Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[ddobro2]

Yayyyy.

4 months to do background checks? I doubt that's universal because we've had people get PPR in less than 4 months TOTAL.

The background check may or may not be the RCMP clearance (Canadian police cert), the FBI clearance (now that someone said they do some verification of their own even with the clean record on the cert, I'm wondering....), the security check with their security agency, and a general background check on the dates and places of study, employment, residence, membership you gave them (think it was Schedule A - Background/Declaration).

Good luck!

Good news, y'all! My application hasn't been cancelled - phew!

We heard back from the MP's office yesterday and this is what she said:

***

I've just received a response from CIC regarding your wife's application.

They are currently pending for background verifications, unfortunately we could
not obtain a time frame for your file specifically. However, the general
processing time is 4 months. Other than the above mentioned activity, everything
on file looks good.

***

Does anyone know anything about these "background verifications?" Is that what someone was talking about last week with the RCMP? I've never lived in Canada, so I'm not really sure what this means for me. We ordered or GCMS notes, so hopefully that will be better explained in the notes, and if there's anything we can do to facilitate the process, we'll find out then.

Three weeks until we hit 30 days since our RPRF receipt was received. About 30 days from now until we can expect to get our GCMS notes. Looks like we can't really expect anything to happen until end of November/early December at the earliest. Blugh.

Does the Buffalo CIC office work on American Thanksgiving? Hmm probably not. :

 

[mcmasters]

4 months to do background checks? I doubt that's universal because we've had people get PPR in less than 4 months TOTAL.

I think she meant 4 months processing time for the application in general.

Maybe I'm not reading it right, but from looking at your spreadsheet, it seems there are a few applications from a similar time line (application received late March) that are waiting on PPRs, while many applications immediately before and after our set have already received their PPRs. Maybe a sampling of apps from our time frame were selected for extra background checks, maybe as a quality assurance thing?

AmericaninQuebec, Snowmoose, GetusHome, wally1961... and poor Calgary-Bound who's app was received a month before ours.

Anyway, I hope our group gets some PPRs soon, maybe even all at once - that would be awesome!

 

[ddobro2]

Yeah but your file has been at Buffalo for over 7 months now.....

Yeah, I see what you mean about the spreadsheet.....but I honestly think that cluster of February people is just a coincidence.....because I just don't see the immigration officers deciding to up and sample a bunch of people filing at the same time for extra background/criminality attention for the purposes of quality control. I dunno, I just don't.....but anything is possible. It is odd though that all of you are still orange.......did you all not get an AOR even after that long? Then there's poor buffalo-toronto and Eddy070.....the others I don't know about because they haven't been posting so they may have gone through the process but just never logged in to report. Anyway, I'm at 6 months (sounds like a pregnancy, don't it?) and getting really tired of this, so I can't imagine how the rest of you are faring..... :-\

I think she meant 4 months processing time for the application in general.

Maybe I'm not reading it right, but from looking at your spreadsheet, it seems there are a few applications from a similar time line (application received late March) that are waiting on PPRs, while many applications immediately before and after our set have already received their PPRs. Maybe a sampling of apps from our time frame were selected for extra background checks, maybe as a quality assurance thing?

AmericaninQuebec, Snowmoose, GetusHome, wally1961... and poor Calgary-Bound who's app was received a month before ours.

Anyway, I hope our group gets some PPRs soon, maybe even all at once - that would be awesome!

 

[mcmasters]

....did you all not get an AOR even after that long?

If I got one, I don't remember it, and I think I would have remembered it. But it shows up in the e-CAS that they received my application, so...? From what I recall, the only letter I got was the one requesting the med exam and RPRF request. Hubs miiight have gotten a letter saying he was approved as my sponsor, but I don't remember seeing it.

 

[ddobro2]

Oh, I wasn't referring to the sponsorship approval letter. The Acknowledgment of Receipt from Buffalo is an automated email.....it just says that they confirm they received the app on x date and has the file number. It's different from what's in e-cas. No biggie though.......you obvi have your file number because you ordered your GCMS notes, which will have a lot of explanation of what they've worked on so far....

