CAIRO VISA OFFICE

[Eida]

Hello guys,
My husband just arrived yesterday
After 32 months in this process..
Timeline
Dec. 2017 : Application sent
Mai 2018: Application returned
Mai/june 2018: Application sent again
July 3 2018: AOR
Oct. 2018: additional doc
Dec. 2018: SA approval + medical test request
Dec 2018: medicals approved
Jan 2019: CSQ application
Feb. 27 2019: CSQ approved
April 2019 : transferred to Cairo vo
Oct 2019: requested a new marriage certificate
Dec 16 2019: new marriage certificate done
Jan 21 2020: medicals extended for 1 more year
***1 whole year of silence***
Jan 20 2021: they requested to pay right of pr fees and new police certificate
Jan 21 2021: Pre Arrival
Feb 1 2021: new medical requested
Feb 9 2021: medicals approved
Feb 14 2021: PPR
Feb 24: VISA STAMPED
Feb 27: PASSPORT RECEIVED
March 3: HUSBAND ARRIVED TO MONTREAL AND WENT TO.THE HOTEL FOR HIS 3 DAYS QUARANTINE

 

[baby-asad98]

Hello guys,
My husband just arrived yesterday
After 32 months in this process..
Timeline
Dec. 2017 : Application sent
Mai 2018: Application returned
Mai/june 2018: Application sent again
July 3 2018: AOR
Oct. 2018: additional doc
Dec. 2018: SA approval + medical test request
Dec 2018: medicals approved
Jan 2019: CSQ application
Feb. 27 2019: CSQ approved
April 2019 : transferred to Cairo vo
Oct 2019: requested a new marriage certificate
Dec 16 2019: new marriage certificate done
Jan 21 2020: medicals extended for 1 more year
***1 whole year of silence***
Jan 20 2021: they requested to pay right of pr fees and new police certificate
Jan 21 2021: Pre Arrival
Feb 1 2021: new medical requested
Feb 9 2021: medicals approved
Feb 14 2021: PPR
Feb 24: VISA STAMPED
Feb 27: PASSPORT RECEIVED
March 3: HUSBAND ARRIVED TO MONTREAL AND WENT TO.THE HOTEL FOR HIS 3 DAYS QUARANTINE

Is Montreal his final destination? If not, how does that work?

 

[baby-asad98]

Is Montreal his final destination? If not, how does that work?

I had a question but I know the answer now. Never mind.

 

[maxayma]

I am May 2020 applicant. 2 days ago my App. went from "Application Received" to "In process". However, nothing has changed no additional line "We Start Processing......". My GCKey account still showing the same that eligibility is being reviewed (it was like that since I was able to link the app.). No medical request, they didn't start background check and my visa office have never corresponded with me.

I thought the change from "Application Received" to "In process" is a sign of Visa Office starting processing. Could that be only a glitch?!!

 

[DFARGHALY88]

I am May 2020 applicant. 2 days ago my App. went from "Application Received" to "In process". However, nothing has changed no additional line "We Start Processing......". My GCKey account still showing the same that eligibility is being reviewed (it was like that since I was able to link the app.). No medical request, they didn't start background check and my visa office have never corresponded with me.

I thought the change from "Application Received" to "In process" is a sign of Visa Office starting processing. Could that be only a glitch?!!

Likely not a glitch, Cairo VO only changed the eligibility on GCKEY after the approval was granted so don't worry about it. Regarding the "in process" on ECAS, it does mean that they are working on it. We received the medical request after it changed to in process from application received. Everything seems to be moving in the right direction, albeit slowly, but moving. Hopefully you'll get the medical request soon. In a few days, inshaAllah. Best of luck

 

[maxayma]

Likely not a glitch, Cairo VO only changed the eligibility on GCKEY after the approval was granted so don't worry about it. Regarding the "in process" on ECAS, it does mean that they are working on it. We received the medical request after it changed to in process from application received. Everything seems to be moving in the right direction, albeit slowly, but moving. Hopefully you'll get the medical request soon. In a few days, inshaAllah. Best of luck

You are right I just received the Medical Request via email last night. Thanks for your positive words.

 

[DFARGHALY88]

You are right I just received the Medical Request via email last night. Thanks for your positive words.

Mabrook!! This is great news. Good luck

 

[new335896]

I have a friend who has a very similar situation, he is being sponsored by his wife and he got a visitor visa and now in Canada, he could not change the interview location from Cairo to Canada. He tried with immigration Canada, the embassy in Cairo, and even called the MP for his residence in Canada but nothing really worked (Maybe you can try your MP and be luckier).
So you have two options;
1-Wait until they schedule the interview which could be after some time due to Covid and then your wife could be caught the new 2000$ hotel quarantine, or 2) Apply for inland sponsorship and cancel the application in Cairo, it will mean starting over and repaying the processing fees, however, when your wife gets a case number she can get an open work permit and stay in Canada as long as she wants while the case is processed.

weird cause i know 3 other cases now they done the interview in Canada one of them was in Cairo VO and he went to Canada on a visitor visa and changed his address from Egypt to Canada through the web form then month later he received a call for an interview in Canada and now he received his PR card in the mail , Maybe there was so much red flag with your friend then for them to insist the interview to be done in Cairo , like force him to travel back during the pandemic just to conduct the interview , if this is the case with us we will just withdraw the application and apply inland , we have a 4 years TRV valid , again it is so weird and strange mostly that Cairo VO is conducting virtual interview now which is doesn't matter if you in Canada or Egypt or even China . I guess your friend was a special case back then but also if he was so special case how did he get TRV approved ? usually if there's a big red flag on his sponsorship file and he apply for TRV they refuse it . i know lots pf ppl in the same boat and got immediate TRV refusal . I guess every case is difference , but yes i can escalate further and order them to switch it to Canada by law via some legal paper work , it cost money but it can be done , my experience and lots of stories i heard about this specific visa office is you have to stood your ground and know your rights with them to get things moving mostly with this specific office , i knew also someone was stuck for background check in the same VO since 2018 and finally he went to a lawyer and the lawyer ordered a mandamus via federal court and within 30 days he received PPR .

