Not getting AOR from Beijing

[Determined88]

Title: Not receiving AOR2 from the Beijing Embassy
Post by: Determined88 on March 09, 2015, 07:09:43 am
I am not sure if I am posting this in the correct place. I am in Canada and my wife is in Shanghai. applied to sponsor my wife in May 2014. My application and my wife's PR application, both were sent to the CPC in Mississauga together. I got the SA inn July 2014. I or my wife did not get any correspondence from the Beijing Embassy to say that they got our applications. And the ECAS just mentioned about the SA all these days. I mean no "IN PROGRESS".

Does the Embassy sent AOR2 to everybody? I shall be thankful if someone could advise me on what I should do. We were patiently waiting because the website says it takes 9 months in Beijing. I am afraid the application has got misplaced or lost. I had a lot of original attachments submitted with it.

Also do they interview each an every applicant? Thanks a lot in advance for your help.

 

[BrianDell]

I've seen a user-reported spreadsheet in a Chinese language forum. Some 30 people reported applying to sponsor in May 2014. They all reported receiving SA in July like you, except for a couple first week of August.

They then reported AOR2 in September, usually September 17 to 19, with an ECAS "in progress" update coming four weeks later on average albeit with a fair amount of variance. Almost all were in progress by first week of November in any case. I find the grouping around certain dates rather interesting, actually: some fortunate souls got a decision within a couple weeks of going "in progress" with the visa following a few days later. If you weren't part of the batch that got a decision last week of October/first week of November, a batch that included some June applicants and even some July and August, you had to wait until January for a decision. There's more than a hundred reports of decisions in this spreadsheet between October and January but zero decisions made between November 8 and January. Some relatively unlucky (if that's the word) people who applied in March and April had to wait for a decision in January.

Interviews were rare, with no reported interviews with the May 2014 pool.

So... are you checking ECAS using the sponsor's details (like sponsor's UCI number and date of birth) or the applicant's? Your case isn't typical if you've heard nothing from Beijing. Are you sure they have the correct email address etc? It seems unlikely to me CIC would lose the file between Mississauga and the overseas visa office.

 

[Determined88]

I've seen a user-reported spreadsheet in a Chinese language forum. Some 30 people reported applying to sponsor in May 2014. They all reported receiving SA in July like you, except for a couple first week of August.

They then reported AOR2 in September, usually September 17 to 19, with an ECAS "in progress" update coming four weeks later on average albeit with a fair amount of variance. Almost all were in progress by first week of November in any case. I find the grouping around certain dates rather interesting, actually: some fortunate souls got a decision within a couple weeks of going "in progress" with the visa following a few days later. If you weren't part of the batch that got a decision last week of October/first week of November, a batch that included some June applicants and even some July and August, you had to wait until January for a decision. There's more than a hundred reports of decisions in this spreadsheet between October and January but zero decisions made between November 8 and January. Some relatively unlucky (if that's the word) people who applied in March and April had to wait for a decision in January.

Interviews were rare, with no reported interviews with the May 2014 pool.

So... are you checking ECAS using the sponsor's details (like sponsor's UCI number and date of birth) or the applicant's? Your case isn't typical if you've heard nothing from Beijing. Are you sure they have the correct email address etc? It seems unlikely to me CIC would lose the file between Mississauga and the overseas visa office.

Thanks so much for the reply. I received the SA from Mississauga on my usual email account. Therefore I would assume that Beijing has the same email address on record. Yes I use the ECAS link provided in my SA letter from CPC. I think our package of applications has a large amount of attachments and documents for the VO to go through and therefore I understand their taking time to evaluate. My worry is my not having received an acknowledgement. I saw one instance in the spreadsheet where it said an application got lost. To the email sent to Beijing we have got the auto-replies.

I think the only thing to do is to pray and wait.

Thanks a lot for the response and good luck to you.

 

[ABCml]

Thanks so much for the reply. I received the SA from Mississauga on my usual email account. Therefore I would assume that Beijing has the same email address on record. Yes I use the ECAS link provided in my SA letter from CPC. I think our package of applications has a large amount of attachments and documents for the VO to go through and therefore I understand their taking time to evaluate. My worry is my not having received an acknowledgement. I saw one instance in the spreadsheet where it said an application got lost. To the email sent to Beijing we have got the auto-replies.

I think the only thing to do is to pray and wait.

Thanks a lot for the response and good luck to you.

The AOR2 notice will be emailed to the sponsored applicant's address. Also the ECAS updates should be thru the sponsored spouse's details (UCI, etc.) all updates will be posted there, after SA.

Not everyone gets interviewed at the Beijing VO, of course - if you don't see any progress on ECAS for a few months, request GCMS notes thru ATIP to see what's happening with your case. Emailed responses from Beijing (if any..) to your email inquiries rarely disclose anything significant..

Also check out this thread for somewhat recent cases and experiences via Beijing applicants - much info and insights expressed there; http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/china-applicants-thread-t80896.0.html;msg4094230#msg4094230

 

[Determined88]

Thank you for the response. Knowing the files will not get lost in transit is a consolation. I sent another email to Beijing to say that we haven't had the AOR2 and got the same auto-reply because my application is still within the normal processing time. I wonder whether I have to have my wife's signature too to request information through ATIP. I am here in Canada and she is in Shanghai. It may take a few weeks for the form to go up and down to get her signature too.

How would I submit an online request for GCMS Notes with both signatures on it? This is a tech issue for which I have no solid answer? Your help is appreciated.
My other worry is the approaching expiry date of my spouse's Medical. It is due to expire end march. I saw in somewhere on the CIC website that they could request the doctor to extend the validity up to 15 months. Without knowing the date the processing began in Beijing, I am not sure this extension, if it is granted would help us.

Thanks for keeping company through this difficult painful journey my fellow applicants.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Thank you for the response. Knowing the files will not get lost in transit is a consolation. I sent another email to Beijing to say that we haven't had the AOR2 and got the same auto-reply because my application is still within the normal processing time. I wonder whether I have to have my wife's signature too to request information through ATIP. I am here in Canada and she is in Shanghai. It may take a few weeks for the form to go up and down to get her signature too.

How would I submit an online request for GCMS Notes with both signatures on it? This is a tech issue for which I have no solid answer? Your help is appreciated.
My other worry is the approaching expiry date of my spouse's Medical. It is due to expire end march. I saw in somewhere on the CIC website that they could request the doctor to extend the validity up to 15 months. Without knowing the date the processing began in Beijing, I am not sure this extension, if it is granted would help us.

Thanks for keeping company through this difficult painful journey my fellow applicants.

can you email the form to your wife, have her sign, scan and email it back to you? since the application for notes is online, they don't require original signatures.

 

[Determined88]

thanks a lot. If it is okay I can do it. But is a scanned form accepted instead of the online one.?

 

[ABCml]

thanks a lot. If it is okay I can do it. But is a scanned form accepted instead of the online one.?

Yes. Scanned, emailed, and signed rescanned, and then emailed back to you, then uploaded as a PDF on the ATIP online portal always worked for us.

With regard to your medical expiring - looks like landing won't occur before that... my wife was told in her interview that she would only have to redo the x-ray, but she made it to Landing 4 days before it expired

 

[Determined88]

Thank you for all of you. It is really comforting to feeel there is someone out there to share the information that you need most.

Best Regards

Harsha

 

[Determined88]

To all fellow applicants.

Just to let you know that we are still waiting to her from the Beijing embassy. No AOR or any response to email enquiries except for the auto reply that says the application is still within the normal processing time. :'(
Planning to request info under ATIP next week.

Best Regards