Thread for Acrra Ghana applicants

[Pryncess99]

I am just venting my fellow applicants:
I am 14 weeks til the one year is over. so I am a may applicant. What hurts my soul is the fact that I see people get their application solve withing 4-5-6 months. Do not get me wrong, I am so glad, they are at peace, but Id like to have my peace back. Being away from my husband is very hard and seeing people apply after me being accepted is just unfair. I wish I knew what was holding them back. I had my MP get info, they are at the eligibility stage...its been a while now.. I also live in QC so I know CSQ has something to do with it, but I received my CSQ back in November 2019. When I emailed AVO they gave me a very generic answer: we dont need anything else from you, its in queue to be reviewed by an officer..LIKE REALLY???
I just want my file to move forward, right now its on a stand still. Whether its an interview or anything, we are ready, we just want the file to move thats it. Now I am gathering my pennies to go see him because the distance is killing my soul slowly..
Thanks for listening...

 

[Noriscares]

I am just venting my fellow applicants:
I am 14 weeks til the one year is over. so I am a may applicant. What hurts my soul is the fact that I see people get their application solve withing 4-5-6 months. Do not get me wrong, I am so glad, they are at peace, but Id like to have my peace back. Being away from my husband is very hard and seeing people apply after me being accepted is just unfair. I wish I knew what was holding them back. I had my MP get info, they are at the eligibility stage...its been a while now.. I also live in QC so I know CSQ has something to do with it, but I received my CSQ back in November 2019. When I emailed AVO they gave me a very generic answer: we dont need anything else from you, its in queue to be reviewed by an officer..LIKE REALLY???
I just want my file to move forward, right now its on a stand still. Whether its an interview or anything, we are ready, we just want the file to move thats it. Now I am gathering my pennies to go see him because the distance is killing my soul slowly..
Thanks for listening...

I understand how you feel, the distance is not a child's play. Many couples are going through that as well. This is your ninth month, you are almost there. Judging your own timeline with that of another person can be so frustrating. I stop following one spousal page like that on facebook because 98% of them do get their PR under 5 months. I stop following them because it frustrates me each I find out that people that just applied 2 months after me are now with their spouse.
Remember the maximum time is one year, so take it easy. What is worth having for is worth waiting for. Just hang on, there is a light at the end of tunnel.
Is not easy but you have to be strong, it is well

 

[WBC]

What's your timeline? Good luck

our timeline so far:

Sponsor: Canadian
Applicant: Ghanian
Outland Sponsorship through Agent (lawyers)

July 29, 2019 - application received by Sydney Immigration office
Oct. 21, 2019- AOR 1 (acknowledgement of receipt)
Oct. 21, 2019 - Biometric payment request (we were not asked to pay at time of application)
Oct. 22, 2019 - Sponsor Approved
Oct. 23,2019 - Biometrics paid
Nov. 5, 2019 - AOR2 (acknowledgement of file transfer to Accra Visa office (AVO))
Dec. 13, 2019 - ECAS update `we started processing your application on Dec. 13, 2019`
Jan. 27, 2020 - Interview request emailed to agent setting interview date for Feb. 17, 2020
Jan. 28, 2020 - ECAS update `we sent you a letter on January 27, 2020. Please consider delays in mail before contact us.`
Feb. 4, 2020 - Medical request emailed to agent
Feb. 6, 2020 - ECAS update `we sent medical instructions on Feb. 4, 2020. To avoid delays, please provide us with the information requested as soon as possible. Please consider delays in mail delivery before contacting us.`

In November 2019 passport expired so was updated to biometric passport
However, Agent advised this is not the same as giving biometrics to Immigration
To date we have not received Biometric Request Letter (BIL)

 

[WBC]

For interviews: what originals should you bring beside marriage certificate, birth certificate, photos, original support letters...what if any other original documents will help with the interview process to show relationship is genuine

Are documents you provide at interview returned to you and if so when..at the end of the interview or later when and if you are asked back

 

[Pryncess99]

I understand how you feel, the distance is not a child's play. Many couples are going through that as well. This is your ninth month, you are almost there. Judging your own timeline with that of another person can be so frustrating. I stop following one spousal page like that on facebook because 98% of them do get their PR under 5 months. I stop following them because it frustrates me each I find out that people that just applied 2 months after me are now with their spouse.
Remember the maximum time is one year, so take it easy. What is worth having for is worth waiting for. Just hang on, there is a light at the end of tunnel.
Is not easy but you have to be strong, it is well