 

[amrelroby]

weird cause i know 3 other cases now they done the interview in Canada one of them was in Cairo VO and he went to Canada on a visitor visa and changed his address from Egypt to Canada through the web form then month later he received a call for an interview in Canada and now he received his PR card in the mail , Maybe there was so much red flag with your friend then for them to insist the interview to be done in Cairo , like force him to travel back during the pandemic just to conduct the interview , if this is the case with us we will just withdraw the application and apply inland , we have a 4 years TRV valid , again it is so weird and strange mostly that Cairo VO is conducting virtual interview now which is doesn't matter if you in Canada or Egypt or even China . I guess your friend was a special case back then but also if he was so special case how did he get TRV approved ? usually if there's a big red flag on his sponsorship file and he apply for TRV they refuse it . i know lots pf ppl in the same boat and got immediate TRV refusal . I guess every case is difference , but yes i can escalate further and order them to switch it to Canada by law via some legal paper work , it cost money but it can be done , my experience and lots of stories i heard about this specific visa office is you have to stood your ground and know your rights with them to get things moving mostly with this specific office , i knew also someone was stuck for background check in the same VO since 2018 and finally he went to a lawyer and the lawyer ordered a mandamus via federal court and within 30 days he received PPR .

As you mentioned, it is case by case and no one knows how the VO decides on each case, many sponsorship applicants were not asked for an interview and their application moved quickly. I always thought that only newly married couples with no kids are the ones who get asked for interviews. But recently long-married couples with kids are being asked for interviews and no one really can get an answer from Cairo VO on why his application got chosen for an interview. I hope they can move interviews to an online form to help speed the backlog they have. Cairo VO was already slow before COVID.

 

[maxayma]

Some recent applicants reported that they received phone calls from the VO asking questions about the relationship. And it is not only Cairo I read the same for applicants from other countries as well. So maybe this is a smart substitute now for person interviews and the long waiting time.

 

[new335896]

Some recent applicants reported that they received phone calls from the VO asking questions about the relationship. And it is not only Cairo I read the same for applicants from other countries as well. So maybe this is a smart substitute now for person interviews and the long waiting time.

Yes you have to file writ of Mandamus in order to force them to make phone interview or you going to be waiting forever , i knew few cases they did that via some specific lawyer her name is Chantal she's specified in these kind of things and they scheduled for phone interview within 30 days . cost around $600 but worth every penny instead of waiting forever .

 

[maxayma]

Yes you have to file writ of Mandamus in order to force them to make phone interview or you going to be waiting forever , i knew few cases they did that via some specific lawyer her name is Chantal she's specified in these kind of things and they scheduled for phone interview within 30 days . cost around $600 but worth every penny instead of waiting forever .

Never heard about that you have to pay a lawyer to get a phone call instead of Interview. I am sure it is a scam. In general it is up to IRCC to decide how to proceed with the applications. Lawyers have no such influence and most of applicants apply by themselves even they appeal by themselves.

 

[new335896]

Never heard about that you have to pay a lawyer to get a phone call instead of Interview. I am sure it is a scam. In general it is up to IRCC to decide how to proceed with the applications. Lawyers have no such influence and most of applicants even apply by themselves even they can appeal by themselves.

it is not a scam if you going group voices4familes , also i have link on youtube , the phone call is from the embassy to conduct the interview with you in case if you have been waiting for too long , this wouldn't happen without the lawyer forcing them but legal court order to do so . basically visa offices wants to do the interview in person which is not possible during covid-19 so this process to have the visa office conduct the interview over the phone instead , Please do you research first before jump into conclusion and call it a scam while it is a legitimate action 100 percent and many applicants did it successfully , it is a challenge to the visa office to force them to complete the work but you can't do it by yourself nor the visa office value your request without an immigration lawyer intervene and issue them a court order , search on youtube or google on writ of mandamus .

 

[new335896]

Never heard about that you have to pay a lawyer to get a phone call instead of Interview. I am sure it is a scam. In general it is up to IRCC to decide how to proceed with the applications. Lawyers have no such influence and most of applicants apply by themselves even they appeal by themselves.

the lawyer is not going to make them approve you it is just speeding us the process , another example another person his file was stuck in security for 14 months and he contacted the VO several time never got a result so he went to this lawyer and applied for the Mandamus then 15 days later his file was cleared security and they issued to him the pre arrival letter , the lawyer didn't make him pass security but forced the visa office to see why he's stuck for so long on back ground check with no result , his security was cleared long time ago but the officer who worked on his file just didn't update his file but he was forced to do so by the court order via the lawyer , 100 percent lawyers have no effect on any decision made but has effect on the processing time and files left on limbo status with no updates from along time . Hope if this can help someone in a similar situation , please do your own research , google is your best friend and you will find yourself were wrong when you called it a scam .

 

[Empero993]

Can anyone advise which option is better:
1- Apply for a TRV for my wife and child then sponsor them inland. Or
2- Sponsor them from the begining while they still residing in Egypt.

I heard that applying for TRV while sponsorship application under processing is risky and might be refused. I am not sure what is the processing time of each option at Cairo visa office. Anyone who has gone through this can advise??