CPP-Ottawa

[Majromax]

I'm not sure I understand why there are so many caregivers applying/accepted for permanent residency

The caregiver stream is a bit of a mess, both for temporary and permanent applicants. Current policy is to tighten up restrictions on qualifying for a foreign caregiver, but there is still a significant number of caregivers under the older more liberal policies.

With the old stream, most live-in caregivers could qualify for permanent residence after a certain duration of work, but the government began seeing this as a clandestine way for low-skill immigrants to permanently settle against the wishes of the then skilled-worker program. With the new rules, the replacement ("caring for children") stream requires certification and postsecondary education.

In addition, the government is rolling back the "live-in" part of the caregiver program. This was seen as too ripe for abuse, as employers would have control over both the living and work arrangements of the temporary resident. Combined with economic and often language barriers, it wasn't exactly a model.

There was a press release about the changes, but it obviously paints everything in a very positive light.

 

[Ontariobat]

That makes sense. Similar to the whole foreign worker hoopla that's been going on recently.

 

[disappointed10]

Got my ATIP notes nothing started yet i think they last look at it in March when we got SA

 

[blacknirvana]

We have now contacted her office by e-mail voicing our concerns not only about our situation, but about the system in general and what at time seems like random processing procedures at the CIC. I'll update you when they reply.

A quick update on this. We talked to the MPs office but they cannot help us because we don't live in Canada yet

 

[Majromax]

A quick update on this. We talked to the MPs office but they cannot help us because we don't live in Canada yet

I think you got the run-around. As far as I am aware, MP constituency services are not limited just to current residents of an MP's riding.

Fortunately, you now have a great story. "Health Minister refuses to help constituent!" is political gold going into a campaign, and on top of that you're an example of families caught out by the new citizenship-by-descent rules. Having CIC not aware of their own policies is again gold.

If you still want to go the MP route, you may want to try Brent Rathberger; he's MP in the neighbouring Edmonton--St. Albert riding and he sits as an independent. Otherwise, you have a good story to spoon-feed to the media, such as CBC's "Go Public."

In either event, focus your query/complaint on your own file. "CIC screwed up on my application" is something that MPs can do something about, but "CIC's rules suck" is not.

 

[blacknirvana]

I think you got the run-around. As far as I am aware, MP constituency services are not limited just to current residents of an MP's riding.

Fortunately, you now have a great story. "Health Minister refuses to help constituent!" is political gold going into a campaign, and on top of that you're an example of families caught out by the new citizenship-by-descent rules. Having CIC not aware of their own policies is again gold.

If you still want to go the MP route, you may want to try Brent Rathberger; he's MP in the neighbouring Edmonton--St. Albert riding and he sits as an independent. Otherwise, you have a good story to spoon-feed to the media, such as CBC's "Go Public."

In either event, focus your query/complaint on your own file. "CIC screwed up on my application" is something that MPs can do something about, but "CIC's rules suck" is not.

We have no plans on taking it that far yet, before we did I think we would try writing and calling a few more times

 

[Majromax]

COPR received in this evening's post. CPC-Ottawa issued it on July 20, and it was postmarked the next day.

 

[jesmithers]

COPR received in this evening's post. CPC-Ottawa issued it on July 20, and it was postmarked the next day.

That's great news!! Congrats

 

[Ontariobat]

COPR received in this evening's post. CPC-Ottawa issued it on July 20, and it was postmarked the next day.

Woohoo! Congrats, finally!

 

[Szymon]

Just got an email from Ottawa (dated 23rd July) saying: "Marriage Certificate / Licence: Marriage/certificate(s) It appears you got married in 2015. Please send us a copy of the marriage certificate."

We advised them that we got married on the 12th of June this year and included a scan of our marriage certificate in that same email. Do you think they are asking for a hard copy or just that they didn't see the scanned pdf?

