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Devastated at how long it's taking ( over 4 months since passport request)

Soleil2020

Star Member
Jul 30, 2012
59
0
Hello everyone...anyone who will read this.

I have to write to vent. It has been roughly 4.5 months since the Immigration office requested my passport copy. When we got that email, with the request and the statement saying they would not need an interview and that the first step is finished, we were so excited because we were told by many that that is the end of the process.

Along with the request of the passport copy there was also a request for my CSQ, as I'll be living in Quebec. Unfortunately, we hadn't applied yet for that because we were under the impression that it was something we could do after the Federal Immigration office made it decision. When we realized the two were tied together and that the Fed. office required it before making a final decision, we went ahead and applied.

Meantime, our attorney went ahead and forwarded the copy of the passport to the immigration office. By Nov. 13 the CSQ was approved and sent to Immigration. We thought at the time that all they needed to do was put a stamp on the documents. We thought we would have the landing papers within a couple of weeks. To think cautiously, we figured a month at the most would be reasonable to expect.

Now, it's been almost 2 solid months since my attorney sent off the CSQ to be added to my completed, as far as we know, file. There is nothing else ( and there has been nothing else since Nov.) that we need to send them.

Everywhere online ( in forums) we read about how long it should take after the request for passport is requested, we read a month at the most. I know we had that little stumble that delayed things a little with the CSQ, but we are so completely shocked that this much time has passed since that day in August when we got so excited about what seemed to be the light at the end of the tunnel....and the wait is not over yet.

What's worse, we have no idea whatsoever even roughly how much longer it will be.
I'm a US citizen who applied as a typical, run of the mill, sponsored spouse, outland application. Since the beginning of the process, I have been going back and forth from the States because I can only be called a visitor in Canada which means I have a limited amount of time that I can stay at one time. In the winter it's especially hard to go back and forth like this.

Now, we are seriously wondering if I'm going to have to consider going back to the States indefinitely to work while we wait. I just finished grad school and really, really need to get to work after waiting around Canada for over a year now while this process is taking place. The thought of just up and leaving my marriage indefinitely is very upsetting.

That's about all my venting for now. I know no one has any answers. Only the immigration office has those answers. If anyone has any words of encouragement or similar stories that are relatable,though, I'd be interested to learn of them.

Thanks for reading.

Devastated and waiting in New Hampshire ( at the moment )
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,588
20,913
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
I think the delay in submitting the CSQ probably means that your application is no longer following standard processing timelines / steps.

Did your lawyer tell you to delay the CSQ? If so, you should request a fee refund - or at least a partial refund. This was very bad advice.
 

Rob_TO

VIP Member
Nov 7, 2012
11,427
1,551
Toronto
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
Seoul, Korea
App. Filed.......
13-07-2012
AOR Received.
18-08-2012
File Transfer...
21-08-2012
Med's Done....
Sent with App
Passport Req..
N/R - Exempt
VISA ISSUED...
30-10-2012
LANDED..........
16-11-2012
When did you get sponsor approval? I assume your app is in CPP-Ottawa?

Typically CPP-O takes 8-10 months.
 

Soleil2020

Star Member
Jul 30, 2012
59
0
scylla said:
I think the delay in submitting the CSQ probably means that your application is no longer following standard processing timelines / steps.

Did your lawyer tell you to delay the CSQ? If so, you should request a fee refund - or at least a partial refund. This was very bad advice.
No, our attorney didn't suggest we delay it, but neither did they express how important it was. We felt like perhaps it would have been good if the attorney had told us. There is no way we would have waited on it. In any case, doesn't matter who is to blame. It is what it is.

So what do you mean by "means that your application is no longer following standard processing timelines / steps. " What does that mean in practical terms? It could take a month longer? a year longer? years longer?
 

Soleil2020

Star Member
Jul 30, 2012
59
0
Rob_TO said:
When did you get sponsor approval? I assume your app is in CPP-Ottawa?

Typically CPP-O takes 8-10 months.
The sponsorship was approved back in April. And yes..it's CPP-Ottawa.
 

sariss

Hero Member
Jan 18, 2011
385
4
Collingwood Ontario Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
May 13, 2012
AOR Received.
August 22, 2012
File Transfer...
August 22, 2012
Med's Done....
April 4, 2012
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
November 29, 2012
VISA ISSUED...
December 10, 2012
LANDED..........
December 12, 2012
When did you apply? CPP-O has 15 months as a wait time. Though waiting that long after PPR is kind of odd...
Why do you need to continually leave? Cant you extend your stay? I'm not aware with things in regards to Quebec.
 

Rob_TO

VIP Member
Nov 7, 2012
11,427
1,551
Toronto
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
Seoul, Korea
App. Filed.......
13-07-2012
AOR Received.
18-08-2012
File Transfer...
21-08-2012
Med's Done....
Sent with App
Passport Req..
N/R - Exempt
VISA ISSUED...
30-10-2012
LANDED..........
16-11-2012
Soleil2020 said:
The sponsorship was approved back in April. And yes..it's CPP-Ottawa.
So it's only been 8 months, which is in line with regular times seen at CPP-Ottawa (read through the CPP-O thread on this forum). Also considering the added delay with CSQ, there is nothing at all unusual about your timeline.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,588
20,913
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Rob_TO said:
So it's only been 8 months, which is in line with regular times seen at CPP-Ottawa (read through the CPP-O thread on this forum). Also considering the added delay with CSQ, there is nothing at all unusual about your timeline.
Yeah - I would agree. There's nothing unusual about your processing times. You probably still have a few months to wait. I certainly don't think it will be another year (but that's just my guess).
 

Soleil2020

Star Member
Jul 30, 2012
59
0
Rob_TO said:
So it's only been 8 months, which is in line with regular times seen at CPP-Ottawa (read through the CPP-O thread on this forum). Also considering the added delay with CSQ, there is nothing at all unusual about your timeline.

okay..fine..but what IS the timeline? They asked for my passport copy 4.5 months ago. The CSQ was sent 2 months ago. This is what I'm counting. EVERYONE else I know of got their landing papers within 4 weeks of the request for passport.

My application was filed in January of 2013. That's more than 8 months. Just sayin'. When we got the request for the passport we thought it would be a month wait. THAT would have been 8 months and we would have been pleased as punch that it was over that quickly.

It's the getting all excited and then having our hopes dashed after we thought we were close to the end that's so devastating.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,588
20,913
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
The officially posted time for Ottawa is 15 months:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp#west

As Rob_TO explained, may people on this forum seem to be getting through at around the 8-10 month mark. So 8-10 months is probably the processing time for straight-forward applications.

Your application is not completely straight-forward since the submission of the CSQ was delayed. It's possible this might increase your overall processing time.

Beyond this - we can't provide further information. You'll just have to wait.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,588
20,913
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Soleil2020 said:
My application was filed in January of 2013. That's more than 8 months. Just sayin'.
As an FYI - the 8-10 months processing we have mentioned for Ottawa is for the Ottawa portion of the processing only. You also have to consider Mississauga's processing time (probably around 2 months for you?).
 

Soleil2020

Star Member
Jul 30, 2012
59
0
scylla said:
Yeah - I would agree. There's nothing unusual about your processing times. You probably still have a few months to wait. I certainly don't think it will be another year (but that's just my guess).
I'd be curious to know what makes you think we probably have months to wait? Why would we when they already told us 4.5 months ago we were finished with the first part and they don't need an interview and asked for my passport copy. They needed the CSQ too, and they had that ASAP. There is absolutely nothing else they need from us ( or they would have told us), so why would it be probable for there to be a few more months of waiting. It's not that they absolutely MUST take the whole 15 months they say is the average. I've heard of people having it finished in less than 6 months time. It's not often, but it DOES happen.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,588
20,913
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
CIC tends to put applications on hold (i.e. not process them) if any documentation is missing. When they find something is missing, they send out a notice requesting the missing information and then put the application aside and don't work on it any further until the application is complete.

As a result, I would suspect that you lost a few months of processing time between the time the CSQ was requested and the time it was received and the officer began looking at your file again.

Also, just because the CSQ was received in November doesn't mean that's when the officer began to actively work on your file again. CIC has something called a "bring forward date". If there's information missing and a request is sent, the officer will typically attach a bring forward date to the application that is a few months in the future and then set the application aside. The bring forward date is the date on which the officer is supposed to look at that application again to see if the missing information has arrived and work on the application can continue. If the missing information is received before the bring forward date, sometimes the officer will start working on the application again sooner. However in other cases, the officer might not touch the file again until the bring foward date has been reached (even if the missing information was recieved months/weeks earlier).

Long story short, any missing information tends to cause applications to go the scenic route and tends to add processing time because missing information causes the application to be set aside and not worked on for period(s) of time.
 

Soleil2020

Star Member
Jul 30, 2012
59
0
scylla said:
The officially posted time for Ottawa is 15 months:


As Rob_TO explained, may people on this forum seem to be getting through at around the 8-10 month mark. So 8-10 months is probably the processing time for straight-forward applications.

Your application is not completely straight-forward since the submission of the CSQ was delayed. It's possible this might increase your overall processing time.

Beyond this - we can't provide further information. You'll just have to wait.
Come on, people. I know no one has any answers. I acknowledged that in my initial post, but " You'll just have to wait. " ? That's a bit of a chilly response to someone who is languishing in an indefinite limbo.

I already know I'll have to wait. Which is why I am devastated that there is no answer as to even roughly what that wait is. If we had an idea, maybe things would be more tolerable. The thought of making the painful decision to once and for all basically give up on the wait while visiting my husband for months at a time and go back to the States to work ( thus, obviously leaving my husband ) just to maintain some sense of purpose for myself is just too terrible to really consider at this moment. But it IS a question we are going to have to face very soon, I'm afraid.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
93,588
20,913
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Soleil2020 said:
It's not that they absolutely MUST take the whole 15 months they say is the average. I've heard of people having it finished in less than 6 months time. It's not often, but it DOES happen.
The 15 months is not an average. This is a common misconception. The 15 months is how long it took CIC to complete processing for 80% of applications. This means that 80% of applications were finalized in 15 months or faster (some much faster) and 20% of applications were finalized in more than 15 months.