Thread for Acrra Ghana applicants

[waitingInTO]

I am January applicant and I haven't even received medical request. I request help from my MP and she said the MPs can't anymore directly contact the VO. Actually all they can do is to get the last update on your file and mine said my file is in queue to be reviewed. She said she can't do anything to speed up if I don't pass the 12months. I said to her at this speed I am pretty sure they won't finish at time. She said don't worry sometimes it fast at end. So I am just waiting...

Try a different MP. One close to your district. Email them a sad letter. You should also email the minister of the immigration to say the 12 months is getting close. Then send another every 3-4 weeks. Also, request your GCMS notes and reference them in your emails.

 

[HisAma]

is there a spreadsheet with timeline for accra applicants 2016/2017?? if not can we create one

I "think" @becos used to maintain a spreadsheet, but she's at the end of her wait, so I don't know if anyone else has started one. I wrote the few that are close to mine (Dec/Jan), like I mentioned in my earlier post this evening. Are you tech savvy? Maybe you could start one.

 

[waitingInTO]

is there a spreadsheet with timeline for accra applicants 2016/2017?? if not can we create one

I think someone on this forum was keeping a spreadsheet. @xls or someone else. They mentioned in in late september I think.

 

[goddess2017]

provide document on your check list and don't add unnecessary ones if its not asked. This is where things get complex they always want to check documents now a lot.

India applicants used to get approved before like nobody else and CIC found out the one place where documents are being forged so now they have decreased indian immigration and cross check all documents. so now they want more diversity with immigration we are over populated now with a LOT of Indians in Canada.

These are some reasons why I am saying limit the documentation to what is required. Job letter isn't required for applicant.

Thanks for the input

 

[goddess2017]

haha! @nwaefulu_716, we couldn't take it anymore either so I went to see the hubby in October to ease the stress too then 2 days after returning we got PPR. My advise to anyone starting this process or in the middle is to live your life. we went a whole year on hold when we could have done so many things. Life must go on..

Oh yes, life must go on...At least its easier to get a schengen visa so why not get the PA to apply for one and travel to Europe. I plan on doing that since I am a September applicant and I am no where close.

 

[waitingInTO]

Hello house, I am suggesting if we can share what our online account says so we can compare if it is just a standard format or they are really working. This is what mine says and I am January 2017 applicant.

Review of eligibility: We are reviewing whether you meet the eligibility requirements.

Review of medical results: You passed the medical exam.

Review of additional documents: The additional documents you provided are being reviewed.

Interview: You do not need an interview. We will send you a message if this changes.

Biometrics: We do not need your fingerprints. We will send you a message if this changes.

Background check: Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start your background check.

Final decision: Your application is in progress. We will send you a message once the final decision has been made.

My status is below @bbccanada

Update Day 11:

Overall Status: Request for Passport, re-medical completed on Tuesday and police clearance (pending)
PPR Submission Day: t-4

This is what our cic account says:

Application status We are processing your application. We will send you a message when there is an update or if we need more information from you.
Review of eligibility We are reviewing whether you meet the eligibility requirements.
Review of medical results We are reviewing the results of your medical exam.
Review of additional documents We do not need additional documents.
Interview You do not need an interview. We will send you a message if this changes.
Biometrics We do not need your fingerprints. We will send you a message if this changes.
Background check Not applicable.
Final decision Your application is in progress. We will send you a message once the final decision has been made.

Other: Also got an invitation on mycic for pre-arrival services

This is what our ECAS says:

1. We received your application for permanent residence on October 11, 2016.
2. We started processing your application on November 15, 2016.
3. Medical results have been received.
4. We sent you correspondence on October 24, 2017. If you have not yet provided the information or the requested documents, please do so as soon as possible. Please wait until you receive the correspondence before sending us additional information, as the correspondence will outline all information that is required.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[Cutie101]

I have been told that us West Africans do not know how to come together and speak as one voice. Even our communities and organizations within Canada are not recognized as entities with the cdn government (A ghanaian university student in Toronto noted this as part of her thesis). We need to contact the Somalian community center and advocate groups and the Indian ones as well. They help you whether you are Somalian or not. Perhaps we can learn from them.

In this forum we are trying to help each other, but there are still remnants of that behaviour (of holding back). An example being: a bunch of the 2016 applicants were sitting around supporting each other only to learn after people started getting PPR that they had been sending periodic updates of evidence to AVO all along and hadn't shared these details with others. I can't say for certain if that made a difference, but I too sent unsolicited details afterwards. If one of us benefits we all benefit, so let's try to be open with each other so that we gather the real data of how this process works in our VO and try to address it.

@Cutie101, the letter writing campaign will definitely help. I will be open and honest and say I won't write one now, because I've got PPR and the delay now is with me and the hubby to submit our final document from his country of residence. However, when he does land in Canada, I will follow this up as it is just ludicrous the stark differences between this VO's timelines and other countries'.

I just need everyone on this forum to come together we need to have a spreadsheet in place with all our names and timeline once this is submitted we draft up 1 letter and express our concerns and send to the ministers office

so it gets the warranted attention it needs because each person email is not strong enough and we can compare other nations timeline vs our own. I think it' just ghana visa office still dealing with 2016 applicants no other VO. everyone is updated to 2017 with the exception of accra

 

[Cutie101]

@waitingInTO you know i agree with your previous statement its not just west africa alone that does not come together it' "Black People" in general we do not help eachother grow in anything. we rather compete with eachother then the opposition. Have you ever encounter Asians, Somaliland and or Indians at a work place or school? do you see how they help out eachother with everything. when will black people champion for eachother like that. it really saddens me. We always want to outdo one and another. I wish West African nation would set up an organization to help future other applicants so they do not go through this headache. I am down whenever your ready

 

[MrsKoj]

An example being: a bunch of the 2016 applicants were sitting around supporting each other only to learn after people started getting PPR that they had been sending periodic updates of evidence to AVO all along and hadn't shared these details with others. I

I’m sorry, but I had to respond to this. I don’t think this statement is fair or even well informed. For as long as I’ve been on this forum, there has been a lot of support and very useful advice from members to other members. Sometime around March or April I believe, there was a trend of AVO sending out emails to applicants about sending additional documents, which was extending wait times for those applicants. Members of the forum talked about it and we decided to start being proactive instead of sitting around waiting only to be hit with the “additional document” email. I understand this process is frustrating (trust me, I waited 13 months!!) but let’s not start pointing fingers at each other when in fact, the problem lies with AVO.

