Applicant from PhD program after 5 Nov, 2011 connect here to get status

[shauser]

Good luck!

Thanks a lot cantaloupe. Very helpful!!
Wow that google doc. That's so cool. Can I add myself to that?

 

[bluelotus]

guys, I am about to send out my docs, do you think it is a good idea to send my 6 months bank history together with the proof of funds in my application?
I have had over the limit all this time and no questionable number is there. The only thing is a direct deposit of around 2000 $ 1-2 months back.

I agree with what sebastianderp already said. As your bank history has no questionable numbers and you have more than enough deposit, sending the bank documents will only make your application look better at this point. And this is a good opportunity to do that as they are asking for documents.

 

[absolute_boy97]

Thanks a lot.

I need to know if we should also send study permit, transcript or letter of envolvement from the university we are doing the phd in?

 

[bluelotus]

Hi there,
I'm new here. I've looked at this page before but always felt quite overwhelmed with the number of posts...
however, generally I think this is great to have this forum to share experiences and I'd like to be part of this.
I'm originally from Germany and moved to Vancouver in 2011 to start my PhD.
...............
Let me know if you have any questions!!

We are also overwhelmed by your questions..
Cantaloupe has already answered your questions very nicely, so thanks to him. However, I'd like to add one thing about GCMS for you or other new applicants if you already do not know this.

After a few weeks/days of getting PER (the confirmation email you've just received from CIC), you can order GCMS note online for free. The link to do this is:
https://atip-aiprp.apps.gc.ca/atip/welcome.do?lang=en
Or,
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/atip/requests-personal.asp

Choose it under privacy act and choose case file of your permanent residency application. Then also choose to receive it by email (not CD). From the pdf GCMS note, you will find your application details and all corresponding entries/comments inserted by the visa officers. From their comments, you can observe whether the visa officers have found any fault or incompleteness in any of your documents. You can send them updated documents accordingly. Good luck with ur application.

 

[bluelotus]

Thanks a lot.

I need to know if we should also send study permit, transcript or letter of envolvement from the university we are doing the phd in?

Yeah, I think you can send those 3 docs as well as proof of study & research activity. You may also add letters from ur supervisor. My supervisor wrote 2 letters for me: one explaining my phd research and the other explaining RA duties (thereby avoiding confusion and defining boundary between the two). Send them originals (except for study permit). Good luck.

 

[bluelotus]

Thanks a lot cantaloupe. Very helpful!!
Wow that google doc. That's so cool. Can I add myself to that?

To all new applicants:
You cannot add your data yourself. If you want to be included, mention your application information and dates in details as asked by the different columns of that sheet and the moderator will add them. The doc link is this:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-ASbHOIF93dDlLNjAtR1k4eGNtZ0xhSzkzYnBrVmc#gid=0

 

[absolute_boy97]

Yeah, I think you can send those 3 docs as well as proof of study & research activity. You may also add letters from ur supervisor. My supervisor wrote 2 letters for me: one explaining my phd research and the other explaining RA duties (thereby avoiding confusion and defining boundary between the two). Send them originals (except for study permit). Good luck.

Thanks. Well I have only one letter from supervisor explaining everything. But it says on the checklist to include "Copy" of the work experience" and that the originals maybe requested later by the officer?! why sending original then? also should we include copies of EXPIRED study permit too?

 

[absolute_boy97]

guys , for mailing the application to Sydney it says on the document checklist to "include 2 self-addressed mailing labels: one in English or French and One in the official language of your country of residence. For us living in Canada it doesn'e make sense! Or does it mean we should include another self addressed envelope in it?? ???

 

[bluelotus]

Thanks. Well I have only one letter from supervisor explaining everything. But it says on the checklist to include "Copy" of the work experience" and that the originals maybe requested later by the officer?! why sending original then? also should we include copies of EXPIRED study permit too?

A very good point noted. Actually I collected 2 original copies of each letter from my supervisor (he did not mind ;D), so I sent CIC originals. But you're 100% right that you don't have to for work exp. letters. If you only have 1 original, then send them photocopy.

To be on the safe side, I included copies of all my expired permits, TRVs, old passport custom seals as part of "Proof of Admission" document in our checklist.

 

[absolute_boy97]

A very good point noted. Actually I collected 2 original copies of each letter from my supervisor (he did not mind ;D), so I sent CIC originals. But you're 100% right that you don't have to for work exp. letters. If you only have 1 original, then send them photocopy.

To be on the safe side, I included copies of all my expired permits, TRVs, old passport custom seals as part of "Proof of Admission" document in our checklist.

Thanks, sure. But still I cant see anywhere asking for phd transcript (unless you are graduated) or letter of enrolment.

also do you know the answer I asked earlier:

for mailing the application to Sydney it says on the document checklist to "include 2 self-addressed mailing labels: one in English or French and One in the official language of your country of residence. For us living in Canada it doesn'e make sense! Or does it mean we should include another self addressed envelope in it??

