib @ police.gov.hk

For my case, I did my fingerprints as suggested by you in Toronto and sent it off to Hong Kong Police without VO request (not yet received at that point of time).  Hong Kong police called me and asked for 1. the original request from VO (they said they won't process without that), 2. new cheque for the correct fee (increased from HK$169 to HK$185).  All were settled early this week and am waiting.

Good luck!

I did the finger print in Toronto and send to hk at the mean time.
In jan 9,2012 I have received a letter from hong kong government stated that they have cash out my application fees and will start processing my police check. An send result to buffalo within 4 to 6 weeks time.

[doghouse]

PPR!!!        

[awor]

Congrats doghouse!!

[GOGOGO]

Congratulations to all the recent PPRs!  Seems the VOs are doing pretty well lately! 

[Kiri]

CONGRATS doghouse!!!

Question 8 of Application to Sponsor and Undertaking asks you to, "Enter the date (year, month, day) you were married or you entered into your current common-law relationship." Note that this is actually the date your status officially changed from being single to common-law, not the date you started living together (I think I may have misinformed someone before.) The sponsorship guidelines imply that it is at the time of applying that you need to have been cohabiting in a conjugal relationship and have done so for at least one year. First of all, this is part of the undertaking forms, as I already mentioned. Second, you are supposed to send a full and complete application package at the initial time, not as it becomes available. Since one of the aspects of sponsor eligibility is sponsoring a member of the Family Class, it follows that the sponsorship undertaking may be refused on the basis of not being applicable to a member of the Family Class, which the immigration officer would determine when he or she sees that you are applying under the common-law category and have entered a date in the future for question 8. You could try though but you may get a letter about it from Buffalo anyway. I don't recommend lying to CIC either.

Yeah, I figured as much.  It was just a random thought that came to mind, I couldn't do it that way now anyways since I don't have FBI and medical even if it was okay.

So I'm wondering.. based on what you said, moving in together and sharing financial responsibility, etc is what we're using as grounds to say we started our common-law path and this month we actually combined the rest because I did not know we could here. (I'm added onto his bank account, utility bill, and I have recently purchased a term life insurance policy with him as beneficiary.. he will be doing the same in the week to come.) -- however, the year for cohabiting/sharing household and finances will be in May.  I think I might be slightly confused.. but are you saying that using the moving in together isn't enough to declare a start of common law partnership?

[ddobro2]

Technically, no, living together for 12 consecutive months isn't enough to prove a genuine common-law relationship, just like sending in a marriage certificate isn't enough to prove a genuine marital relationship. The common-law requirements are conjugal relationship + 12 months living together. The "conjugal relationship" bit (and by the way, you should not apply under this category because it is designed for those that have barriers to living together) means that you have "combined your affairs and set up a household together" as partners. If it wasn't both of those parts and they just wanted to see that you had lived with someone for a year, you could have your roommate sponsor you. Based on what you said, I don't think you have anything to worry about. There's two types of evidence they are looking for: the "soft" evidence like email and phone communications, trips and outings together, photos, letters from your friends that talk about you as a couple, and the "hard" evidence like joint bank accounts or credit cards, joint ownership of a home, joint residential leases/rental receipts, joint utilities, being on one another's insurance plans, and being in one another's wills. Actually the "soft" evidence is kind of misleading because it is just as important, it's just that the other category is very legal, so thus "hard evidence." Anyway.......they want to see all of that. Don't forget including evidence of your early relationship before you moved in together. Alot of people forget about this but your relationship didn't start right when you moved in together just like married spouses' relationships didn't start only when they were married (ignoring the most extreme of "arranged marriages," of course). I wouldn't stress about having to wait until May - just use that time to go through your application package with a fine-toothed comb, so to speak. I spent time dividing mine into three parts and made a table of contents for the 3rd part, which was the evidence. It will easily eat up your time between now and when you are officially common-law eligible.

CONGRATS doghouse!!!

Yeah, I figured as much.  It was just a random thought that came to mind, I couldn't do it that way now anyways since I don't have FBI and medical even if it was okay.

So I'm wondering.. based on what you said, moving in together and sharing financial responsibility, etc is what we're using as grounds to say we started our common-law path and this month we actually combined the rest because I did not know we could here. (I'm added onto his bank account, utility bill, and I have recently purchased a term life insurance policy with him as beneficiary.. he will be doing the same in the week to come.) -- however, the year for cohabiting/sharing household and finances will be in May.  I think I might be slightly confused.. but are you saying that using the moving in together isn't enough to declare a start of common law partnership?

[Kiri]

Thanks so much ddobro2.. you have no idea how big of a help you are.  I think everyone here can say a big thanks to you.  You seem to be quite up to speed on all of this madness.

[ddobro2]

Awww, thanks. I appreciate that. Yeah, this forum has become kind of like an addiction for me and I probably spend way too much time on it, lol.

Thanks so much ddobro2.. you have no idea how big of a help you are.  I think everyone here can say a big thanks to you.  You seem to be quite up to speed on all of this madness.

[Kiri]

Awww, thanks. I appreciate that. Yeah, this forum has become kind of like an addiction for me and I probably spend way too much time on it, lol.

But that's a good thing.  I honestly had no idea the extent of everything until I came here and heard from both you and AllisonVSC. I knew there was a lot to take care of, and was completely lost until you guys broke it down for me.  Now I just have to start organizing it all.

That said, I do have 2 other questions.  Haha, please don't kill me.

1.)  Would an entry from a bank statement be good enough to use as a receipt of purchase? -- like jewelry he's bought me or a game store where be bought me a video game (we're avid gamers), just an entry on his bank account for the store (not specifying what he bought though..)  Same with bank statements from his mom where she has bought things (she paid for me to have some dental work done over the summer, traveler's insurance, vet stuff for my kitty, shoes, etc -- I'm assuming it'd be good to show things for referencing a family connection) I ask because we don't have actual receipts of everything, but I figured we could highlight bank entries and black out the irrelevant parts.

2.)  I can't get phone records going back to the start of our relationship because our phone bills only go back a year.  That said, I miss out on about some text/voice records of what should have been right at 18 months worth come May (so we'll end up with about 14 months worth of records).   Will this look bad to not have dating back to the start?  Our providers just don't save beyond a year and we've started printing them this month so we can only get from last March until this May, missing near 4 months worth of records.

[parker24]

Well according to Canada post they got it yesterday (The 8th) thank goodness! Now the waiting and being driven crazy begins!!! 

[parker24]

PPR!!!        

Whoo hoo! Congrats!