Hi,
My parents just received the letter that "A preliminary review of your application has been completed and additional information is needed before a final review can be completed."
We will be sending all the information that needs to be provided to our best knowledge possible within the next week or so. They have requested to response within 30 days.
I am curious how long it will take for them the PR card. Any estimates? Their PR card will expire in a month, so I wonder if they travel, going through USA via our car, is the only option after PR card expiration and the new PR card.
FYI, for those who are curious, the application has been received in their office on December 27, 2017 and got an email this morning.
Some Observations:
Unless the correspondence from IRCC states there has been a referral for "Secondary Review" this may NOT be an instance of Secondary Review. So the SR timeline, at least to this stage, might not be particularly relevant.
In particular, if this request for additional information is specifically about compliance with the PR Residency Obligation, this will constitute a formal Residency Determination. These tend to go quickly. Depending on how the PR responds, if IRCC still has concerns about whether the PR met the PR RO, this typically will result in an interview being scheduled.
At the very latest, the date of that interview is the date the PR's compliance with the PR RO is determined. We do not see enough reliable detailed reporting about this process to be certain of the particular practices involved. The reporting suggests it is possible that IRCC will approach the PR RO compliance assessment based on one of the following dates:
-- the date of the PR card application is the operative date for determining compliance with the PR RO (that is, assessing whether the PR was present in Canada for 730+ days within the five years preceding that date)
-- the date the PR puts on a Residency Questionnaire submitted to IRCC
-- the date an interview is conducted, that being a formal residency examination date
If the PR will not have been physically present in Canada at least 730 days within the five years prior to the date the interview is conducted, SEE A LAWYER.
If the PR is short of 730 days within the preceding five years as of the date the PRC application was made, and especially if so now, that too may mean this is a situation for which obtaining a LAWYER'S assistance should be seriously considered.
Otherwise, what is at stake and how this goes DEPENDS on a wide, wide range of particular factors. The biggest factor of course is how much time the PR has actually been present in Canada.
An applicant who is settled in Canada, currently living in and present in Canada, and who was clearly present in Canada more than 730 days within the preceding five years as of the date of the PRC application, probably has little or nothing to worry about.
Others may want to either consult with a lawyer or at least do some serious homework in deciding what else to do (if anything beyond submitting the response) in the meantime.
NOTE: there is a tendency in this forum to conflate potential PR RO compliance concerns as TRIGGERING Secondary Review with the nature and focus of SR itself. PR RO compliance is undoubtedly a significant aspect of SR but SR is almost always about more than PR RO compliance.
If PR RO compliance itself is the primary concern, IRCC more often moves more quickly to conduct the formal Residency Determination (unless IRCC perceives it is likely the PR is currently abroad, in which case IRCC tends to wait until the PR is examined in the course of a PoE event or attendant an application for a PR Travel Document).