If I got one, I don't remember it, and I think I would have remembered it. But it shows up in the e-CAS that they received my application, so...? From what I recall, the only letter I got was the one requesting the med exam and RPRF request. Hubs miiight have gotten a letter saying he was approved as my sponsor, but I don't remember seeing it.

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

Yeah but your file has been at Buffalo for over 7 months now.....

Yeah, I see what you mean about the spreadsheet.....but I honestly think that cluster of February people is just a coincidence.....because I just don't see the immigration officers deciding to up and sample a bunch of people filing at the same time for extra background/criminality attention for the purposes of quality control. I dunno, I just don't.....but anything is possible. It is odd though that all of you are still orange.......did you all not get an AOR even after that long? Then there's poor buffalo-toronto and Eddy070.....the others I don't know about because they haven't been posting so they may have gone through the process but just never logged in to report. Anyway, I'm at 6 months (sounds like a pregnancy, don't it?) and getting really tired of this, so I can't imagine how the rest of you are faring..... :-\

Is that what the orange means? I never got an AOR that I recall. I didn't get my file number until two weeks ago when I emailed Buffalo again, even though e-cas showed my file received on March 31st and that I'd gone to In Process in July. Maybe those of us still waiting and without AORs from that period all got "lucky" with the same immigration officer who appears to be doing a half-assed job of it.

As for the 4 months, when our MP talked to Buffalo in July they were told that the background investigation through the RCMP normally takes 1 to 3 months. The MP's office called back at the end of 3 mths and was told by Buffalo that they were still waiting on the background investigation and that there was nothing unusual about this since my application was still within the 11 mth timeframe. It's been 4 mths now since they supposedly requested the background investigation (and since e-cas updated to show my file was in process) and still no PPR. My fingers hurt from being crossed so hard that it comes any day now!

 

[tulamoon]

We got a decision made update on our E-cas this morning... I'm hoping this means they stapled the visa to his passport and it will be on its way home today, so we can go party in Portland next weekend. Though I'm sure in reality it just means someone decided to do some mass e-cas updating.

 

[cantor2537]

Hey everyone,

I'm getting a bit worried. Our application got to Mississauga on Aug 19 (according to fedex anyway). On the website they said that they are processing applications received on Aug 22 now. However, I have not heard a peep from them. I tried calling their call center but I can't get through. Does it take this long for them to send some sort of email confirmation? Help!

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

Here's a question, and I ask only because up until I found this forum 2 or 3 weeks ago I never checked my spam mail folder, what happens if they email you something important and you don't respond? I don't think I've been sent my PPR, because I found this forum shortly after my MP's office contacted Buffalo a second time and was told my file was still in process and have been obsessively checking my junk mail just in case ever since. What if they requested a file or something via email though and I didn't get it because it went to my junk mail? Everything else we received prior to when my file was sent to Buffalo came via snail mail, so I just figured everything from Buffalo would as well. I know odds are low that happened, because they told the MP's office my file was only missing the RCMP background check, but it still freaks me out. Gah! I hope my GCMS notes and/or my PPR get here soon!

 

[francohoosier]

Hey everyone,

I'm getting a bit worried. Our application got to Mississauga on Aug 19 (according to fedex anyway). On the website they said that they are processing applications received on Aug 22 now. However, I have not heard a peep from them. I tried calling their call center but I can't get through. Does it take this long for them to send some sort of email confirmation? Help!

I wouldn't freak out just yet. If they're just now working on cases up until that date, that means they're handling everyone from the same week you applied. I'd give it another week at least. I never got any email correspondence either, just got a letter back in the mail saying we'd been approved for sponsorship - so it could be a matter of just waiting on the mail to come in.

 

[ddobro2]

Yeah, I took over the spreadsheet from someone who had gone through the process already and it was set up with the three colors. Yellow means AOR and green obviously means PPR. So orange is neither. I asked people if they wanted to keep the three and no one said no, so I did....

When you say you didn't get your file number until two weeks ago when you emailed Buffalo again....I would think that response was your AOR....this was the format that my automated email took, by the way:

UCI: xxxxxxxx
Application No.: Fxxxxxxxxx
Quote these numbers when corresponding with our office.

