BUFFALO APPLICANTS!!!!

[AP]

Hi,

I recently applied to the Buffalo Consulate. I would really appreciate if there are ppl who have applied to the Buffalo office who can come forward and share their experiences.

The ppl who have already got their PR status how much time it took, is there a similarity or fashion (general pattern) in which the cases are handled, if someone attended interviews how were the experiences,if someone got married,had kids after applying, or applied in one country and moved to another was the file transferred etc?

Please share your experiences be it a skilled worker or family or business catagory.I really feel this would help new comers and ppl like us who are in queue to make some decisions for future.

Thanks once again and hope to hear from ppl soon.

Thanks & Regards,

AP

 

[thaiguy]

Hello,

Feb 2006: I applied as a skilled worker through Buffalo. I am a U.S. citizen, but I moved to Thailand before applying so that I could sponsor my Thai partner.
Mar 2006: Received acknowledgement of receipt (AOR).
Feb 2007: Amended my application to add my common-law partner.
May, 2007: We received the initial assessment (IA) that we had been approved and that the interview had been waived. The letter stated we should get medicals done within 60 days and forward our police certificates and landing fees within 90 days.
June, 2007: We completed medicals.
July 2007: My initial FBI certificate was lost in the U.S. mail, so I had to request it a second time. I also had to have one of the other certificates translated into English.
1st week of Aug, 2007: All (4) police certificates sent to CIC, along with landing fees. I noted about this time that my online status showed "medicals received."
4th week of Aug, 2007: I returned to the U.S. because I knew the passport request should be coming soon and I wouldn't be able to send my passport out of Thailand (since I'm not Thai).
1st week of Sept, 2007: Request for passports, updated pictures, and height/weight forms received. I sent them immediately.
2nd week of Sept, 2007: Received passports back and I booked a trip to Thailand to pick up my partner.
September 24, 2007: We landed in Vancouver, 18-1/2 months after AOR.

 

[bla333]

Hi
I applied from the US (Buffalo) on March 2007
-I got my AOR on April 2007
-Request for medicals on August 2007
-Medicals done on September 2007
-medicals received by Ottawa on November 2007
-PPR on November 23, 2007
-Got my Visa/COPR via personal stamping in Buffalo on December 13, 2007
-Plan to Land on March 15, 2008
-I'm going together with my wife and 3 kids.

 

[AP]

Thank you gentlement this is morale boosting. This is a nice icebreaker!!!! Keep posting.

Do they ask for police clearance at different stage. I got the FBI fingerprints and original certificates which I already sent. Can you advice if we need to send the same again?

Regards,

AP

 

[thaiguy]

If you're doing skilled worker, applying to Buffalo from outside Canada, the process is the same. You don't send police certificates until they ask for them. They expire after 6 months, so if you've already sent them, I have a feeling you're going to be doing it again.

 

[PMM]

Hi

If you're doing skilled worker, applying to Buffalo from outside Canada, the process is the same. You don't send police certificates until they ask for them. They expire after 6 months, so if you've already sent them, I have a feeling you're going to be doing it again.

the Appendix A checklist states Police Certificates to accompany application.

"12. POLICE CERTIFICATES AND CLEARANCES
• Original police certificates of good conduct or clearances, from each country/
state/territory in which you and everyone in your family aged 18 years or over
have lived since reaching the age of 18.
• Submit original fingerprints directly to the authorities conducting the police
checks
• If you have obtained police certificates from countries where the authorities will
forward results directly to us, attach a brief explanatory note to your application. "

PMM

 

[thaiguy]

I see the checklist and I agree that's what it says.

But the checklist I received from my lawyer indicated that the police certificate should wait until they specifically ask for it. Since processing took more than a year, this was good advice. I sent the certificates when requested and therefore didn't have to do them more than once.

 

[PMM]

Hi

I see the checklist and I agree that's what it says.

But the checklist I received from my lawyer indicated that the police certificate should wait until they specifically ask for it. Since processing took more than a year, this was good advice. I sent the certificates when requested and therefore didn't have to do them more than once.

I usually tell applicants to follow the office's instructions rather than take the chance that the application will returned as incomplete.

PMM

 

[thaiguy]

Good to know.

 

[AP]

Thank you for ur posts guys.Hope some more ppl will pitch in their experiences soon watever stage they are in.

Regards,

AP

 

[Traveler74]

Hello,

Feb 2006: I applied as a skilled worker through Buffalo. I am a U.S. citizen, but I moved to Thailand before applying so that I could sponsor my Thai partner.
Mar 2006: Received acknowledgement of receipt (AOR).
Feb 2007: Amended my application to add my common-law partner.
May, 2007: We received the initial assessment (IA) that we had been approved and that the interview had been waived. The letter stated we should get medicals done within 60 days and forward our police certificates and landing fees within 90 days.
June, 2007: We completed medicals.
July 2007: My initial FBI certificate was lost in the U.S. mail, so I had to request it a second time. I also had to have one of the other certificates translated into English.
1st week of Aug, 2007: All (4) police certificates sent to CIC, along with landing fees. I noted about this time that my online status showed "medicals received."
4th week of Aug, 2007: I returned to the U.S. because I knew the passport request should be coming soon and I wouldn't be able to send my passport out of Thailand (since I'm not Thai).
1st week of Sept, 2007: Request for passports, updated pictures, and height/weight forms received. I sent them immediately.
2nd week of Sept, 2007: Received passports back and I booked a trip to Thailand to pick up my partner.
September 24, 2007: We landed in Vancouver, 18-1/2 months after AOR.

thaiguy or bla333 and others.

