Published PR wait times

[LCS]

I wouldn't believe what you read on the Canadian Immigration wait times. We have now reached the one year point in our PR application of my Peruvian husband. Published times say 80% of all cases are decided in 8 months.
If you have one slight irregularity in your life and experiences, you can forget 8 months as the maximum time.
Although he had spent time in the military as a means to earn money after high school, they have been "investigating" his service record for 7 months now. They were hand delivered requested additional info. the first week of February 2007. I wrote an email after the initial 8 months passed and they said the military info. was still under review and would be "a few more months". I let 3 months pass and just near the end of those 3 months the earthquake happened in Peru. I wrote again saying the few...generally taken to mean 3....months had passed and I was afraid that if the military had not replied to them by now, that they never would with being preoccupied with the disaster. All I got back was....."your husband's case is still under assessment please wait until we contact him".
How verification of information can take 7 months is beyond me. I any of us in the non-government sector took 7 months to process a file we'd be fired.
I wonder if it would have been better to have him apply as a temporary foreign worker, the Gov't sure seems to be fast tracking that sector of immigrants, only to have many of them quit the jobs they came here for and disappear after. Meanwhile, if my husband were allowed here to await his PR, I have a permanent address, I was born here and own my home, I have a job and he could be contacted very easily if there were questions or concerns. How the Government wheels turn never ceases to astound me.

I feel sorry for all of you just starting the process even before your sponsorship is approved. You have a long road ahead of you and the published wait times seem to mean nothing. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who HAVE had their PR statuses approved within the maximum or under times.

 

[Frustrated Canadian]

All I can say - is I hear you!

My husband applied for Perm Residence - In Canada and we've been waiting for a year now.... We got our approval in principle letters however, with the looks of all the wait times I don't feel re assured at all.

 

[LCS]

You have good reason to have doubts. Since I wrote on Sept 23, it is now almost 2 months later so now 14 months since the application started, and 9 MONTHS since the additional information about military service was given to the Cdn Embassy in Lima and they have not pressured the military for a reply. At the end of Sept it was then announced that Temporary Foreign workers will be brought into Canada in mere days, not the gruelling long wait we Family Class applicants are going through. How can these people POSSIBLY be going through security, medical and police checks like we have been? A friend of mine in the Hotel and Tourism industry says she personally knows of over 400 foreign workers that have been brought in for that industry in the past year alone. And where do our Family Class applications rate? Behind the fast-tracking of foreign workers it seems because big business has lobbied for this action and now Immigration is too busy processing them, not our spouses. Another friend told me he read an on-line local Lima newspaper where the Cdn Embassy took out and advertisement saying that Canada needed foreign workers and invited people to come to the Embassy and apply! Again, what priority does Family Class have over non permanent temporaries? Something is seriously wrong with a system that operates like this.

 

[travel_fan]

Sorry to hear that the processing times for your application are taking so long. It sounds like you might be one of the exceptions to the rule (on of the 20% that takes more than 8 months). I can't imagine what a frustrating experience that must be.

I know many spousal applications dealing with the Embassy in Rabat, Morocco, have been processed within the processing times stated (most have been under - until the busy summer visa season hit). There are about 10 more in process posted on trackit.com - so far everyone has been waiting within the period posted on the Embassy's website.

 

[Gotchaa]

Did you write them an email to ask about your case? try it, you might get some positive reply. My wife wrote them an email and they did reply her even though nothing substantial in it. But the guy called me from the embassy asking me about some information. So i feel the email from my wife did made him wake up and he has started working on my application again.

 

[LCS]

Of course I wrote to them, first at the end of the 8 months processing time, and they did respond saying it would be a few more months. Then I wrote after "a few more months" in August and I got a very short abrupt message saying the case was still under review and to wait until they call him (my husband). Since I have heard if you are too insistent with them they will put your case to the bottom of the pile, I have not written again. But how long should I sit around and wait while they do nothing more than they have done for the LAST 9 1/2 months (14 months since start of processing the application) waiting on confirmation of information from a source that I assume has still not answered them by now and they are not pressuring for the answer from their end. Their lack of initiative could mean I wait for years for someone to FINALLY get around to answering them back?
That is why I have gone to my MP. Why should the Embassy's lack of initiative to process my Family Class application mean I wait around for who knows how much longer, while TFW are entering after obtaining a job offer and sponsorship from a company in just days or weeks. And ppl think only "other" countries are corrupt?

 

[Learan]

I'm going through Family Class Sponsorship (In Canada) and we've been waiting for 9 months. I got a letter today saying that our applications were sent from the Vegreville office to our local branch and that we should contact the Call Centre for any changes in our information. Since my wife changed jobs a few months ago, I called the Centre to make them aware of it, only to get the biggest slap in the face so far -

The local branch has a 12-18 month wait time and nothing has been done on our applications yet. All that Vegreville did since May was pick up our paperwork, put it in an envelope, and mail it to the local branch. They authenticated, verified, and processed NOTHING in the 9 months that we've waited. I'm so infuriated that I just don't know what to do. My visitor's visa has already been extended once and it seems to me that it will have to be extended at least once more.

Do NOT process from within Canada if you can help it - the wait times are astronomical.