Thank you VERY much.
I can relate to what you said 500%

 

[joy789]

I am just venting my fellow applicants:
I am 14 weeks til the one year is over. so I am a may applicant. What hurts my soul is the fact that I see people get their application solve withing 4-5-6 months. Do not get me wrong, I am so glad, they are at peace, but Id like to have my peace back. Being away from my husband is very hard and seeing people apply after me being accepted is just unfair. I wish I knew what was holding them back. I had my MP get info, they are at the eligibility stage...its been a while now.. I also live in QC so I know CSQ has something to do with it, but I received my CSQ back in November 2019. When I emailed AVO they gave me a very generic answer: we dont need anything else from you, its in queue to be reviewed by an officer..LIKE REALLY???
I just want my file to move forward, right now its on a stand still. Whether its an interview or anything, we are ready, we just want the file to move thats it. Now I am gathering my pennies to go see him because the distance is killing my soul slowly..
Thanks for listening...

Dearest it can be so annoying.....I started seeing progress when i completely left it in Gods hand. And i told myself God cares for me more than i care for myself. I wont worry about this. Just hold on. The Golden mail is coming!

 

[WBC]

Background information: I am the sponsor, my parents moved to Nigeria before I was born so I gained my citizenship through birth. My husband came to Canada on a student visa which is how we met, and began dating. He visited the USA and applied for his Canada student visa extension which was denied while he was in the USA. We continued dating and a year after the denial we got married and shortly after than we applied for his PR. We are both in our mid-twenties, both Nigerian.

For proof of relationship, we submitted the following: 20 photos taken at different times throughout or relationship, 8 pages of text conversations taken at different times throughout our relationship, 2 pages of screen shots of Whatsapp call logs, letter from his mother and mine saying they approve of our marriage, RRSP’s showing eachother as beneficiaries, joint bank account, proof of trips, a 3 page document outlining the development of relationship. At the time of application we had been married for 2 months so we tried to gather as much proof as possible. We did not use a lawyer.

Throughout the processing of our application, we received GCMS notes twice which is how we know about the “updates” below. These were in the GCMS notes. Here are a couple things I learned throughout this process which may help with processing your application quicker:

- apply for GCMS notes every month or so. This will help you understand where the officers are in your application. For example, we should have been approved back in November 2019. If we had known that an interview would be required, we could have requested to have our interview moved to the USA sooner.

- If you have passed the one year mark, contact your MP and get them to make an inquiry on your behalf. Our MP was the one who helped us send our letter to the Accra VO requesting to move our interview to the USA.

- Visit your spouse lots! We had about 6 visits within the past year. We did this because it was really challenging to go so long without seeing each other but it helped with proof of communication as well

- The visa officers mostly care about the relationship between you and your spouse - not the relationship between you and their family. The letters we sent from both of our mothers were not mentioned in the GCMS notes by any of the visa officers. If you are from different nationalities, or if there is a huge age gap expect an interview.

TIMELINE:

Application Received - July 12, 2019

AOR1 - September 6, 2019

Sponsor DM - September 11, 2019

Biometrics Request - September 11, 2019

Medical Request - September 12, 2019

Medicals Completed - September 30, 2019

Medicals Passed - October 6, 2019

AOR2 - September 18, 2019 (File was initially sent to Mississauga VO)

Update #1 - October 24, 2019 (An officer in Mississauga looked ad the file and said it “did not meet triage requirements” so transferred the filed to Accra VO)

AOR3 - November 5, 2019

Update #2 - November 12, 2019 (An officer in Accra VO reviewed eligibility and “recommend pass”)

Update #3 - November 26, 2019 (A second officer in Accra VO reviewed the eligibility and said we didn’t have enough evidence, so an interview was required)

Interview Request - December 18, 2019 (Interview was scheduled for Jan 20, 2020)

Correspondence - December 20, 2019 (My husband and I sent a letter requesting to have his interview moved to the USA)

DM and Pre Arrival - January 25, 2020

PPR - Waiting


I hope this helped! This was our experience. We are keeping everyone else in our prayers. This journey is not an easy one, but I found it extremely encouraging reading other people’s timelines on this page.

