I also got a reply from my MP's constituency assistant. Although I appreciate the length and detail of their response, I think my MP himself should speak up on my behalf. Still, there is some interesting info here.
Dear Steph C,
I am Mr. XXX's Constituency Assistant and I handle all citizenship and immigration matters that are brought to his attention.
As an immigrant to Canada myself I would recommend that you not put too much stock in timelines formulated by online forums since a fair amount of the information circulating among these sites is out of context or simply inaccurate. Let me tell you some details about the immigration process that are helpful to know.
First, it is important to understand the limitations of the call centre. Currently there are about a half million people in the CIC system and the call centre handles over 6 million calls each year. Given this high volume – and decreased staff – CIC acknowledges receipt of applications only after they have been reviewed and are determined to be complete, not when the application first arrives in the mail room. Your courier or registered mail notice is your record of it having arrived at the processing centre.
Once CIC receives your application it is checked to verify that the application has been filled out completely and correctly, it has been signed and dated, and all initial documentation has been included and is in order. If something is missing CIC will send the package back and request that you fix the problem. Once it is determined that the application is complete, CIC sends the applicant an acknowledgement letter issuing a file number. Estimated processing time is assessed from the date stamped on this letter.
One of the biggest problems with the internet forums is that people on these sites often count processing time from the date that they first sent in their application. That date is meaningless. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they were received, but many factors come into play during the initial review so not all applications move forward at the same time. When figuring processing times, the date stamped on your letter from CIC is the only date that matters.
Permanent Resident sponsorship is a two part process – sponsor and spouse – and both processes are completely separate. The most significant variable in processing times for spousal sponsorship applications is where the spouse's application is being processed. Some consulates process only a handful of applications each year so processing times for spouses' applications are relatively short. On the other hand, Manila processes thousands of sponsorship applications every year so processing can take considerably longer. Manila also processes the most temporary work permits of any other consulate on earth, which can affect processing times for other immigration classes at certain times of the year. Even visitor visas can affect the flow of processing. Most immigrants to Canada come from the Philippines, India and China so during peak travel seasons consulates in these countries process tens of thousands of temporary visitor visas from friends, relatives, and tourists coming to visit.
As with the sponsor's application, processing times for spouses are based on receipt of a complete application. Many consulates have their own specific requirements in addition to those established by CIC generally. For example, consulates in countries where immigration fraud is prevalent require additional documentation and conduct more extensive interviews. Consulates in countries with significant rates of communicable diseases like TB require additional medical tests. Applications are not considered complete until this additional documentation has been submitted, so once again the date that an application first arrives at the consulate is not the date from which processing time should be estimated.
Finally, Mississauga is not the only processing centre for sponsorship applications. Given all the variables, it would be absolutely impossible for a high-volume consulate like Manila to be expected to process applications based on a queue date that was originally set in Mississauga, Vegreville, Sydney or elsewhere. All consulates, including Manila, process applications in the order in which they were received at the consulate itself.
This is CIC's webpage for estimated processing times for spousal sponsorship applications: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-fc.asp. These estimates are based on hard numbers: processing times for 80% of completed applications in a given class. The estimates are updated regularly and I have found them to be pretty accurate when calculated properly. Add the estimated processing times for both parts of the process to arrive at your estimate. For example, sponsor applications being processed by Mississauga for spouses living outside Canada are averaging 85 days from the date stamped on the acknowledgement letter. Add to that an additional 8 months for processing of a spouse at Manila from the time the application is complete, including any additional requirements, to get your total processing time: 11 months. Then add to that any extra time involved in gathering additional requested documentation or tests (often several weeks) and you have a more accurate picture of how long this will take. Again, the problem I run into constantly is that people think this means 11 months from the time they first mailed their application when 18 or 20 months from mailing would be a more accurate calculation.
I hope this helps answer some of your questions. My best advice is to be patient and don't let the forums stress you out too much! Let me know if you need any other assistance.
