New York Applicants; How does the whole PPR Process work?

[bonacker]

Please don't flame me for asking a question that should be totally answerable by reading the guides, ok? I'm asking because I've heard conflicting things lately about the wait, etc. Thanks, all you super-helpful strangers!! :-*

What can I expect from the whole passport request process?

(I'm hopeful that once the N.Y. Consulate gets my new FBI clearance -- which they or someone in Buffalo somehow lost -- around the end of this month, that the rest of my process will go smoothly. I'd spoken way back in May to someone nice in N.Y. who more or less said everything else was in order.)

So, they will mail me a passport request -- or possibly email me?

And then . . . .they hang onto it for weeks and weeks and weeks, before mailing it back with the PR visa attached? I recall people saying it had taken three months to get the passports back from the NY Consulate-- is that still true? I know it's supposed to be no more than 30 business days, but there were shock-horror-waiting stories on here a few months ago, and I'm curious.

THANK YOU thank you THANK YOU.

PS: I'm waiting it out in Nova Scotia, and am trying to gauge if I'll be able to travel home to the U.S. for Christmas, or if my passport will be in limbo.

 

[AllisonVSC]

Hi Bonacker,

I don't know the answer to your question since I live in Mississauga and was able to just pop down to B'lo with my passport to present it in person. They emailed me the PPR I think because I had emailed them with a change of address (If you are anticipating email contact watch your inbox and junk mail carefully. The sender info and subject line were not recognizable, to me anyway, as being something official from the consulate!).

But here is something to contemplate regarding your travel plans. If your medical doesn't expire until after Christmas, you could conceivably route your travel through B'lo. Present your passport in person (you have to go on certain days and only in the morning), head on home for the family visit, and land on your way back.

Not sure how convenient it is to travel from N.S. to B'lo, but I have found that flights to the US from B'lo are less than half the cost of flights originating in Toronto (and probably elsewhere in Canada too). Just a thought...
Allison

 

[bonacker]

Allison: Thanks, that's an awesome idea!

My medical expires January 8th (and I'm keeping optimistic that this will all be fine by then ).

So . . . .Do you really think I'm allowed to go thru Buffalo, despite the fact that they forwarded my application to the New York Consulate?

I'd love to go in person to Buffalo, instead of not having the passport for weeks and weeks.... If I was allowed.

THANK YOU thank you!

 

[AllisonVSC]

Sorry Bonacker, I didn't catch that you were transfered. I will see if I can find out any info on that.

 

[sbwv09]

I've read that the NY office will not accept passports in person

 

[AllisonVSC]

Yep, just read that too on their website...

Submissions of passports are only accepted by mail. Passports are returned by mail within 30 business days. This does not include mailing time.

For addresses in Canada :

Standard Procedure: The Consulate will return documents to addresses in Canada via U.S. Postal Service First Class Mail (Regular Mail).

Courier Service: Unless it is prepaid from a corporate account, we will not return your documents using ANY courier services (Fedex, UPS, DHL).

 

[bonacker]

Yeah, I had all that basic info about mailing, etc., from the website . . . .Just got hopeful that a New York applicant could go to Buffalo in person (since the process started in Buffalo) . . . but I've never heard of that. Sounds like a "no," huh?

Anyone have any PPR/ visa turnaround times from NY lately? Last I looked into it, a few months ago, people were freaking out cause NY passport return was taking months....

 

[sbwv09]

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t48654.0.html

That's a thread for people in the US who have had their files transferred to one of the other offices.. there are some NYC people there