Can your MP really help you get answers?

[krofnica]

I have been waiting for my husband's immigration papers for over a year now. It was suggested to us to contact our MP and ask for their assistance in getting an answer as to what is happening with our app. Does anyone have any experiences in dealing with their MP's? Were they helpful?

 

[Swede]

I have been waiting for my husband's immigration papers for over a year now. It was suggested to us to contact our MP and ask for their assistance in getting an answer as to what is happening with our app. Does anyone have any experiences in dealing with their MP's? Were they helpful?

Consensus seems to be that MPs sometimes can help, but that you risk delaying your case and pissing off the visa officers. Use at own peril, basically.

 

[tgchi13]

Consensus seems to be that MPs sometimes can help, but that you risk delaying your case and pissing off the visa officers. Use at own peril, basically.

I went through our MP, and I have to agree that it is a 'at own peril' endeavor. The MP's office has no authority over Immigration and will eventually get through, but very well may still be blown off.

It depends on how desperate you are and if you suspect a rejection, then having the MP's office push your time line toward the next step may not be a bad thing.

That 2 cents is probably only worth a penny.

 

[mizzy]

What's the timeline for processing for the outland office where your file is? If 12 months is lengthy for the office, I would contact your MP office. True that they have little to no authority, but they can make an inquiry to Ottawa for a status update on your file without flagging the file or delaying at the outland office. Basically, they can make an inquiry on your behalf similar to you ordering CAIPS notes but with a quicker turnaround.

I have seen people where MP was no help and others where they were very helpful. Seems to depend on the MP and where you are at in the process. My early inquiries were futile, not because the MP assistant was not helpful, but because there was so little available on the computer. Recently they were very helpful in getting an update in 2 weeks (with actual news and progress) whereas CAIPS are taking more than 4 weeks.

Again, I go back to what are the normal posted processing times for your application office and how badly do you want to pursue an update. You are more likely to tick the IOs off frequently trying to contact them direct via phone, fax or email than an MP inquiry to Ottawa.

 

[bflava]

if u think 12 months is out of line for your visa office then i would say yes MP but also as it has been suggested, MPs might not be of help but so far all those i have heard got a progress with an MP leading to their file being looked at.

so again check with thr timeline and it will help u in deciding which route to take..
good luck