Hello guys! I have two questions. My wife and I have just sent out our application to the buffalo office. I tracked the package and it says that they have already received on January 2nd 2008. Now we are waiting for the AOR. My wife is a US citizen and the principal applicant and she has never lived in another country. Now, regarding to police certificate and clearances.

Is it right that she will only need to send the FBI finger prints or is there anything else?

If an application is incomplete how long does it take for them to send it back us?

Thank you.

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hello,

Feb 2006: I applied as a skilled worker through Buffalo. I am a U.S. citizen, but I moved to Thailand before applying so that I could sponsor my Thai partner.
Mar 2006: Received acknowledgement of receipt (AOR).
Feb 2007: Amended my application to add my common-law partner.
May, 2007: We received the initial assessment (IA) that we had been approved and that the interview had been waived. The letter stated we should get medicals done within 60 days and forward our police certificates and landing fees within 90 days.
June, 2007: We completed medicals.
July 2007: My initial FBI certificate was lost in the U.S. mail, so I had to request it a second time. I also had to have one of the other certificates translated into English.
1st week of Aug, 2007: All (4) police certificates sent to CIC, along with landing fees. I noted about this time that my online status showed "medicals received."
4th week of Aug, 2007: I returned to the U.S. because I knew the passport request should be coming soon and I wouldn't be able to send my passport out of Thailand (since I'm not Thai).
1st week of Sept, 2007: Request for passports, updated pictures, and height/weight forms received. I sent them immediately.
2nd week of Sept, 2007: Received passports back and I booked a trip to Thailand to pick up my partner.
September 24, 2007: We landed in Vancouver, 18-1/2 months after AOR.

thaiguy or bla333 and others.

Hello guys! I have two questions. My wife and I have just sent out our application to the buffalo office. I tracked the package and it says that they have already received on January 2nd 2008. Now we are waiting for the AOR. My wife is a US citizen and the principal applicant and she has never lived in another country. Now, regarding to police certificate and clearances.

Is it right that she will only need to send the FBI finger prints or is there anything else?

If an application is incomplete how long does it take for them to send it back us?

Thank you.

They may request state certificates as well.

PMM

 

[thaiguy]

thaiguy or bla333 and others.

Hello guys! I have two questions. My wife and I have just sent out our application to the buffalo office. I tracked the package and it says that they have already received on January 2nd 2008. Now we are waiting for the AOR. My wife is a US citizen and the principal applicant and she has never lived in another country. Now, regarding to police certificate and clearances.

Is it right that she will only need to send the FBI finger prints or is there anything else?

If an application is incomplete how long does it take for them to send it back us?

Thank you.

Sorry, no. Fingerprints are used by the FBI to do a search of your records. You send the fingerprints, a request form, and payment to the FBI and they return the police certificate to you (which is actually just your fingerprint card with a stamp of "No Record").

Here's the FBI link:

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/fprequest.htm

They may not send your application back to you for missing the police certificate since it's not one of the six selection factors. They may just ask you to send it again.

 

[Traveler74]

thaiguy or bla333 and others.

Hello guys! I have two questions. My wife and I have just sent out our application to the buffalo office. I tracked the package and it says that they have already received on January 2nd 2008. Now we are waiting for the AOR. My wife is a US citizen and the principal applicant and she has never lived in another country. Now, regarding to police certificate and clearances.

Is it right that she will only need to send the FBI finger prints or is there anything else?

If an application is incomplete how long does it take for them to send it back us?

Thank you.

Sorry, no. Fingerprints are used by the FBI to do a search of your records. You send the fingerprints, a request form, and payment to the FBI and they return the police certificate to you (which is actually just your fingerprint card with a stamp of "No Record").

Here's the FBI link:

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/fprequest.htm

They may not send your application back to you for missing the police certificate since it's not one of the six selection factors. They may just ask you to send it again.

thaiguy,

Maybe I was not clear, we did send the finger prints to the FBI. Secondly, the FBI sent it back to us with a stamp on the back saying " NO RECORD". Finally, we sent it with our application. Is there anything else we should have sent?

Thank you.

 

[bla333]

The CIC might also request for police clearance on the States that you lived in. In my case I provided them a police clearance from the Virginia State Police. If you are not a US Citizen (as you mentioned that its your wife who is), the CIC will also ask you to provide a Police Clearance on your country of citizenship together with the FBI forms you already submitted.

The thing is, your FBI certificate has a one year expiry date from date of issuance. So if any of your clearances (FBI and Police) expires before they approve your application, CIC will ask you to provide an updated one. Just based on experience.