 

[LCS]

I have more to add to the tales of Immigration sitting on information and not doing a d@#& thing. It sounds like a lot of them do NOTHING in actually processing many of our applications. Of course, this just verifies what everyone says about Gov't workers anyway, a bunch of pencil pushing slackers on the Gov't dole. I've heard that Vegreville is atrociously inefficient.
I was notified by my MP's office today in an email, that she did get a reply back from the Embassy office processing our application. She was told that because of his military history it would be a few more months. I laughed and got on the phone and told her now I REALLY know something is fouled up with the Embassy and they are doing NOTHING with my case- if she recalled from the information I sent in my letter, that reply they gave you is WORD FOR WORD THE SAME THING THEY TOLD ME, all the way back in MAY!!!! A few more months was August, but this is now November, 6 months beyond May.
I told her, now they are giving YOU the same runaround I have gotten since the first time they told me this. She asked me to forward her the replies I had gotten from the Embassy office and she sent me another email saying she wrote back to them immediately with those replies that came from their office, and told them they sent exactly the same reply originally to me back in May. Not sure what else she said, hopefully something like: So what ARE you actually doing about it.
She will let me know what they reply with THIS time. I have been polite with my enquiries the whole time to the Embassy, and my MP's office has been very helpful, cooperative and will keep pushing this as I know she is now seeing what the problem is. I know she's probably not allowed to express fault with other agencies but I could sense that she agreed that two answers the same, 6 months apart is complete crap. The fun begins.

 

[Gotchaa]

Can you sue them for unneccesary delay? or lodge a complain through applelate tribunal i mean, with all the facts you have. There must be some way to bring into notice of CIC how incompetent people in their embassy are around the world. My wife got a stupify same diplomatic reply for her email as well, which doesnt mean anything. They should atleast sent an iterim reply to the applicants after the process has exceeded average waiting time. They dont even acknowledge receipts of the letters or original documents that we sent to them which they ask from us! The guy who asked me the information more than a month ago called me again two weeks back blaming that I havnt sent him the information he asked for. What the hell is this? I have the acknowledgement receipt of the person who received my letter from the courier company and yet he didnt get it? What should I do about that? There is no system for disbursement of posts there? And I even have the OK status from fax machine that the letter was transmitted fine. I think I have enough evidence to sue them for their incompetence.

 

[Frustrated Canadian]

LCS, we seem to be going through vaguely similar situations - as I'm sure are many other frustrated spouses! So you went to your MP? That was my next route. I actually contacted a lawyer since we hit a snag in the last month. My husband's father passed away and since he has a heart he flew to his home country to attend the funeral - well, they denied him a TRV to come back! I mean come on. I contacted Immigration, Embassies and Consultation Services and not one person said - DON'T GO! They all wished us luck and said Oh you know they say you shoudn't leave! but make sure you bring all your documents and that you have a valid Passport --- blah blah blah!!

Anyway, he has a daughter who is not applying for PR but had to be included on the application - (by-the-way,she's under 11). Within the guide it suggested that if you get a medical done up front it will count your wait time (bull, don't believe that now). At first we didn't think that that included any dependents - we were about to send the application off when we re-interpreted the guide to say that she should get a medical done up front as well ! Well, we called Immigration and they said yes she should get the medical done up front. Now (over a year later) the Embassy in him home country is requesting a Medical for her. Within the guide it says that the medicals are only valid for a year!!!!!!! Fine - we will do it again but come on - the inconsistencies and delays are ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!! I'm going to call tomorrow (immigration). Odds are they will tell me to call the embassy there!!! HA HA HA. They do not reply to you at all!!

Thanks for listening (actually reading).

I will keep u posted & LCS please keep us posted on your situation - it does help a little to get some of these things of your chest and most importantly to people who can relate in some way or another!

Thanks

 

[LCS]

No one can sue the Government, there's not enough money in the world to take that on, but I am taking the first steps in the right direction of getting my MP representative to be my Gov't watchdog in the matter. I am betting that the immigration office I'm dealing with has simply got our case on an 18 month timeline and is stalling until that time passes and then they miraculously say...okay, your PR is approved. I have all the emails and letters to do with the process and I'll see what my MP can do first. If THEY get the jerking around that I have with no action from the Embassy I'm writing to higher up in Immigration in Ottawa to lay out this whole sequence of events and how incompetent and lazy their branch immigration dept's are in certain other countries. And knowing that THEY will not act on it, I will tell them in that letter I am going to CBC news and pouring out the story to them.

 

[LCS]

OMG Frustrated Canadian, that is disgusting on the part of immigration concerning your spouse's father's funeral. You also did the right thing prior by contacting immigration to see his options for compassionate travel, and then how they treated him just show how uncaring and insensitive they are, as well as proving each area within their own department doesn't know what the other is doing.
Your story, mine, and others would make a great expose on W5 wouldn't it? Canadians waiting on immigration and the incompetencies within the system. Yes, you SHOULD go to your MP and tell your story and let them know the disgusting treatment you received even after you enquired about if your husband should travel. Send a copy to Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada as well so they know your complaint.
I'm going to see how far my MP goes first and then go to news sources. I'm sick of Immigration's God complex and yet they are showing how incompetent they are.

 

[Gotchaa]

Just to share with the affectees, my medical has gone down the drain too after expirying during this month of november. Do you know they advise to pay all fee upfront to save two months extra time? what a @$%#$@% joke!