Processing time expired and still no response. What should I do?

[cbellyoung]

Ok, so here's the situation.

My application is now out of processing times - they received it on Feb 24th, and 62 days expired last Monday. I have not received AOR or SA. Nothing. No correspondence whatsoever.

Everyone on here as told me to call them, but the only number I can find on the CIC website only says you can call from within Canada (I try to call from UK, but it just fails every time). I tried calling another number, Foreign Trade and Development, because it redirects you to CIC, but the automated message just says they are "experiencing high call volumes" and hangs up. So, I cannot call them. Every effort results in a brick wall. I am using Skype to call.

So, I just submitted a Case Specific Enquiry Form found on the CIC website. Basically, a web form that I can use to send an enquiry if my application is INSIDE Canada - which it is (I mailed it to Mississauga and have Royal Mail confirmation that it was delivered). I have no idea if anyone is going to come back to me though...

Can anyone advise me or offer any help or guidance on what I should do to try and get a status update on my application? It would be OK if I had AOR, but as I don't even have this, and I'm outside of processing times, I'm starting to really worry now. And the fact that I can't even call them doesn't help!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Honestly, you just need to relax and wait. You are only 1 day outside of the processing time, which really means nothing to CIC. Like every other posted processing time, the 62 days is not exact for every single app; some people are done a bit faster, some take a bit longer. It really doesn't mean anything, so stop worrying.

 

[Amalthea]

Ok, so here's the situation.

My application is now out of processing times - they received it on Feb 24th, and 62 days expired last Monday. I have not received AOR or SA. Nothing. No correspondence whatsoever.

Everyone on here as told me to call them, but the only number I can find on the CIC website only says you can call from within Canada (I try to call from UK, but it just fails every time). I tried calling another number, Foreign Trade and Development, because it redirects you to CIC, but the automated message just says they are "experiencing high call volumes" and hangs up. So, I cannot call them. Every effort results in a brick wall. I am using Skype to call.

So, I just submitted a Case Specific Enquiry Form found on the CIC website. Basically, a web form that I can use to send an enquiry if my application is INSIDE Canada - which it is (I mailed it to Mississauga and have Royal Mail confirmation that it was delivered). I have no idea if anyone is going to come back to me though...

Can anyone advise me or offer any help or guidance on what I should do to try and get a status update on my application? It would be OK if I had AOR, but as I don't even have this, and I'm outside of processing times, I'm starting to really worry now. And the fact that I can't even call them doesn't help!

I know that on ECAS for most of us, the date received shows the day after our shipment tracking shows it arrived. Has it been 62 days since the day after your parcel arrived at CPC-Miss?

 

[Amalthea]

Also, you won't get an AOR unless you applied Inland.

Usually your AOR will be your SA, or rather, will be sent in an e-mail along with it. Have you checked the February Outland Spreadsheets on this forum? Are there people getting SA whose application was received after yours?

 

[Amalthea]

Ok, so I just checked the processing times. They are working on applications received February 25th. And given the trend I explained earlier of it being a day after it arrives in the mail, that means you.

They are probably working on your application right now

Give it time. If a week goes by and you don't hear anything, and you see March 1st, then you have every right to be frustrated. But imo it hasn't even passed your date, 2/25, yet - so try not to stress. I'm sure you will get SA any day now.

 

[cbellyoung]

Ok, so I just checked the processing times. They are working on applications received February 25th. And given the trend I explained earlier of it being a day after it arrives in the mail, that means you.

They are probably working on your application right now

Give it time. If a week goes by and you don't hear anything, and you see March 1st, then you have every right to be frustrated. But imo it hasn't even passed your date, 2/25, yet - so try not to stress. I'm sure you will get SA any day now.

Thanks for that advise. You have put my mind at ease. I appreciate it. It's only because we put so much effort into these applications that we worry when we don't hear anything! I will wait...

 

[cbellyoung]

Honestly, you just need to relax and wait. You are only 1 day outside of the processing time, which really means nothing to CIC. Like every other posted processing time, the 62 days is not exact for every single app; some people are done a bit faster, some take a bit longer. It really doesn't mean anything, so stop worrying.

Ok, thanks. That does help. Just hearing something like this from someone else stops me worrying. I will keep waiting and keep my fingers crossed that they haven't lost my application or something!