Pre-Arrival Services Email Timeline

[JulianaAndrew]

@JulianaAndrew thank you for adding this information! I always wonder, wouldn’t they check security, misrepresentation and criminality before offering a pre arrivial letter? Seems a bit crazy to me

Im very curious about what they are looking for in the background check that takes sooooo long!

No, they check eligibility first, because it's the most common reason for refusal. Think about all the cases they handle. They have a lot of applications, so the number of refusals would be considerable, even though that doesn't mean the percentage would be high. It saves a lot more time, work and money if you figure out what's more likely to be the reason for refusal first. If you catch that first, you don't have to waste time on medical, or criminality or background checks, which is something that usually is easily passed, while the eligibility isn't that easy to pass.
Also, there is no reason to do criminality and background checks before the pre arrival services since they are meant to be pre arrival, not post arrival, and it takes some time between eligibility passed and all the other checks done. In my case, it's taken 2 months to do background check and medical.

 

[canuser]

No, they check eligibility first, because it's the most common reason for refusal. Think about all the cases they handle. They have a lot of applications, so the number of refusals would be considerable, even though that doesn't mean the percentage would be high. It saves a lot more time, work and money if you figure out what's more likely to be the reason for refusal first. If you catch that first, you don't have to waste time on medical, or criminality or background checks, which is something that usually is easily passed, while the eligibility isn't that easy to pass.
Also, there is no reason to do criminality and background checks before the pre arrival services since they are meant to be pre arrival, not post arrival, and it takes some time between eligibility passed and all the other checks done. In my case, it's taken 2 months to do background check and medical.

When you put it that way - this totally makes sense! @JulianaAndrew

Yes we have been waiting a month since the pre arrival letter - so I’m assuming they are also checking the background and medical. What exactly do they want to know in the background check? We literally submitted everything - all the police certificates, work history, travel history (and thankfully my husband hasn’t lived anywhere for longer than 6 months - so I’m crossing my fingers that it goes as quickly as possible. I hope yours is over soon too...

 

[JulianaAndrew]

When you put it that way - this totally makes sense! @JulianaAndrew

Yes we have been waiting a month since the pre arrival letter - so I’m assuming they are also checking the background and medical. What exactly do they want to know in the background check? We literally submitted everything - all the police certificates, work history, travel history (and thankfully my husband hasn’t lived anywhere for longer than 6 months - so I’m crossing my fingers that it goes as quickly as possible. I hope yours is over soon too...

I don't know exactly what they do, but anyway I'm not sure if you really understand how the visa offices work. Once they do something to your file and move on to do something else, they don't touch your application for some time. For example, my background check took 2 weeks to complete, but first I submitted my background check which also includes the police certificate, and two weeks after that they looked at my application and it was then when they started the background check. So the first two weeks after I submitted the certificate, nothing was done. They work on other applications during that time. I was asked for my medical on January 2nd, and they finally got it on January 26th, and passed it on the 29th. But, from January 2nd to the 19th, when they asked me to submit passport photos to issue my visa and the COPR, my application wasn't touched. Since then, the 19th, my application hasn't been looked at. Also, your background check can take from a few weeks to a few months. I guess that's where you are right now. Once it's passed, you're probably going to get PPR right away. Then again, after that, they could take a while to issue the COPR, because they wouldn't start working on your application the moment they receive the passport, or its photocopy.

 

[canuser]

I don't know exactly what they do, but anyway I'm not sure if you really understand how the visa offices work. Once they do something to your file and move on to do something else, they don't touch your application for some time. For example, my background check took 2 weeks to complete, but first I submitted my background check which also includes the police certificate, and two weeks after that they looked at my application and it was then when they started the background check. So the first two weeks after I submitted the certificate, nothing was done. They work on other applications during that time. I was asked for my medical on January 2nd, and they finally got it on January 26th, and passed it on the 29th. But, from January 2nd to the 19th, when they asked me to submit passport photos to issue my visa and the COPR, my application wasn't touched. Since then, the 19th, my application hasn't been looked at. Also, your background check can take from a few weeks to a few months. I guess that's where you are right now. Once it's passed, you're probably going to get PPR right away. Then again, after that, they could take a while to issue the COPR, because they wouldn't start working on your application the moment they receive the passport, or its photocopy.

Haha @JulianaAndrew this is by far the best response about how the visa office works. Thank you... it completely makes sense now!

Thank you for taking the time to respond, and I truly hope others after us will find these threads very useful

 

[CarleyDT]

Pre arrival services letter means eligibility is passed (relationship genuine). People can still get refused on medical, criminality, misrepresentation or background check grounds. However those cases are more rare, most applications are refused because the immigration officer thinks the relationship is not genuine. Usually, the visa offices figure out eligibility first and then the other ones. That is why sometimes people get refused after the pre arrival services letter.

You put my heart at ease. Thank you.

 

[hs202]

My parents also got pre arrival about 3 or 4 days ago. Interestingly their Background status changed to Not Applicable from initial one "we will let you know when we start your background check"
we had submitted police clearance certificates from all countries since age of 18 except for Italy which I just received (later than mandated time). Dont know how to take this message. Now the GCKEY does not even allo wme to upload any document

 

[wish2018]

Hey there! Sorry I didn't see this before, I didn't have a chance to log into the forum until today.