 

[becos]

I’m sorry, but I had to respond to this. I don’t think this statement is fair or even well informed. For as long as I’ve been on this forum, there has been a lot of support and very useful advice from members to other members. Sometime around March or April I believe, there was a trend of AVO sending out emails to applicants about sending additional documents, which was extending wait times for those applicants. Members of the forum talked about it and we decided to start being proactive instead of sitting around waiting only to be hit with the “additional document” email. I understand this process is frustrating (trust me, I waited 13 months!!) but let’s not start pointing fingers at each other when in fact, the problem lies with AVO.

I remember this as well, because I wanted to send in additional stuff when we all had this conversation but because we used a lawyer I didn't want to bug her. At the end of the day everyone is going to be as open as they are comfortable being. Let's keep being positive and assuring and sharing where we can. I know sometimes I've been hesitant to answer a question because I'm not 100% sure I have the right information. At the end of the day, this is an AVO and CIC problem. We are all scrambling to figure out what they want from us and we don't trust the application guides and process hence why we're always second guessing and trying to figure out ways to make this journey quicker and easier.

@HisAma or @Cutie101 I have the spread sheet made. If one of you can share your email with me in a private message I'll send you the spreadsheet and one of you can make it live on google docs and open to be shared on the forum. I don't want to do it and own it on google docs because I'll be phasing out from the forum over the next few months. This spreadsheet has everyone on it from this forum from 2013-then end of 2016. 2017 apps would need to add themselves on to it. But that's easy.

 

[waitingInTO]

I’m sorry, but I had to respond to this. I don’t think this statement is fair or even well informed. For as long as I’ve been on this forum, there has been a lot of support and very useful advice from members to other members. Sometime around March or April I believe, there was a trend of AVO sending out emails to applicants about sending additional documents, which was extending wait times for those applicants. Members of the forum talked about it and we decided to start being proactive instead of sitting around waiting only to be hit with the “additional document” email. I understand this process is frustrating (trust me, I waited 13 months!!) but let’s not start pointing fingers at each other when in fact, the problem lies with AVO.

the intent is not to point fingers @MrsKoj. I am not saying there has not been a lot of support and useful advise. I too have been around all this time and was part of the the emailing campaigns in March and April. I also saw requests for additional information being requested by Accra. But as others mentioned just this week, the general thinking was (and is) that sometimes it's best not to send more to Accra than they have asked for. So if there are some information people have learned that is relatively safe/harmless to send, it doesn't hurt to share. Noone is asking for personal information from anyone. I'm just saying that some of us wish we knew it was ok to send some unsolicited additional information (I was sitting on pictures etc. a visit from December to my hubby until August). I too have waited 13 months so we are all in the same boat. The extra step that we need to take with each other is to be as transparent as possible, without identifying personal information or ourselves. That's all I'm saying.

 

[waitingInTO]

@waitingInTO you know i agree with your previous statement its not just west africa alone that does not come together it' "Black People" in general we do not help eachother grow in anything. we rather compete with eachother then the opposition. Have you ever encounter Asians, Somaliland and or Indians at a work place or school? do you see how they help out eachother with everything. when will black people champion for eachother like that. it really saddens me. We always want to outdo one and another. I wish West African nation would set up an organization to help future other applicants so they do not go through this headache. I am down whenever your ready

I'll take you up on it Cutie101!

 

[waitingInTO]

On a different topic: has anyone received GCMS notes lately? The ones I ordered on Sept 18th haven't arrived and the turnaround time is usually 29 days.

 

[MrsKoj]

the intent is not to point fingers @MrsKoj. I am not saying there has not been a lot of support and useful advise. I too have been around all this time and was part of the the emailing campaigns in March and April. I also saw requests for additional information being requested by Accra. But as others mentioned just this week, the general thinking was (and is) that sometimes it's best not to send more to Accra than they have asked for. So if there are some information people have learned that is relatively safe/harmless to send, it doesn't hurt to share. Noone is asking for personal information from anyone. I'm just saying that some of us wish we knew it was ok to send some unsolicited additional information (I was sitting on pictures etc. a visit from December to my hubby until August). I too have waited 13 months so we are all in the same boat. The extra step that we need to take with each other is to be as transparent as possible, without identifying personal information or ourselves. That's all I'm saying.

Oh alright. Yeah, transparency helps everyone. The whole process is hectic. Still waiting for pick up mail so we can book a flight in time for Christmas. It’ll be 2 weeks on Monday since we sent my husband’s passport to Accra. I can’t complain though. At least they’ve asked for his passport.

 

[nwaefulu_716]

@nwaefulu_716, it seems you submitted right before the due date of Jan 31, 2017, if you used the old application. Did you apply with the old package or new?

We used the new application package. Had already filled out most of the old package forms but then noticed they were all updated. Decided we might as well convert all the data over to the new forms as they seemed to be more streamlined and the supporting documents requested was a bit less as well. So we might be one of the first ones at Accra on totally new application package?