Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[alisa]

Hi All,

I've just come back from a short holiday and checked emails, found one from Buffallo - Passport Request!! It had arrived on June 16th.
It was rather quick; just under 3 months at Buffalo and under 4 months since filing the application. Still I wouldn't call it an easy, short ride, considering all the process since the beginning of everything.... I now feel so lucky and blessed.

One thing I found interesting is that they are requesting my passport to be sent before July 30. Do they always set a passport submission deadline like this?
The wording in the email goes "The issuance of your visa(s) is time sensitive so it is important for you to submit your passport(s) as requested"
My medical would only expire on late November. Anyhow this is not a problem, but I'm curious. Has anyone out there had the same experience?

My letter was saying the same thing. They also gave us the deadline to submit a passport. I decided to go submit my passport in person. It took only an hour to get PR visa. However I haven't landed yet as I'm going to Mexico with my husband in next 2 weeks so I will land on the way back from Mexico.

And for medical expiration, since yours is expired in late November, it means your PR visa will be valid until late November so you can decide when you're going to land. Mine is valid until February 2011.

Anyway congratulations on your passport request

 

[Lilac6]

My letter was saying the same thing. They also gave us the deadline to submit a passport. I decided to go submit my passport in person. It took only an hour to get PR visa. However I haven't landed yet as I'm going to Mexico with my husband in next 2 weeks so I will land on the way back from Mexico.

And for medical expiration, since yours is expired in late November, it means your PR visa will be valid until late November so you can decide when you're going to land. Mine is valid until February 2011.

Anyway congratulations on your passport request

Hi Alisa,

Thank you! And good to know they do set passport submission deadline.
I sent my passport yesterday with Canada Post Priority. Yeah I almost felt like submitting it in person but made myself see the senses against flying to Buffalo from Vanc. Would have loved to get the visa in 1 hour though 8)
Good luck with your landing after Mexico (wow, enjoy!) and let us know of your landing experience. I'm planning to land at Point Roberts as soon as I receive my passport back - we were going there anyway for summer but turns out it works well as it's such a tiny port of entry there is no waiting there.

 

[mrsprogram]

Congrats Lilac6! You sent passport to Buffalo from Vancouver?

Looking forward to reading about you and alisa's landing experiences. ;D

 

[Lilac6]

Congrats Lilac6! You sent passport to Buffalo from Vancouver?

Looking forward to reading about you and alisa's landing experiences. ;D

Thanks Mrsprogram! My passport has been sent to Fort Elie - should be delivered there by tomorrow morning.

 

[adetia9]

Hi guys!! Grats on those of you moving forward, so exciting...
I saw some of you mentioned getting emails from Buffalo... I have yet to see a single email? Also, how did you find out your interview was waived?

 

[alisa]

Hi guys!! Grats on those of you moving forward, so exciting...
I saw some of you mentioned getting emails from Buffalo... I have yet to see a single email? Also, how did you find out your interview was waived?

I got email from Buffalo twice once my file was transfered to them. First email is approximately one month after the file was transfered. It was email to confirm that they got my application and they started processing. The second email was also approximately one month after the first mail. It was email to request my passport. They said they were in position for visa issuance. So from that I knew that interview was waived.

I see your timeline that Buffalo has started processing your case since Jun-8 so I guess you probably hear back from them in next 2 week or so.

 

[CaraPK]

My FBI clearance arrived today! Hooray!

Since my file was just transfered to Buffalo on 6/17, and I have obviously not received my AOR yet, is it better for me to wait until the Buffalo office requests my FBI letter? Or should I go ahead and send it now? I do have my client ID and kit ID numbers from the sponsorship approval.

Thanks for the guidance!

 

[michaelab]

woot so happy that you received the certificate! Let us know what you decide to do! I am going to be doing the same thing since I didn't get to send one w/ my PR application as well.

My FBI clearance arrived today! Hooray!

Since my file was just transfered to Buffalo on 6/17, and I have obviously not received my AOR yet, is it better for me to wait until the Buffalo office requests my FBI letter? Or should I go ahead and send it now? I do have my client ID and kit ID numbers from the sponsorship approval.

Thanks for the guidance!

 

[BC READY]

I got email from Buffalo twice once my file was transfered to them. First email is approximately one month after the file was transfered. It was email to confirm that they got my application and they started processing. The second email was also approximately one month after the first mail. It was email to request my passport. They said they were in position for visa issuance. So from that I knew that interview was waived.

I see your timeline that Buffalo has started processing your case since Jun-8 so I guess you probably hear back from them in next 2 week or so.

I've also never received emails from Buffalo. My application has been in since February and with Buffalo since March. I received correspondence from them only by mail - the AOR and a request for supposedly missing documents. Hopefully I hear from them by email soon - as I should be close to the end.....

 

[Lilac6]

I've also never received emails from Buffalo. My application has been in since February and with Buffalo since March. I received correspondence from them only by mail - the AOR and a request for supposedly missing documents. Hopefully I hear from them by email soon - as I should be close to the end.....

They also kept contacting us by snail mail, apart from one email which was PPR. They replied to all our email inquiries though, sometime within 48 hours, sometimes a lot later. PPR email to us had a different sender name (BFALOIMPA-AP＠international.gc.ca), not the usual Buffalo address (buffalo-im-enquiry＠international.gc.ca)

 

[BC READY]

did they ever update your "in process" information in e-cas? ours hasn't changed since they received the information in March !

 

[Lilac6]

did they ever update your "in process" information in e-cas? ours hasn't changed since they received the information in March !

Ours only got updated to "decision made on your application" almost a week after PPR email.

 

[alisa]

did they ever update your "in process" information in e-cas? ours hasn't changed since they received the information in March !

My case, e-cas status had changed few days after we got email from Buffalo either when they received/started our application and passport request.

 

[Lilac6]

This is a little advise for people sending passport to Fort Elie - just in case if anyone lose mind like I did - if you use Canada Post Primary Next A.M. service, don't request for signature on delivery! Sure, they attempted to deliver and took it back because no one is there to actually sign it!! Duh. Such a stupid thing to do on my part when the recipient address is a P.O.Box.

So I spent desperate 24 hours, contacting Canada Post (who said they wouldn't re-deliver and someone would need to come and pick it up from them), sending a pleaing email to Buffalo for arranging collection, sending my partner to an abyss with the thought we might not make our planned trip to spend summer on the other side of the border .... as the whole situation looked like my passport package could be kept in limbo at Post Office in Fort Ellie for 3 weeks or so until eventually it gets returned to the sender, and then I'd need to resend it, this time without signature on delivery...

Anyhow, the good part of the story is somehow I received a tracking confirmation for delivery today. Took 3 days in the end, so could have stuck with Xpresspost and saved some bucks and a lot of worry. I have no idea if Canada Post actually did re-deliver it without siganature, or if the visa office has some arrangement for those mails that require siganture.

But one thing I know now is, make sure to avoid signature on delivery as it would just cause delay. Well, I may be the only one...

 

[Godskid]

Thank you so much for that info on sending the passport. I appreciate it. Does anyone know if my kids are required to have passports too? Their 14 and 9 and they don't have passports, they have been using nexus cards to cross the border.