This is an automated message. Please DO NOT RESPOND to this message.

Dear ddobro2,

This confirms that your application for permanent residence in Canada has been received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on 2011/06/09.

So if you had something like that, just consider that your AOR....

Is that what the orange means? I never got an AOR that I recall. I didn't get my file number until two weeks ago when I emailed Buffalo again, even though e-cas showed my file received on March 31st and that I'd gone to In Process in July. Maybe those of us still waiting and without AORs from that period all got "lucky" with the same immigration officer who appears to be doing a half-assed job of it.

As for the 4 months, when our MP talked to Buffalo in July they were told that the background investigation through the RCMP normally takes 1 to 3 months. The MP's office called back at the end of 3 mths and was told by Buffalo that they were still waiting on the background investigation and that there was nothing unusual about this since my application was still within the 11 mth timeframe. It's been 4 mths now since they supposedly requested the background investigation (and since e-cas updated to show my file was in process) and still no PPR. My fingers hurt from being crossed so hard that it comes any day now!

 

[cantor2537]

I wouldn't freak out just yet. If they're just now working on cases up until that date, that means they're handling everyone from the same week you applied. I'd give it another week at least. I never got any email correspondence either, just got a letter back in the mail saying we'd been approved for sponsorship - so it could be a matter of just waiting on the mail to come in.

Thanks. I've just read here that some people get an email... I guess I should look out for the snail mail then for now? I'm just so anxious, this whole process is even more nerve-wracking than when I applied for medical school!

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

When you say you didn't get your file number until two weeks ago when you emailed Buffalo again....I would think that response was your AOR....this was the format that my automated email took, by the way:

UCI: xxxxxxxx
Application No.: Fxxxxxxxxx
Quote these numbers when corresponding with our office.

This is an automated message. Please DO NOT RESPOND to this message.

Dear ddobro2,

This confirms that your application for permanent residence in Canada has been received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on 2011/06/09.

So if you had something like that, just consider that your AOR....

Mine had my file numbers in the subject line as Fxxxxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx and inside the email was the following:

"Please refer to the above file numbers on all correspondence.


Your application is in process. We are unable to provide a date when the processing of your application will be complete.

Regards,

Canadian Consulate General Buffalo

Immigration Section

buffalo-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca"

This was a direct response to my email inquiry that included a request for my application ID number. Prior to then I was logging into e-cas via our receipt number and my husband's info. I also requested info about the supposed background check the RCMP is doing, but as you can see they refused to give me any info.

 

[ddobro2]

Wow, it's at August 22 now? I checked yesterday and it was still at "working on applications received Aug. 15" and I remember it being stuck on that for awhile.....so that's a nice jump. While technically that means that applications they received on Aug. 22 and before (so including yours) should have been processed, this isn't an exact science and I would just give them a bit more time. Most people receive the sponsorship approvals via email, so have your sponsor be on the lookout in his/her email, but it's not across the board. A letter may come to the sponsor's address as well (which should explain the delay). You said that you sent it via courier so that means you used the Robert Speck Parkway address......so I'm assuming they signed for the package and you were able to verify that online....so at least that's some comfort to know that it got there, right?

Hey everyone,

I'm getting a bit worried. Our application got to Mississauga on Aug 19 (according to fedex anyway). On the website they said that they are processing applications received on Aug 22 now. However, I have not heard a peep from them. I tried calling their call center but I can't get through. Does it take this long for them to send some sort of email confirmation? Help!

 

[ddobro2]

So they just skipped the AOR, those inconsistent Buffalonians. No biggie tho...you're in process, that's the most important thing. Good luck.

Mine had my file numbers in the subject line as Fxxxxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx and inside the email was the following:

"Please refer to the above file numbers on all correspondence.


Your application is in process. We are unable to provide a date when the processing of your application will be complete.

Regards,

Canadian Consulate General Buffalo

Immigration Section

buffalo-im-enquiry @ international.gc.ca"

This was a direct response to my email inquiry that included a request for my application ID number. Prior to then I was logging into e-cas via our receipt number and my husband's info. I also requested info about the supposed background check the RCMP is doing, but as you can see they refused to give me any info.