Not sure why, but the very fact that someone, somewhere, has actually had a look at our application made me sooo excited. Long way to go no-doubt.

Thought I would share as I haven't seen a lot of life from Ottawa in the last couple of weeks.

 

[Majromax]

Woohoo! Congrats, finally!

I am absolutely ecstatic about this. It seems so silly since my application was ultimately processed "normally," but there's something about the uncertainty of the process that is stressing.

To put some additional reference information out there for the benefit of others, my COPR and medical appear to be valid until October 28. That is slightly longer than one year from the date of my medical exam (October 6), and it is also slightly longer than one year from the receipt of my application by CIC (October 23).

My GCMS request is still pending (day 53 of 30), so I don't know where exactly this came from. I'll update if I find out.

Just got an email from Ottawa (dated 23rd July) saying: "Marriage Certificate / Licence: Marriage/certificate(s) It appears you got married in 2015. Please send us a copy of the marriage certificate."

We advised them that we got married on the 12th of June this year and included a scan of our marriage certificate in that same email. Do you think they are asking for a hard copy or just that they didn't see the scanned pdf?

The application guidelines request a photocopy, so they may be strict about that. Additionally, make sure you submit the marriage certificate, which is the evidence of legal registration that your marriage was conducted, and not the marriage license, which is the legal permission to get married. If you were married in Ontario (as an example), you'd get the license from the city, a record of solemnization of marriage from the ceremony, and the license some time later from the province upon request.

Users have been tripped up before by the overabundance of different documents related to a valid marriage.

 

[Szymon]

The application guidelines request a photocopy, so they may be strict about that. Additionally, make sure you submit the marriage certificate, which is the evidence of legal registration that your marriage was conducted, and not the marriage license, which is the legal permission to get married. If you were married in Ontario (as an example), you'd get the license from the city, a record of solemnization of marriage from the ceremony, and the license some time later from the province upon request.

Users have been tripped up before by the overabundance of different documents related to a valid marriage.

thanks for the info, will send them a photocopy of the certificate.

 

[Aquakitty]

COPR received in this evening's post. CPC-Ottawa issued it on July 20, and it was postmarked the next day.

Whoo hoo! Congratulations! I hope you stick around this forum you are very helpful to people.


Kind of related all the certificates they give you for marriage, we did the old "married at a drive-thru in Las Vegas thing". When you do that they give you a certificate. Fast forward years later, I thought that we got the marriage certificate in the mail at some point after we got married.

I'm going through our papers and I see "marriage certificate" so I get it copied and ready to go into the package. Something didn't look right to me, so I turn it over and it says "souvenirs only, not official certificate". I almost died, I had just about sent CIC our souvenir from the "Little White Wedding Chapel", heh.

Apparently our real certificate either got lost in the mail or they just don't send one unless you request it. Regardless we had to wait another two weeks for the cert from Nevada.

 

[KelseyTVS]

Whoo hoo! Congratulations! I hope you stick around this forum you are very helpful to people.


Kind of related all the certificates they give you for marriage, we did the old "married at a drive-thru in Las Vegas thing". When you do that they give you a certificate. Fast forward years later, I thought that we got the marriage certificate in the mail at some point after we got married.

I'm going through our papers and I see "marriage certificate" so I get it copied and ready to go into the package. Something didn't look right to me, so I turn it over and it says "souvenirs only, not official certificate". I almost died, I had just about sent CIC our souvenir from the "Little White Wedding Chapel", heh.

Apparently our real certificate either got lost in the mail or they just don't send one unless you request it. Regardless we had to wait another two weeks for the cert from Nevada.

That's amazing. Nothing says "genuine relationship" like a "souvenir only" wedding certificate

 

[LT1013]

Hey, I just noticed a small subtle change to ECAS today.

I logged in, status is still Application Received but now I see two separate addresses in ECAS, one for mailing address and one for home address. (Both are the same)

Does this mean that my application is progressing or does this look like a new feature?