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The anatomy of a Background Check? - <<<<<<IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS>>>>>>>

Apr 8, 2019
3
1
AOR Received.
07-06-2018
There is no fixed number of activities, and it will vary on may factors. If you want to see the details, your best bet would be to request CBSA notes.
Thank you. I ordered CBSA notes a week ago. And today when my husband called them the third time, asking about the progress on SS, a very kind agent answered the phone and said she will leave message to them. She said they usually would finalize the case or leave us message for additional document, if needed.
That sound very promising. Does it mean that our SS is complete? It has been 10 months since AOR now. Should we expect a very quick answer now?
 
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legalfalcon

VIP Member
Sep 21, 2015
19,040
9,896
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
4112
App. Filed.......
03-09-2015
Doc's Request.
01-10-2015
AOR Received.
03-09-2015
Med's Done....
17-08-2015
Passport Req..
05-04-2016
VISA ISSUED...
12-04-2016
LANDED..........
05-05-2016
Thank you. I ordered CBSA notes a week ago. And today when my husband called them the third time, asking about the progress on SS, a very kind agent answered the phone and said she will leave message to them. She said they usually would finalize the case or leave us message for additional document, if needed.
That sound very promising. Does it mean that our SS is complete? It has been 10 months since AOR now. Should we expect a very quick answer now?
IRCC has no say in the SS. The SS is done by CBSA and CSIS. First the CSIS will conclude its involvement, and then submit the report to CBSA. The CBSA then complies its report with CSIS and submits it to IRCC.

IRCC call centre agents will not tell you anything about security since they don't have the details.

Once you get your CBSA report, see when the SS started, and based on that, compare it with the timelines for other people.
 

legalfalcon

VIP Member
Sep 21, 2015
19,040
9,896
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
4112
App. Filed.......
03-09-2015
Doc's Request.
01-10-2015
AOR Received.
03-09-2015
Med's Done....
17-08-2015
Passport Req..
05-04-2016
VISA ISSUED...
12-04-2016
LANDED..........
05-05-2016
Hi experts,

Quick question, My AOR is March 1 2019, just called IRCC a couple hours ago, they said everything is done but security check not started. I did see people submitted application after me already got their PPR so they don't do the security check in the order as they received the application??? Completely lost here. Please help
No. Each application is dealt with based on its complexity. Also, security is the last stage. Only after you finish eligibility, will your security start. Based on the info you have, your eligibility is not yet passed.
 
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waynezhang1995

Full Member
May 9, 2019
37
9
No. Each application is dealt with based on its complexity. Also, security is the last stage. Only after you finish eligibility, will your security start. Based on the info you have, your eligibility is not yet passed.
Thanks for your reply, really appreciated. I actually called them twice. The first call which was two weeks ago, the agent told me my eligibility has met, criminal is done, but security has not started. Today the second call the agent stated the same that the security still has not started. I know I shouldn't be worried too much at this stage but since I came to Canada at the age of 16 and never leave the country for more than 3 month so I expect my security should be done quickly, and it is weird they have not started. Again, thanks for your reply.
 

Tom0712

Star Member
Feb 13, 2019
173
112
@legalfalcon I have just got my notes this morning. Everything "appears to meet" but I have a RR on Proof of Fund.

I submitted:
- Letter signed by my mom to state it is a gift deed for me
- Bank transaction to transfer to money to Canada with stamp (I am an inland applicant)
- Birth Certificate of both me and my mom

Should I do anything else, or should I wait? Please help

Thanks a lot
 

legalfalcon

VIP Member
Sep 21, 2015
19,040
9,896
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
4112
App. Filed.......
03-09-2015
Doc's Request.
01-10-2015
AOR Received.
03-09-2015
Med's Done....
17-08-2015
Passport Req..
05-04-2016
VISA ISSUED...
12-04-2016
LANDED..........
05-05-2016
@legalfalcon I have just got my notes this morning. Everything "appears to meet" but I have a RR on Proof of Fund.

I submitted:
- Letter signed by my mom to state it is a gift deed for me
- Bank transaction to transfer to money to Canada with stamp (I am an inland applicant)
- Birth Certificate of both me and my mom

Should I do anything else, or should I wait? Please help

Thanks a lot
Many applicants get RR for PoF. I wrote a post earlier on this,


Understanding “Review Required”

A lot of applicants see “review required” in their GCMS notes for eligibility. There are many theories floating around with regard to what “review required” means and if it is alarming.

