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IS it worth spending SOO MUCH TIME checking ECAS.......!!?

bacontoaster

Star Member
Aug 19, 2012
91
2
Category........
Visa Office......
CPP-O
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
11-10-2012
File Transfer...
22-11-2012
Med's Done....
06-08-2012
Passport Req..
26-03-2013
CanadianJeepGuy said:
Just found out that ecas is not updated through the VO's so that renders it useless.
How is it updated? and also how did you find out?
 

CanadianJeepGuy

Champion Member
Jun 24, 2012
2,666
99
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Category........
Visa Office......
Manila
NOC Code......
N/A
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
10-05-2012; "In Process" 26-04-2013
Doc's Request.
docs and pics resent 04-09-2012
AOR Received.
16-08-2012 (Unofficial. Received email missing docs)
File Transfer...
09-10-2012
Med's Request
April 14th 2013
Med's Done....
Dec 2011; re-med May 06 2013
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
May 06 2013
VISA ISSUED...
May 27 2013
LANDED..........
June 15th 2013
bacontoaster said:
How is it updated? and also how did you find out?
I called CIC to ask them about the changes made after the system crashed in January and to ask why my wife cannot login with her info.
He told me in our conversation that the VO has no access to ecas. So when and if you application arrives it sits until someone begins to process it at some point the VO contacts CIC and changes would be logged then. This also explains why you would get an email or lettermail notification before your status changes on ecas.
I have stopped bothering to check ecas as of today. It will not tell you anything in real time as one is led to believe it is meant to do.
 

simb

Hero Member
Apr 15, 2012
718
35
Ontario
Visa Office......
Mississauga
CanadianJeepGuy said:
I called CIC to ask them about the changes made after the system crashed in January and to ask why my wife cannot login with her info.
He told me in our conversation that the VO has no access to ecas. So when and if you application arrives it sits until someone begins to process it at some point the VO contacts CIC and changes would be logged then. This also explains why you would get an email or lettermail notification before your status changes on ecas.
I have stopped bothering to check ecas as of today. It will not tell you anything in real time as one is led to believe it is meant to do.
wow. thats something new i have heard. thanks for sharing the info.. I though VO updates the ecas but i guess i was wrong
 

CanadianJeepGuy

Champion Member
Jun 24, 2012
2,666
99
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Category........
Visa Office......
Manila
NOC Code......
N/A
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
10-05-2012; "In Process" 26-04-2013
Doc's Request.
docs and pics resent 04-09-2012
AOR Received.
16-08-2012 (Unofficial. Received email missing docs)
File Transfer...
09-10-2012
Med's Request
April 14th 2013
Med's Done....
Dec 2011; re-med May 06 2013
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
May 06 2013
VISA ISSUED...
May 27 2013
LANDED..........
June 15th 2013
simb said:
wow. thats something new i have heard. thanks for sharing the info.. I though VO updates the ecas but i guess i was wrong
I think most of us were of the understanding that VO's updated ecas as they went through the different processing stages. They do not. VO's are not Canadian citizens they are employees of contractors hired to process applications in the visa offices throughout the world. How are they trained and who trains them and why is a non Canadian making decisions about my personal life? How do they warrant having access to my personal information?
 

simb

Hero Member
Apr 15, 2012
718
35
Ontario
Visa Office......
Mississauga
CanadianJeepGuy said:
I think most of us were of the understanding that VO's updated ecas as they went through the different processing stages. They do not. VO's are not Canadian citizens they are employees of contractors hired to process applications in the visa offices throughout the world. How are they trained and who trains them and why is a non Canadian making decisions about my personal life? How do they warrant having access to my personal information?
you mean the visa officer ( for example i have interview coming up in few days) is not Canadian citizen and is just a employee of contractors ????
 

CanadianJeepGuy

Champion Member
Jun 24, 2012
2,666
99
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Category........
Visa Office......
Manila
NOC Code......
N/A
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
10-05-2012; "In Process" 26-04-2013
Doc's Request.
docs and pics resent 04-09-2012
AOR Received.
16-08-2012 (Unofficial. Received email missing docs)
File Transfer...
09-10-2012
Med's Request
April 14th 2013
Med's Done....
Dec 2011; re-med May 06 2013
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
May 06 2013
VISA ISSUED...
May 27 2013
LANDED..........
June 15th 2013
simb said:
you mean the visa officer ( for example i have interview coming up in few days) is not Canadian citizen and is just a employee of contractors ????
Not for the interview process is my understanding. Just the clerical component.
 

