Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[quakingaspen]

Does anyone know what happens if you don't submit your passport to the Visa office before the deadline? Do you have to start the application process all over again?

 

[melyn2223]

I have been following this thread but never posted anything. Can you please add me to the timeline?

12/31/2010- Complete app sent to mississauga
1/7/2011- App received in mississauga
2/1/2011- Sponsorship approved- file transfered to buffalo
3/17/2011- csq approved- CSQ transferred to buffalo

I am waiting for AOR like everyone else.

 

[puzzle69]

Congratulations Jessibee and Kerianne!

 

[sithvixen]

I'm Canadian and I'm sponsoring my American husband. We've been married about a year now and he's visiting Canada until his Visa is approved.

I submitted our application on March 10th-ish and on April 16th it was approved and sent to Buffalo. Now the waiting game.

I hope the interview is waived. The last time he crossed the border the IO told him since he overstayed by 90 days (it was due to confusion on the wording of their extension) that they may request an interview or at best want an explanation in writing as to why that happened. Considering we explained it to her once and then she spent like 20 minutes typing into her computer and still ok'd him to enter I don't see why we have to explain the situation twice but.......whatever. It seems like a lot of stuff they do doesn't make a whole lot of sense except for being a wall of red tape. :

By the way, carrying the receipt that proves you paid for visa processing comes in real handy at the border.

 

[kerianne]

I think if you don't send it in by the deadline that your case is considered abandonned and they close it. I can't seem to find anything when I googled it. So I'll double check some other papers I have Why are you wondering?

 

[quakingaspen]

I sent my passport to Fort Erie by Xpress Post last tuesday, and they have yet to update the information to say that it's been delivered. : Soo.... I'm hoping they just didn't scan it in when they delivered it, and that it's there and safe, but it's possible it got lost on the way there. And, June 1 is my deadline. I was just wondering what the worst case is.

 

[TreeLover]

I sent my passport to Fort Erie by Xpress Post last tuesday, and they have yet to update the information to say that it's been delivered. : Soo.... I'm hoping they just didn't scan it in when they delivered it, and that it's there and safe, but it's possible it got lost on the way there. And, June 1 is my deadline. I was just wondering what the worst case is.

what does your tracking say? Are you able to follow its progress to Ft. Erie? Mine had several updates....went to Richmond first, then Mississauga and then Ft. Erie. A week seems rather long as mine took two days from Vancouver. Where did you mail it from? Maybe you should call Canada Post.

 

[valy79]

What does it say when you enter the tracking number? Anything about having tried to deliver but failed or similar? Or just nothing?

I sent off mine last Friday and when I checked yesterday it said that it was delivered already. Frankly, I almost couldn't believe it because probably nothing I ever sent by Canada Post has been that straight forward....

 

[quakingaspen]

I mailed it on Tuesday, April 12th at 1:50 pm in Belleville, Ontario. The next morning at 3:50 AM it says it was processed at the Stoney Creek postal facility. And that was the last update. : I did not request a signature or anything on delivery, so that didn't cause a problem.

I sent in a ticket with them yesterday, and their automated response says that they will look into it, and if I haven't heard from them in 5 days they'll contact me with further information.

I'm thinking that if I haven't heard from them by then, I need to look into getting a new passport, and then driving to Buffalo.

 

[amaranth]

Canada Post is almost as inconsistent as CIC. :

I once had a package coming from New Brunswick. Twice it was returned to sender because Canada Post claimed out post code doesn't exist. Our entire apartment building has it's own post code! (which I am still amused by, heh...) I'm actually really happy that the ONLY piece of mail from the CIC to the sponsor's address is the approval letter. I'd be even more stressed through this process if I had to constantly worry about looking for other letters.

It really sucks to see Buffalo slowing down again. I have to go back there in mid/late May for family stuff, and I was hoping for some perfect magical timing as far as getting the visa sorted while I'm there. Definitely not holding my breath now! (fingers HUGELY crossed that they won't require anything else!)

*angry fist wave at CIC*

 

[quakingaspen]

: Yeah, I was telling one of my fellow forum friends that you get through the process, and you think you're safe... and then Canada Post gets you. It's like CIC calls them and says, "We can't get this one on anything, think you can cause them some trouble with their passport?"

I just sent Buffalo a case-specific inquery to see if there's any way they can check and see if it's arrived there. I'd assume that they don't actually open the envelops until they're ready to stick the Visa in it, so they probably won't do that for another week or so. But, I thought I'd ask. If nothing else, it creates a paper trail.

I'm not sure why they've slowed down so much! Romain was saying today that his file has been sent to the New York satelite office. So... I expect we'll see more of that. When they get too backlogged, they start sending them to the other offices to try to catch up. The good news is that the other offices Don't have a backlog of immigration files. But I'm not sure what their staffing situation is like, and how many people they can move to application processing. :

 

[FleetingDasein]

Just got back from Buffalo. I can now say I'm a permanent resident of Canada! Everything went very smoothly... I'm way too sleepy to give you guys a detailed account of my visit to the Buffalo, but I'll have more details tomorrow! I'm so happy everything worked out so well. To those still waiting: hang in there! I hope you guys hear back from Buffalo soon.

Let's see if I can get some sleep!

 

[quakingaspen]

Congrats, Fleeting! Can't wait to hear your story tomorrow! Rest well. You've earned it.

 

[amaranth]

I'm not sure why they've slowed down so much! Romain was saying today that his file has been sent to the New York satelite office. So... I expect we'll see more of that. When they get too backlogged, they start sending them to the other offices to try to catch up. The good news is that the other offices Don't have a backlog of immigration files. But I'm not sure what their staffing situation is like, and how many people they can move to application processing. :

It would have been nice if they simply sent everyone's files to satellite offices when they knew they would be doing the computer upgrade in Buffalo. Maybe more of us would be done by now... But I know, thinking CIC should do something involving basic logic is just silly of me!

 

[amaranth]

Just got back from Buffalo. I can now say I'm a permanent resident of Canada! Everything went very smoothly... I'm way too sleepy to give you guys a detailed account of my visit to the Buffalo, but I'll have more details tomorrow! I'm so happy everything worked out so well. To those still waiting: hang in there! I hope you guys hear back from Buffalo soon.

Let's see if I can get some sleep!

YAY! ;D So glad to hear it went well. Looking forward to hearing more about it, but for now... Sweet Dreams!