Fundamental confusion over CAIPS notes -- PMM and experts?

[toby]

I need a fundamental review of ordering CAIPS notes, and when to do it.

My situation:
I am sponsoring my wife to Canada. We live in China. I am a Canadian citizen. I have been approved as a sponsor, and Hong Kong received my wife’ visa application on 2 December 2009.

1) When to order CAIPS Notes?
I was relying on PMM’s statement a few months back (September) that “It is a waste of time (to order the notes) unless the processing time is longer than that posted or the applicant is called for an interview.” I decided to wait until an interview is called, which might not happen.

But then I read that the CAIPS notes can take a month or more to arrive, while one may get only a few weeks of advance notice until the interview takes place.

So, if I order the notes now, just in case there is an interview, they might be missing some later commentary by Hong Kong that would give insight into why Canada wants an interview. If I wait, the notes might arrive too late to help me prepare for the interview. It’s a Hobbes Choice. Anyone got some good advice?

2) Can I order the CAIPS notes from China?

One site says yes, since I am a citizen:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM5563B.pdf

Another site says only people in Canada may order:
http://immipedia.ca/Ordering_FOSS_and_CAIPS_notes

Which is true? Please, I need expert advice, not speculation here. A poster in similar circumstances asked this very question a few months ago, and no one replied.

3) Where to send the application for CAIPS notes?
Since Hong Kong is assessing the application, it would make sense to me to send the request to them. But apparently not.

This site gives the addresses to which to send the request for CAIPS notes:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/atip/requests-address.asp

However, the following address mentioned by PMM and elsewhere is not included in this site:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Public Rights Administration
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Narono Building
360 Laurier Avenue West, 10th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Tel.: (613) 957-6512
Fax: (613) 957-6517

WHich is the correct address, please? (And why does Canada leave conflicting information on websites?)

4) Do I request the notes under Access to Information or under the Privacy Act?
Under Access..., I pay $5.00, but can Hong Kong cash the Canadian-dollar cheque?

5) Do I ask for CAIPS or FOSS notes?
Remember, we are applying for Canadian residency from China.

 

[wilson]

Hi,

I am not an IMM expert. From my understandings I would say what PMM said is absolutely correct. Unless your file is too much delayed and no response to your enquiries, then you may try for it. If there is a scheduled interview, then it is useful because we can get an idea about what CIC is looking for... However, as you have quoted various links of CIC website related to CAIPS, no need to explain..

I need a fundamental review of ordering CAIPS notes, and when to do it.

My situation:
I am sponsoring my wife to Canada. We live in China. I am a Canadian citizen. I have been approved as a sponsor, and Hong Kong received my wife' visa application on 2 December 2009.

1) When to order CAIPS Notes?
I was relying on PMM's statement a few months back (September) that “It is a waste of time (to order the notes) unless the processing time is longer than that posted or the applicant is called for an interview.” I decided to wait until an interview is called, which might not happen.

But then I read that the CAIPS notes can take a month or more to arrive, while one may get only a few weeks of advance notice until the interview takes place.

So, if I order the notes now, just in case there is an interview, they might be missing some later commentary by Hong Kong that would give insight into why Canada wants an interview. If I wait, the notes might arrive too late to help me prepare for the interview. It's a Hobbes Choice. Anyone got some good advice?

2) Can I order the CAIPS notes from China?

One site says yes, since I am a citizen:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM5563B.pdf

Another site says only people in Canada may order:
http://immipedia.ca/Ordering_FOSS_and_CAIPS_notes

Which is true? Please, I need expert advice, not speculation here. A poster in similar circumstances asked this very question a few months ago, and no one replied.

3) Where to send the application for CAIPS notes?
Since Hong Kong is assessing the application, it would make sense to me to send the request to them. But apparently not.

This site gives the addresses to which to send the request for CAIPS notes:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/atip/requests-address.asp

However, the following address mentioned by PMM and elsewhere is not included in this site:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Public Rights Administration
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Narono Building
360 Laurier Avenue West, 10th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Tel.: (613) 957-6512
Fax: (613) 957-6517

WHich is the correct address, please? (And why does Canada leave conflicting information on websites?)

4) Do I request the notes under Access to Information or under the Privacy Act?
Under Access..., I pay $5.00, but can Hong Kong cash the Canadian-dollar cheque?

5) Do I ask for CAIPS or FOSS notes?
Remember, we are applying for Canadian residency from China.

 

[toby]

I think you missed a major point, Wilson. If I wait until an interview is called, it might well be too late to order the CAIPS notes, because the interview could well take place before the notes arrive.

But if I order the CAIPS notes now, befoer the Visa Officer has written his reasons for calling an interview, then the notes will not be very useful to me.

Do you see the problem?