Canada-Girl2012

Hero Member
Mar 13, 2012
224
2
Category........
Visa Office......
Damascus
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
Jan-13-2011
AOR Received.
April-26-2011
File Transfer...
Lebanon
Med's Done....
Med #1 (Dec-12-2011) Med #2 (January 2013)
Interview........
Dec-12-2011
Passport Req..
March 19/2013 (Thank you Jesus ! )
I was checking every single day for the past 16 months or so with no update. Finally when we saw the "decision made" status we had a feeling it was good news..and got PPR 14 days after. For some reason ECAS would give me some hope when checking my status..
 

gsize

Hero Member
May 2, 2009
958
48
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
2009....denied Feb 2010.....appeal allowed (August 2012)..waiting for processing
Doc's Request.
04/04/2013
File Transfer...
30/01/2013
Med's Done....
04/2013 (second time)
Passport Req..
21/02, 2014
VISA ISSUED...
18/03/2014
LANDED..........
05/04/2014
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein


:p
 

CanadianJeepGuy

Champion Member
Jun 24, 2012
2,666
99
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Category........
Visa Office......
Manila
NOC Code......
N/A
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
10-05-2012; "In Process" 26-04-2013
Doc's Request.
docs and pics resent 04-09-2012
AOR Received.
16-08-2012 (Unofficial. Received email missing docs)
File Transfer...
09-10-2012
Med's Request
April 14th 2013
Med's Done....
Dec 2011; re-med May 06 2013
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
May 06 2013
VISA ISSUED...
May 27 2013
LANDED..........
June 15th 2013
gsize said:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein


:p
Exactly.
 

rebecassss

Hero Member
Jan 3, 2013
272
1
Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
London
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
27-08-2012
AOR Received.
In process 13-03-13
Med's Done....
22-08-2012
VISA ISSUED...
01-05-2013
LANDED..........
07-05-2013
gsize said:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein


:p
lol

I still check it every day. Now that we're in process it's a little worse and I check it maybe twice a day but I just can't help myself! It makes me feel like I'm doing something, even helping... ;D
 

CanadianJeepGuy

Champion Member
Jun 24, 2012
2,666
99
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Category........
Visa Office......
Manila
NOC Code......
N/A
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
10-05-2012; "In Process" 26-04-2013
Doc's Request.
docs and pics resent 04-09-2012
AOR Received.
16-08-2012 (Unofficial. Received email missing docs)
File Transfer...
09-10-2012
Med's Request
April 14th 2013
Med's Done....
Dec 2011; re-med May 06 2013
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
May 06 2013
VISA ISSUED...
May 27 2013
LANDED..........
June 15th 2013
rebecassss said:
lol

I still check it every day. Now that we're in process it's a little worse and I check it maybe twice a day but I just can't help myself! It makes me feel like I'm doing something, even helping... ;D
....and that is what I think its main purpose is....to keep you distracted and give you the feeling that someone is currently working on your application.
 

rebecassss

Hero Member
Jan 3, 2013
272
1
Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
London
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
27-08-2012
AOR Received.
In process 13-03-13
Med's Done....
22-08-2012
VISA ISSUED...
01-05-2013
LANDED..........
07-05-2013
CanadianJeepGuy said:
....and that is what I think its main purpose is....to keep you distracted and give you the feeling that someone is currently working on your application.
It's working! :p

As far as I can tell, ecas is only as good as the person working on your file. Given how people can vary so dramatically, I think this is how we explain the variety of experiences people have had with using it.
 

truesmile

Champion Member
Jun 7, 2012
2,622
94
Category........
Visa Office......
MNL
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
25-05-2012
AOR Received.
18-07-2012
File Transfer...
24-07-2012
Med's Done....
18-05-2012
Interview........
WAIVED
Passport Req..
05-12-2012
VISA ISSUED...
08-01-2013
LANDED..........
02-02-2013
Well, that would certainly explain why two of our "milestone" updates occurred smack in the middle of a weekend. For sure, it's a CWOT to check it every day. We forced ourselves to only check every 2nd day, and even then . . . ONLY when we felt it was time for something to happen with our file. Seeing the "In Process" was the biggest 'lift' for us, that helped bridge the gap between Stage 1 approval and our PPR.