Hi all...this is my first post...I used to browse through this forum once in a while to keep tab of the chronology of events of other members, just to make sure my Spousal sponsorship application is on track with the others. Just wanted to let you know that you guys are doing an excellent job keeping tab of what is happening, helping yourselves and more than that helping hundreds of others like me who just come here just wanting to make sure, "our applications" are in process and we have not being left out or if there is an inordinate delay in approvals. My Wife got her passport back from the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi today with her Permanent Residency confirmation documents. I presume we were the lucky folks since it took us only 5 months and 22 days for our application to be approved even though now a days there are many cases wherein the applications are approved within 4 - 5 months (September applicants) !! I am attaching the timeline herein with.
One of the member's Shb25 on 14th of February did an interesting deduction (on the basis of his application) on how the Embassy in Delhi process the applications, which in my opinion is accurate. To me this seems to be like a Rolling process very similar to how they admit students to North American Law Schools. The applicant with the highest LSAT score [viz. in this case, First Marriage, both spouses in the age group 20 - 40 (they may have a statistical tool to analyse which group is most prudent), applicants from Indian states considered safe from fraud (a statement from Jason Kenney about this, I will add later), husbands applying to sponsor wives, applicants who have attached more supporting documents to prove their case etc.] and once those cases are handled/decided, may be by less experienced Visa officers the other ones are assigned/transferred to more experienced officers (or more trained Seasoned Visa officers) who will scrutinize them in more detail (like a second round, may be ?).
The first time a friend of mine told me about this website and I visited and read some of the experiences of other member, I was scared and horrified thinking about what awaits me, so I tried collecting information from other sources, friends who applied before for Spousal sponsorship, people who knew former visa officers and of course reading Canadian Immigration news. And of course my experience in applying for personal visas to travel to other countries (as a back-packer previously with very less means and then as a business traveller & having travelled to 2 dozen countries and having being rejected entry visa by different countries on different occasions). And this (above) is what I gathered and I thought I should share this with other members. And just to err on the side of caution, these are just my inferences and by no means I would say or vouch they are accurate.
Also I realize it is extremely difficult for other members to see people who applied after them getting approval. And on hindsight I can give my 5 cents on the process especially since the process is over for me. But I just want to let you know something which I came across during my innocent inquiries, a reliable source once told me that in India and China, 50 % of Spousal sponsorship applications they receive from some states/provinces are bogus and fraud. I am very sure that every member in this forum is genuine but just look at the plight of the Visa officer who have to make a decision on our application, knowing well the statistics of 50%, just by looking at our documentation (I think interviews happen only on 10 % ?). The Canadian Immigration Minister on his recent trip to India said the maximum number of Marital Fraud for the purpose of Canadian Immigration are from 3 states - Punjab, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. I don't know if the Embassy do any extra screening on applicants from those states of if they face normal than average delays. Another point which I wish I had some idea about is the use of an Attorney or Lawyer to file your application, whether it may delay the application a bit ?. Two of my friends who previously applied for spousal sponsorship (and now me) did not use a Lawyer and we all were approved within 6 months (the other friends of me applied in 2007 and 2008). So that's something I am unsure about. But if I were a Visa officer I would scrutinize such applications in more detail knowing well that, its a highly trained professional (who do this for a living) who have prepared these documents & who seldom make mistakes.
Applied - 22nd August 2012
Acknowledgment received - 28th September 2012
Sponsorship confirmed & File Transferred - October 4th 2012
Passport Requested - 17th October 2012
Decision Made - 14th February 2012 (website was down, so found out only on 18th, Went direct from "Application received" to "Decision Made")
Passport received - 23rd February 2013
Total processing time - 5 months and 22 days (as per Visa)
thank you one and all & Godspeed for everyone waiting !!