Before I venture into explaining the significance, it is important to understand that each application goes through the following stages as per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the regulations (Canadian Immigration Law):

R10 – Completeness Check
Criminality
Medicals
A11.2 – eligibility
Security

Out of the above, the most important stage is eligibility. This is also the most time-consuming stage because your documents have to be verified, evaluated and assessed to ascertain that you meet the eligibility criteria for the program you have applied (FSW / CEC / FTW). To stream line this process and make it easier for an immigration officer (decision making authority), all applications are first evaluated by case analysts or program assistants. They review the documents and summarize it in the GCMS. If they have any concerns with any document or want the immigration officer to carefully look into a specific document, they will flag it as “review required.” It is the content of the note that is important here. If the review required is for a specific document, while the summary of the note says that an applicant has met the eligibility, or “ready to finalize” it simply means that while the applicant has met the eligibility criteria, but the specific document needs a careful examination form the officer before promoting (eligibility pass) by the officer.

However, if there are concerns, there will be a review required for the eligibility, and there will be no text to the effect “ready to finalize” or pass. The note will specifically state job duties do not match, or the employment cannot be verified, or the number of years of work experience claimed cannot be verified. This is where an application can land in muddy waters. But the final decision rests on the immigration officer. He may override the decision of the analyst / assistant or go with the analysis of the analyst / assistant.

Even in cases where the analyst / assistant is of the opinion that the applicant has met the eligibility, and there is no “review required,” the officer can replace it with his own opinion. Though rare, but it does happen. This is why the eligibility is only passed when an officer conclusively marks the eligibility as passed.

Finally, there is “review required” for PoF. This is the most common in many applications. This is because, the financial and banking practices of each country are different. Eg. Fixed deposits are know as Certificate of Deposit (CD) in the US. Similarly, treasury bonds, mutual funds, stocks, and many other investment vehicles are there. If your PoF anything other than a bank deposit, it is more likely that it will be marked as “review required.” Also, IRCC does not go by day to day fluctuations in FOREX. Instead, the Canadian federal government issued a quarterly conversion rate for all FOREX vis-a-via CAD. If your PoF is in a foreign currency, then you may have “review required” for the officer to make a determination.

Just because you have “review required” does not mean that you hit the panic mode. Instead, read the context in which it is there. If there is a concern regarding a document, you can send a replacement document via CSE. The most common reasons for RR are:

1. Work reference letter without job duties
2. Work reference letters missing all the details requested by IRCC
3. If you submitted a letter from a colleague because you were unable to get one from your employer, but did not have a LoE on file, this too will lead to RR.
4. Not sufficient work experience in the primary NOC.
5. Inability to verify your employment as your employer details are missing.

There are just some of the scenarios.

Hope this helps.
 
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tottiren

Hero Member
Mar 21, 2018
334
94
Beijing
Category........
PNP
IRCC has no say in the SS. The SS is done by CBSA and CSIS. First the CSIS will conclude its involvement, and then submit the report to CBSA. The CBSA then complies its report with CSIS and submits it to IRCC.

IRCC call centre agents will not tell you anything about security since they don't have the details.

Once you get your CBSA report, see when the SS started, and based on that, compare it with the timelines for other people.
Hi. My SS started on Aug 23 2018 as per CBSA notes, been no movement so far, when should i expect it done? Thanks, legalfalcon.
 

Tom0712

Star Member
Feb 13, 2019
173
112
Many applicants get RR for PoF. I wrote a post earlier on this,


Understanding “Review Required”

A lot of applicants see “review required” in their GCMS notes for eligibility. There are many theories floating around with regard to what “review required” means and if it is alarming.

Before I venture into explaining the significance, it is important to understand that each application goes through the following stages as per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the regulations (Canadian Immigration Law):

R10 – Completeness Check
Criminality
Medicals
A11.2 – eligibility
Security

Out of the above, the most important stage is eligibility. This is also the most time-consuming stage because your documents have to be verified, evaluated and assessed to ascertain that you meet the eligibility criteria for the program you have applied (FSW / CEC / FTW). To stream line this process and make it easier for an immigration officer (decision making authority), all applications are first evaluated by case analysts or program assistants. They review the documents and summarize it in the GCMS. If they have any concerns with any document or want the immigration officer to carefully look into a specific document, they will flag it as “review required.” It is the content of the note that is important here. If the review required is for a specific document, while the summary of the note says that an applicant has met the eligibility, or “ready to finalize” it simply means that while the applicant has met the eligibility criteria, but the specific document needs a careful examination form the officer before promoting (eligibility pass) by the officer.

