Common law - do we have enough of documents?

[meiko3886]

Oh so outland is better! I got confused because of some information from immigration consultant - she told me i can apply for OWP as soon as I send the application for common law PR. Now i know she was so wrong.. Thank you so much! And i have one more question.. if i apply outland and stay in Canada on my visitor visa (im applying for extension right now) do I have to send my passport to Immigration Office in any stage?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Oh so outland is better! I got confused because of some information from immigration consultant - she told me i can apply for OWP as soon as I send the application for common law PR. Now i know she was so wrong.. Thank you so much! And i have one more question.. if i apply outland and stay in Canada on my visitor visa (im applying for extension right now) do I have to send my passport to Immigration Office in any stage?

Yes, outland is better. Applying inland, you would not get a work permit for at least 8-9 months. Applying outland, you will most likely be a PR in less than 8 months.

Poland has 2 types of passports: biometric and non-biometric. If you have a biometric passport, you are visa-exempt and will not have to send it in. If you have a non-biometric passport, you will need to mail it to Warsaw for visa-stamping.

The application for outland is different than inland http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp. There are different guides, forms and checklists. The medical must be done beforehand.

 

[meiko3886]

Thanks a lot
We are filling up the forms now and thinking which are required. Is Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union necessary or just optional? Coz its another trip to notary public and another $$ to spend :/

 

[Graihn]

Thanks a lot
We are filling up the forms now and thinking which are required. Is Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union necessary or just optional? Coz its another trip to notary public and another $$ to spend :/

Do not fill out and send that form. That is only if you have a co-signer who is your common law spouse. In this case your common law spouse is the principal applicant. I assume co-signers are only sed for sponsoring kids and parents.

I am not being mean now, but most of the information you need is clearly stated in the guide, if you read through it all. However, there is a lot if confusion too, and feel free to ask more questions! It is always reassuring to match what advice people in this forum give you and read the guide, as the guide becomes more clear that way.

 

[meiko3886]

Hey! So i finally sent my application! Im in Canada,but i sent the outland one and requested for process it in Warsaw.
Recently one guy from Poland contacted me and he told me about this phone call with CIC office. They told him,that if person applies for outland but lives in Canada, application will go to Ottawa office instead of Warsaw. This is strange,coz in Warsaw it takes 8 months and Ottawa 15 months (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp). What do you think about it?? In this case inland/outland lose all sense.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hey! So i finally sent my application! Im in Canada,but i sent the outland one and requested for process it in Warsaw.
Recently one guy from Poland contacted me and he told me about this phone call with CIC office. They told him,that if person applies for outland but lives in Canada, application will go to Ottawa office instead of Warsaw. This is strange,coz in Warsaw it takes 8 months and Ottawa 15 months (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp). What do you think about it?? In this case inland/outland lose all sense.

Not true.

An applicant can request the VO for their country of nationality or, if they have been legally admitted for at least a year, their country of residence. It can be a bit confusing but for those residing in Canada, the country of residence VO is Ottawa. It is still an outland app, processed according to outland rules and outland processing times, entirely different from inland. If you were admitted to Canada for at least a year, you could have requested Ottawa but your app will not be automatically sent there because you are in Canada.

The majority of the time, CIC sends the app to the requested VO. There are a few exceptions:

If the applicant's requested VO is backed up and has long wait times, like Islamabad, the app is sometimes sent to a faster office, like London or Ottawa.

If the applicant requests the VO for their country of residence (i.e. a Polish person living in Canada requests the Ottawa office, an American living in Australia requests the Sydney office, an Indian living in the UK requests the London office), CIC will sometimes ignore that and send it to the VO in the country of nationality anyways.