 

[sebastianderp]

Thanks, sure. But still I cant see anywhere asking for phd transcript (unless you are graduated) or letter of enrolment.

also do you know the answer I asked earlier:

for mailing the application to Sydney it says on the document checklist to "include 2 self-addressed mailing labels: one in English or French and One in the official language of your country of residence. For us living in Canada it doesn'e make sense! Or does it mean we should include another self addressed envelope in it??

PhD transcript is not required if you are still in progress and instead the attestation letter is required, which serves more or less as a letter of enrolment.

For the mailing labels I included two of them. You can get free ones in Canada Post retail stores.

Hope it helps.

-derp

 

[absolute_boy97]

PhD transcript is not required if you are still in progress and instead the attestation letter is required, which serves more or less as a letter of enrolment.

For the mailing labels I included two of them. You can get free ones in Canada Post retail stores.

Hope it helps.

-derp

Thanks , so just you just bought 2 mailing labels and put with other documents in the envelope. I assume you wrote your mailing address in English on both. right?

 

[bluelotus]

Thanks, sure. But still I cant see anywhere asking for phd transcript (unless you are graduated) or letter of enrolment.

also do you know the answer I asked earlier:

for mailing the application to Sydney it says on the document checklist to "include 2 self-addressed mailing labels: one in English or French and One in the official language of your country of residence. For us living in Canada it doesn'e make sense! Or does it mean we should include another self addressed envelope in it??

Actually I sent CIC some additional docs from my university and supervisor to ensure that they have enough authentic documents to investigate my case. It's not that it was mandatory and everyone else would or should do it my way. It's only my opinion based on my own experience & knowledge from this forum. Particularly I was wary about the fact that CIC returned few applications because they doubted that their phd attestation letters were not "original". We've read those horror stories in this forum not so long ago. Fortunately it didn't happen in my case, but it happened for my colleague who was doing phd under same supervisor and we collected that attestation letter from the same office on the same day ???. That's why I was extra careful about varsity docs. So I included enrollment letter and also a letter from my dept. grad student advisor (confirming my phd student status) -- but again it's not mandatory. But one should be very careful that the submitted docs from the same institute do not conflict with each other by any means. However, it's probably wise to avoid the transcript as they ask for it from those who already completed phd.

For your 2nd Q: we were not asked something like this in our guide. But it's straightforward. You should send two labels: one in English and the other in the official language of your country of residence (=Canada) which is also English. I think they meant 2 mailing labels and not 2 envelopes.

 

[Fid0]

Hi guys,

I have a question about using positive eligibility review email to apply for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) for my spouse. Yesterday I went to Service Ontario to apply for OHIP. I understood that it's formal procedure to get rejected by Service Ontario first and appeal to OHIP Eligibility Review Committee in Kingston. Service Ontario pointed out a serious problem for me. The positive eligibility review email only has me, the principal applicant's name, not my spouse's. Therefore when I get approved by OHIP Eligibility Review Committee, I still can only apply for my own OHIP card, not my spouse's. Is there any way to include my spouse into OHIP application? Do I need to write to CIO to ask them to confirm my spouse's positive eligibility? Will that delay my PR application? Thanks.

Hi superstring,

Yes, you can apply for OHIP card for yourself and your spouse as long as you have lived here for more than 3 month and are eligible to apply for your PR, which is the case for all of us.
This is new for Service Ontario so they simply don't know the procedure and depending on the person behind their hot line they respond differently even after confirming with their center. I've got my OHIP in 5 minutes, the clerk called their hot line and typed some code on the system and the system confirms me as eligible. My friend with the exact situation in the same branch was told to appeal and again got his OHIP after a while.

For spouses, don't even bother persuading them or ask for rejection. Simply prepare a cover letter and expalin your situation and mention that you have applied for PR and your spouse is in your file. Add your PER letter, a proof of your address, sign the letter from CIC that allows a representative to inquire about your case (without writing their contact info) for yourself as main applicant and your spouse as dependant (1 form to fill, two times, once for each person). Send all this to OHIP review committee and wait for their initial response. They may ask for more document but at the end, will provide you some documents and specially a letter which is sufficient to get OHIP from any service ontario.

It may take up to 6-8 weeks for all this to be done, but I assure you, you are eligible to have OHIP for yourself as principal application and all your dependants regardless of their work experience, having job, work permit and so on...

About asking from CIC for a confirmation letter of existance of your spouse in application, I tried several times without success. I was told to wait until an officer be assigned to my case and then was told that there is no such form they could provide and so on. So, I would simply mail the document to review committe and wait instead of bothering CIC for this.

Oh, and the OHIP cards will be issued for one year and you can extend it afterwards...

I hope I could help
Cheers and good luck!

 

[absolute_boy97]

guys , I just saw on the document checklist that says "Leave documents unbound". are we not allowed to staple the papers together? For example a certain form which has many pages should not be stapled? Did anyone staple them together and sent without problem? I already have printed out and many relevant papers are attached to each other !!