However, if there are concerns, there will be a review required for the eligibility, and there will be no text to the effect “ready to finalize” or pass. The note will specifically state job duties do not match, or the employment cannot be verified, or the number of years of work experience claimed cannot be verified. This is where an application can land in muddy waters. But the final decision rests on the immigration officer. He may override the decision of the analyst / assistant or go with the analysis of the analyst / assistant.

Even in cases where the analyst / assistant is of the opinion that the applicant has met the eligibility, and there is no “review required,” the officer can replace it with his own opinion. Though rare, but it does happen. This is why the eligibility is only passed when an officer conclusively marks the eligibility as passed.

Finally, there is “review required” for PoF. This is the most common in many applications. This is because, the financial and banking practices of each country are different. Eg. Fixed deposits are know as Certificate of Deposit (CD) in the US. Similarly, treasury bonds, mutual funds, stocks, and many other investment vehicles are there. If your PoF anything other than a bank deposit, it is more likely that it will be marked as “review required.” Also, IRCC does not go by day to day fluctuations in FOREX. Instead, the Canadian federal government issued a quarterly conversion rate for all FOREX vis-a-via CAD. If your PoF is in a foreign currency, then you may have “review required” for the officer to make a determination.

Just because you have “review required” does not mean that you hit the panic mode. Instead, read the context in which it is there. If there is a concern regarding a document, you can send a replacement document via CSE. The most common reasons for RR are:

1. Work reference letter without job duties
2. Work reference letters missing all the details requested by IRCC
3. If you submitted a letter from a colleague because you were unable to get one from your employer, but did not have a LoE on file, this too will lead to RR.
4. Not sufficient work experience in the primary NOC.
5. Inability to verify your employment as your employer details are missing.

There are just some of the scenarios.

Hope this helps.
Thks for this. After reading this, I went back to look in my notes and see that the word “ready to finalize RPRF:Complete” put at the end of my eligilbility (event it says egilbility: reviewed required on proof of fund). Additionally, I am not seeing any negative feedback from the case analyst. They simply put RR next to my POF.
 

whiterabbit

Hero Member
Apr 4, 2019
349
432
Hi experts,
Could you please suggest if everything seems to be in order with my case?
I got a ghost update on Apr 8, and when I called IRCC a month later the agent told me that security is in process.
How long is it going to take?
Another question: I have a big travel history that includes many trips around European countries, but in 2018 before I submitted my EE profile I'd had five trips (3 days each) to Istanbul, Turkey. I passed PTE-A exam there (accepted in Australia, and we don't have a single test center in our country), but now as the process takes too much time I start thinking that these short trips can be considered as suspicious. Is Turkey a "problem" country that can cause delay?
Thanks in advance!
 

legalfalcon

VIP Member
Sep 21, 2015
19,040
9,896
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
4112
App. Filed.......
03-09-2015
Doc's Request.
01-10-2015
AOR Received.
03-09-2015
Med's Done....
17-08-2015
Passport Req..
05-04-2016
VISA ISSUED...
12-04-2016
LANDED..........
05-05-2016
Hi. My SS started on Aug 23 2018 as per CBSA notes, been no movement so far, when should i expect it done? Thanks, legalfalcon.
I cannot provide you with any time frame as it varies from 3 months to a year.

Has CSIS concluded their involvement in your screening?
 

legalfalcon

VIP Member
Sep 21, 2015
19,040
9,896
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
4112
App. Filed.......
03-09-2015
Doc's Request.
01-10-2015
AOR Received.
03-09-2015
Med's Done....
17-08-2015
Passport Req..
05-04-2016
VISA ISSUED...
12-04-2016
LANDED..........
05-05-2016
So is one year the longest case? How would I know if CSIS concluded? by ordering their notes?
Yes, you can request CSIS notes. They will only tell you if CSIS has concluded their involvement in your application and when they received your request.
 

bonami

Newbie
May 12, 2019
5
0
My spousal application has been more than 15 months. Categorized as 'complex' case, I reckon my application is at the stage of background and security checks apparently due to my previous military service 30 years ago and my previous government employment at a teaching college in China few years ago! Not quite sure if this is correct. How long would it take to complete the background/security checks by CSIS and CBSA -average range of months?
Anyway to find out if this is the scenario so as to ease my worry about the long wait?
 

bonami

Newbie
May 12, 2019
5
0
Hello legalfalcon,
You have profound knowledge and experience in this field. please see above text.
My husband and I are waiting patiently. Looks as if there is no time limit for such security checks. Can you shed some light so that we may ease our mind whilst waiting? Much obliged.