 

[WBC]

thanks for you post and hoping you can help us.
we are a age gap relationship, female being older so i assume that is why we were flagged for interview
due to work being so busy and costs we cannot go back and forth to travel as you have done
we married march 2018 and have been talking everyday from October 2016 to this day
we applied for outland sponsorship July 29, 2019 with lawyers
can you offer any support in what we need to provide for interview evidence...we have over 300 pictures, 50 pages of facebook posts, over 200 pages of communication (call logs, WhatsApp calls), original cards of congratulations, Christmas cards, birthday cards)...what other `original ` documents would be required.

are all documents provided at interview returned to us

 

[Pryncess99]

Dearest it can be so annoying.....I started seeing progress when i completely left it in Gods hand. And i told myself God cares for me more than i care for myself. I wont worry about this. Just hold on. The Golden mail is coming!

Thank you. You are right..

 

[Noriscares]

thanks for you post and hoping you can help us.
we are a age gap relationship, female being older so i assume that is why we were flagged for interview
due to work being so busy and costs we cannot go back and forth to travel as you have done
we married march 2018 and have been talking everyday from October 2016 to this day
we applied for outland sponsorship July 29, 2019 with lawyers
can you offer any support in what we need to provide for interview evidence...we have over 300 pictures, 50 pages of facebook posts, over 200 pages of communication (call logs, WhatsApp calls), original cards of congratulations, Christmas cards, birthday cards)...what other `original ` documents would be required.

are all documents provided at interview returned to us

Firstly, you have to pray before the interview.. Secondly, you have to comport yourself very well during the interview.. Eye contact with the person that will interview you is very important. Don't panic and don't rush any question asked you, take is slowly. One at a time.
Thirdly, go along with anything you can lay your hands on. If you a thousands different pictures, go with it. Call history, facebook chat, whatsapp chat/call, traditional wedding pictures if there is any, court wedding and white wedding pictures. If she did change of name after the wedding, go along with the evidence.
If both of you do help each other in monetary aspect, print your statement of account and indicates where her reflects on it.
Do you upload your wedding pictures on facebook or any other social network, if yes print it out where people are congratulating both of you after the wedding, print the post/pictures and people's comments on it.
If there is any of your pictures that any of uploaded on facebook and tagged each other, friends comments on it. Kindly print it out, a support letter from the both parents are very important.
Do you have any tickets where both of you travel together? Go along with it if you have any, anything you think that can prove that your marriage is real just go with it.
For you to get pre arrival shows that you have pass eligibility, your ppr will depends on the outcome of the interview.
Know when to disagree with him/her but do that politely, prove to him/her that your marriage is real. That age is just a number.
Lastly, study the form that she filled for you. Majority of the questions will come from there..
How did you met her, who visited each other first, how did she travel to Canada, where is she working, how much is she earning, what's her position in her place of work, her house address, what was she doing when she was in Ghana etc.
It will be of good if you can answer each question with date, month and year. Study that form very well and don't forget to comport yourself, prayer is the key.
Good luck

 

[Noriscares]

Dearest it can be so annoying.....I started seeing progress when i completely left it in Gods hand. And i told myself God cares for me more than i care for myself. I wont worry about this. Just hold on. The Golden mail is coming!

Have you submitted your passport?

 

[Pryncess99]

Dearest it can be so annoying.....I started seeing progress when i completely left it in Gods hand. And i told myself God cares for me more than i care for myself. I wont worry about this. Just hold on. The Golden mail is coming!

Thank you and you are right. Ill leave it all in God's hands..i know God loves me very much

 

[joy789]

Have you submitted your passport?

Not yet. Will submit nextweek. I can only submit after medicals. The instructions said to submit after medicals.

 

[Noriscares]

Not yet. Will submit nextweek. I can only submit after medicals. The instructions said to submit after medicals.

That means you have to wait for the outcome of the medical, lucky you

 

[joy789]

That means you have to wait for the outcome of the medical, lucky you

Nope! I submit the same day i do medicals. The letter says you can submit at the same time of doing medicals
My fifteen days already counting.