 

[meiko3886]

Hey! Thanks everyone for all the help so far! I have little question again,this time with checking application status. I sent my application package on March 7th and CIC received it on March 10th. I've been checking my application status (using UCI and Receipt numbers, trying combinations with my or my partner's information) but its still not updated yet, keep showing "We were not able to identify you using the information you provided" message. I wonder how long it takes to get first update, i saw they are doing update only once a week. Its been over 2 weeks and still nothing.Sorry if the question is silly :-X

 

[jomz]

Hey! Thanks everyone for all the help so far! I have little question again,this time with checking application status. I sent my application package on March 7th and CIC received it on March 10th. I've been checking my application status (using UCI and Receipt numbers, trying combinations with my or my partner's information) but its still not updated yet, keep showing "We were not able to identify you using the information you provided" message. I wonder how long it takes to get first update, i saw they are doing update only once a week. Its been over 2 weeks and still nothing.Sorry if the question is silly :-X

Hej, Most likely you won't be able to check the status in ecas until you receive correspondence from CIC with the File #, and even with that for me personally it took another week or so to be able to log in. Nothing to worry about.
Additionally although CPP Ottawa post average time of 15 months, it is likely that your application will be processed much quicker. In the CPP Ottawa thread you will find most files are completed within 8-10 months. Gratulacje If you have any questions you are welcome to send me a message.

 

[meiko3886]

I'd love to thank everyone who helped me with my application and answered all my silly questions! I received COPR today! Im very happy and im sure i wouldnt make it without this forum and you guys! You all do great job here and you help other ppl dreams come true! Also you saved me 2000 $ for the lawyer i was about to hire! Thank you everyone!! :-* :-* :-*

 

[Ponga]

WOW! You went from application submitted, to receiving CoPR in 4-1/2 months!

Congratulations!

 

[Onemoretime]

Not true.

An applicant can request the VO for their country of nationality or, if they have been legally admitted for at least a year, their country of residence. It can be a bit confusing but for those residing in Canada, the country of residence VO is Ottawa. It is still an outland app, processed according to outland rules and outland processing times, entirely different from inland. If you were admitted to Canada for at least a year, you could have requested Ottawa but your app will not be automatically sent there because you are in Canada.

The majority of the time, CIC sends the app to the requested VO. There are a few exceptions:

If the applicant's requested VO is backed up and has long wait times, like Islamabad, the app is sometimes sent to a faster office, like London or Ottawa.

If the applicant requests the VO for their country of residence (i.e. a Polish person living in Canada requests the Ottawa office, an American living in Australia requests the Sydney office, an Indian living in the UK requests the London office), CIC will sometimes ignore that and send it to the VO in the country of nationality anyways.

I'm in the same boat as this and still confused as to whether I should choose CPC-O or Warsaw to have my outland application reviewed. I have been living in Canada for 3 years. Will be applying Common-Law. But so far the 80% processing rate is 15 months (or sooner at 8-10 months) for Ottawa if I put that on my application. Or, do I choose Warsaw as my processing office as I'm from Poland and the 80% processing rate is 8 months (which could be maybe 4-6 months)? What is the advantage/disadvantage of chooing Ottawa? I know Ottawa is taking over for Buffalo, and having Ottawa means I might not have to fly back home for an interview should it be required.

Thoughts on the timing?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I'm in the same boat as this and still confused as to whether I should choose CPC-O or Warsaw to have my outland application reviewed. I have been living in Canada for 3 years. Will be applying Common-Law. But so far the 80% processing rate is 15 months (or sooner at 8-10 months) for Ottawa if I put that on my application. Or, do I choose Warsaw as my processing office as I'm from Poland and the 80% processing rate is 8 months (which could be maybe 4-6 months)? What is the advantage/disadvantage of chooing Ottawa? I know Ottawa is taking over for Buffalo, and having Ottawa means I might not have to fly back home for an interview should it be required.

Thoughts on the timing?

There is no advantage to choosing Ottawa unless you are called for an interview. Interviews are called when CIC has doubts about the genuineness of a relationship.

Provided you have sufficient proof of a genuine relationship, Warsaw is the faster office and the better choice.