But quite apart from this and the other issues I stated before, there is a solution to most problems. There are companies in Ontario that will -- for about $40 -- get the notes for you. You authorize them by email, they mail the application to Ottawa (by Expresspost if you like), receive the notes by mail, and email them to you.

If -- like me -- you live outside Canada, or far from Ottawa, the email part saves weeks of mail time.

COst to have the company interpret the notes for you is another $60. You don't have to decide this until you get the notes.

So, now we know how to handle the CAIPER.

 

[mitamata]

I can give you a definite answer on 5) and an opinion on 1).

5) You order CAIPS notes, FOSS notes are for inland applications.

1) I wouldn't bother with them unless you get to a point where you feel it's been taking too long and you want to know what the delay is or when the interview is requested. As you said, if you order them before they ask for an interview, you will get them on time, but what will they contain? You might get some initial information, like that your wife is a female, but the reason for the interview would likely not be there. So what's the point? Order them only when you need them. Yes, it's possible you might not get them on time, but if you order them too soon, they're useless anyway.

The others I'm not sure on and won't speculate on them. Thankfully, I never had to bother with CAIPS notes myself.

You know, with as much as you're worrying and fretting over this, I'm sure the application will go through with no problems at all

 

[RobsLuv]

I think you missed a major point, Wilson. If I wait until an interview is called, it might well be too late to order the CAIPS notes, because the interview could well take place before the notes arrive.

But if I order the CAIPS notes now, befoer the Visa Officer has written his reasons for calling an interview, then the notes will not be very useful to me.

Do you see the problem?

IMHO, there is no helping this. Chances are that whatever notes an IO will make concerning the reason for an interview, they will be written in the notes just prior to a request for an interview. Whether you can get the notes in enough time to review them before an interview just depends on how much time there is between you receiving notification of the interview and how long it takes to get the CAIPS. Sometimes there's just not time.

But quite apart from this and the other issues I stated before, there is a solution to most problems. There are companies in Ontario that will -- for about $40 -- get the notes for you. You authorize them by email, they mail the application to Ottawa (by Expresspost if you like), receive the notes by mail, and email them to you.

If -- like me -- you live outside Canada, or far from Ottawa, the email part saves weeks of mail time.

COst to have the company interpret the notes for you is another $60. You don't have to decide this until you get the notes.

So, now we know how to handle the CAIPER.

Of course, it's always an option to have someone order the notes for you - but that is certainly not a guarantee that you'd get them faster. So much depends on where you are - and one complication/delay we ran into when ordering notes was that I (the applicant) ordered them from Canada (I am in Canada legally, so was allowed to do this) but then they came back and wanted signed authorization from my sponsor to release information that was in the notes about him. Even when you're the Canadian sponsor and you're ordering from in Canada, be sure you include a release from the applicant or you won't receive a timely response.

There's more information on how to order CAIPS at this Immipedia link.

 

[toby]

Thanks, again, Mitamata, for suggesting that the more I fret, the less there will be to worry about. If there's a universal Law of Inverse Effect (I just invented that), I aim to exploit it to the maximum.

Actually I am not fretting so much as preparing for any contingency. Not much else to do while waiting.

There is so much confusion in the government website (a most obvious example being conflicting information on where to ask for the CAIPS notes) that I can well understand the existence of immigration experts to help baffled first-timers.

And anyone who is expert at website design could profitably offer to revamp the CIC site.

 

[Miryam]

Hi,

I'm not an expert. But I ordered CAIPS in September.

So, if I order the notes now, just in case there is an interview, they might be missing some later commentary by Hong Kong that would give insight into why Canada wants an interview. If I wait, the notes might arrive too late to help me prepare for the interview. It's a Hobbes Choice. Anyone got some good advice?

My file arrived in the Visa Office on March 9th and was opened on March 10th. In the same day it was opened, the IO recommended to waive the interview, and next time they viewed my file, they waived it for sure. Which makes me believe that whether or not your wife will have an interview, it may already be written in there, and the reason(s) for it (in case she would have an interview).

3) Where to send the application for CAIPS notes?
Since Hong Kong is assessing the application, it would make sense to me to send the request to them. But apparently not.

This site gives the addresses to which to send the request for CAIPS notes:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/atip/requests-address.asp

However, the following address mentioned by PMM and elsewhere is not included in this site:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Public Rights Administration
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Narono Building
360 Laurier Avenue West, 10th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Tel.: (613) 957-6512
Fax: (613) 957-6517

WHich is the correct address, please? (And why does Canada leave conflicting information on websites?)

I mailed it to the address in Ottawa:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Public Rights Administration
Narono Building
360 Laurier Avenue West, 10th floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1

 

[toby]

Interesting Miryam. Thansk for the practical information. I appreciate it.