From what we see with our clients, it varies a lot. Some get PPR about a week after getting the pre-arrival services *email*, and some have waited for months! I think the median would definitely be one month, and it also seems to vary depending on where they are coming from, some people in the Philippines and some people in Iran are facing very long delays, no idea why that is. In contrast, some clients from Pakistan, Ethiopia and Nepal got it within a week or so, so they only received our pre-arrival services for a few weeks before heading to Canada.

How about HongKong, China? Any ideas the timeline? thanks~

 

[CarleyDT]

Oh haha ok 2017 is much better! @CarleyDT

Yes, based on several posts that I’ve been reading, it seems very logical that eligibility has been passed. One user mentioned he asked for the notes and it said “elgibility passed” after he got the pre arrival letter.

Another user mentioned out of 500 only one was refused after getting the letter. So I think its a very positive sign! Please make sure you update us once you hear anything else. Let’s hope your PPR comes in weeks instead of months!

It’s been a month (today) for my husband and I since getting the pre arrival letter

It will be 3 weeks for us on Friday.
The only thing we have received from manila visa office since then was an email stating that they updated my husbands passport info on file since he needed to renew his passport because it expired in april. His new one is a 10 year, so its all good.

Any updates for you?

 

[permafrost_can]

How about HongKong, China? Any ideas the timeline? thanks~

I only have one client from there, but he got PPR about a week or two after the pre-arrival letter. Since it is just one point of data, I wouldn't know if it's the same case for everyone.

 

[canuser]

It will be 3 weeks for us on Friday.
The only thing we have received from manila visa office since then was an email stating that they updated my husbands passport info on file since he needed to renew his passport because it expired in april. His new one is a 10 year, so its all good.

Any updates for you?

Hi @CarleyDT no updates yet, still waiting patiently. I hope it doesn’t take much longer. But I do believe our application is still in background check mode. It all depends when everything clears.

I hope you get some updates and share them with us soon!

 

[lileka]

Hello,

I've been searching all around the forums to find an average time frame about this letter.

Can anyone who received the pre-arrival services email just add the date they received the letter - and any updates since?

I will start:
Received the letter: Jan 9, 2018
Updates: none yet.

In addition, @permafrost_can has been so helpful as they work in the offices that provide this service, and mentioned the rough timeline between getting the letter and any further correspondence ranges from a week to a month. I also know there are some anomalies where people have been waiting for an update for months. I'd just like to get an idea of everyone's experiences.

Thanks so much!

Pre-arrival Services letter received February 14, no other updates since then yet.

 

[Jaywill]

I only have one client from there, but he got PPR about a week or two after the pre-arrival letter. Since it is just one point of data, I wouldn't know if it's the same case for everyone.

Hi permafrost_can, If you have any clients going through paris VO, do they have any tendencies/patterns regarding the pre-arrival letter?

 

[permafrost_can]

Pre-arrival Services letter received February 14, no other updates since then yet.

If you got the letter on February 14th, it's too soon you will get PPR in a few weeks, hopefully. And while you wait, if you are coming to Manitoba, you can get pre-arrival services from the organization where I work

Hi permafrost_can, If you have any clients going through paris VO, do they have any tendencies/patterns regarding the pre-arrival letter?

Hi Jaywill, I asked a few people and they said it's average or a bit faster than average for those applying through the Paris VO, sounds like it's between 3 and 5 weeks for most. But I don't have that many clients from the Paris VO, so I don't really have that many points of data to form a solid opinion.

 

[canuser]

Pre-arrival Services letter received February 14, no other updates since then yet.

Thank you for sharing @lileka - do update us once you hear something!

I’d love to leave others who visit the forums with some good information about the pre arrival letter timeline

 

[canuser]

Just for those who are curious, the pre arrival letter looks something like this:

UCI xxxx-xxxx

Hello, We are pleased to inform you that you, your spouse and dependants can now receive free pre-arrival services funded by the Government of Canada. These services are available before you arrive and are meant to better prepare you for life in Canada. Pre-arrival services are provided on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) by settlement service provider organizations.

These service providers offer free information to help you with:
• Living and working in Canada;
• Getting your education, work experience, and professional licenses and certificates recognized in Canada;
• Connecting with employers, and with free supports when you arrive in Canada, including language training; and
• Connecting with others in your new community, including French-speaking communities.

If you are outside Canada, we strongly recommend that you use pre-arrival services before you leave. We encourage you to explore the list of services on the IRCC website:
canada.ca/pre-arrival-services. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/before-services.asp?utm_source=slash-pre-arriv al-services&utm_medium=short-url&utm_campaign=general

When you register for pre-arrival services with one of the service providers listed on the website, you will be asked to provide a copy of this letter. You can contact as many service providers as you like and receive as many services as you need, and these services are always at no cost to you.

You are also encouraged to take advantage of free Government of Canada resources available online, such as Welcome to Canada, the official handbook to help permanent residents prepare to come and settle in Canada. The handbook is available at cic.gc.ca/publications

Canada is a bilingual country where both English and French are spoken. If you are interested in living in a French-speaking community outside Quebec, please visit
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/francophone.asp

For up-to-date information on immigration, settlement services and citizenship, we invite you to join us on Facebook (Facebook.com/CitCanada) and follow us on Twitter (Twitter.com/CitImmCanada).

Sincerely,
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada