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Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

Ichiro

Star Member
Oct 11, 2011
54
1
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
15-11-2010
File Transfer...
12/02/2011
Interview........
28/09/2011
VISA ISSUED...
20/01/2012
LANDED..........
06/02/2012
jstnmlr said:
OMFG, It's going to be an amazing Christmas! I picked up my phone because my wife sent me a text. I looked at my email as I normally due ready delete all the junk and BAM!

PPR! :eek: :eek: :eek:

I feel a bit of guilt for those of you who were due long before me... but we have no control so all I can say is I know how rough things can be being separated and I can't imagine having to wait as long as some. CIC needs to get their act together.

For those that love the details... It was an email
Subject: F0000****** MIL***, **** **** [mxf/pb] (file#, Full name, some code)
From: BFALOIMPA-AP @ international.gc.ca (I believe someone posted this email the other day.
Body:Dear Applicant:

This refers to your application for permanent residence in Canada. We are now in a position to request your passports for visa issuance.

Please submit your passport(s) within the next 30 days. The issuance of your visa(s) is time sensitive so it is important for you to submit your passport(s) as requested. Please note, though your passport(s) is/are due at our office within the next 30 days, you must check your documents upon receipt. There will be a validity date indicated, and the landing must take place on or before that date. The visas cannot be extended. If you are not prepared to live permanently in Canada immediately after landing, please consult the website regarding residency requirements in order to ensure that you retain your status in Canada.

We require two (2) recent photographs of yourself and each accompanying family member.

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE.

FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE:

Passport requirements
Photographs, height and eye colour
Instructions for passport submission
Important notice for family members


Immigration Section/Section de l'immigration
Consulate General of Canada
Consulat général du Canada
Buffalo, New York
congrats!!!!! ;D

Now if only Buffalo and Mississauga could process more PPRs. Paid the RPRF early October as per an email from the embassy. Fingers crossed for more updates today!
 

ddobro2

Champion Member
May 4, 2011
2,589
38
123
Montreal, QC Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo, NY
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
You're officially waiting a year now? When did your medicals expire and why do you think it's taking this long?
Ichiro said:
congrats!!!!! ;D

Now if only Buffalo and Mississauga could process more PPRs. Paid the RPRF early October as per an email from the embassy. Fingers crossed for more updates today!
 

AmericaninQuebec

Hero Member
Oct 12, 2011
528
7
Quebec
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-02-2011
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
05-12-2011
VISA ISSUED...
15-12-2011
LANDED..........
11-01-2012
ddobro2 said:
Thanks for this - was it linked from the main page of CIC or what?
There's another thread in Family Class talking about it. Forget the title of it now...but anyway, the OP on there put the link up.
 

Eddy070

Hero Member
Apr 25, 2010
274
0
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
The link is confirmed and have read it from other thread too. It's going to be in effect by December not sure what different it makes in this entire process. They should be focusing on clearing the backlog instead of making some irrelevant changes.
 

ddobro2

Champion Member
May 4, 2011
2,589
38
123
Montreal, QC Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo, NY
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Skipping the steps of requesting, affixing a visa to, and mailing back passports for U.S. citizens obviously does play a role in alleviating the backlog, all else being equal.
Eddy070 said:
The link is confirmed and have read it from other thread too. It's going to be in effect by December not sure what different it makes in this entire process. They should be focusing on clearing the backlog instead of making some irrelevant changes.
 

yooper

Star Member
May 16, 2011
85
1
Detroit, MI USA -> Sechelt, BC CANADA
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
13-06-2011
AOR Received.
11-08-2011
Med's Done....
w/ app
Passport Req..
06-12-2011
VISA ISSUED...
20-12-2011
Eddy070 said:
The link is confirmed and have read it from other thread too. It's going to be in effect by December not sure what different it makes in this entire process. They should be focusing on clearing the backlog instead of making some irrelevant changes.
I rather think its quite relevant. Efficiency is what they need.
 

cantor2537

Star Member
Jun 2, 2011
190
1
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo-->LA
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
19-08-2011
AOR Received.
01-12-2011
File Transfer...
28-10-2011, 15-12-2011 (transferred to LA)
Med's Done....
13-06-2011
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
17-02-2012
VISA ISSUED...
01-03-2012
LANDED..........
08-03-2012
Just curious, does anyone know the refusal rate for US citizens? I'm reading a lot of refusals in the other threads; it's making me nervous.
 

AmericaninQuebec

Hero Member
Oct 12, 2011
528
7
Quebec
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-02-2011
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
05-12-2011
VISA ISSUED...
15-12-2011
LANDED..........
11-01-2012
cantor2537 said:
Just curious, does anyone know the refusal rate for US citizens? I'm reading a lot of refusals in the other threads; it's making me nervous.
Based on the spreadsheet I don't see anyone who has been refused. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though, because I just did a quick read-through and word search. I get the impression that it's rare to have an interview request and even more rare to be refused. Not saying it can't happen, but I get the impression that they don't tend to assume that an American would marry a Canadian for economic reasons.
 

kayan

Star Member
Nov 30, 2010
161
1
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Hubby just landed! ;D He drove from Seattle and landed at Port Huron. He said that it took about 5 minutes, just took care of some paper work (the title on the car, list of possessions...), and then the officer shook his hand, said congratulations and welcomed him to Canada. Now, like a true Canadian, he is lunching at a Tim Hortons :p

Someone was asking about landing with expired medicals or receiving PPR after the medicals have expired (which was our case). They did not ask about medicals at all :)
 

cantor2537

Star Member
Jun 2, 2011
190
1
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo-->LA
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
19-08-2011
AOR Received.
01-12-2011
File Transfer...
28-10-2011, 15-12-2011 (transferred to LA)
Med's Done....
13-06-2011
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
17-02-2012
VISA ISSUED...
01-03-2012
LANDED..........
08-03-2012
AmericaninQuebec said:
Based on the spreadsheet I don't see anyone who has been refused. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though, because I just did a quick read-through and word search. I get the impression that it's rare to have an interview request and even more rare to be refused. Not saying it can't happen, but I get the impression that they don't tend to assume that an American would marry a Canadian for economic reasons.
I was hoping that would be the case; looked through the spreadsheet too. I guess we don't have official stats but it's helpful to know that at least for the folks on here, we likely won't get refused, even with the current economic mess the US is in.
 

ddobro2

Champion Member
May 4, 2011
2,589
38
123
Montreal, QC Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo, NY
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Yeah, that's generally true although the spreadsheet isn't comprehensive. I think I read earlier about a U.S. citizen being refused and then they ended up getting PR from the U.S. for the Canadian woman....not sure if it was a spouse or common-law relationship and I'll have to look it up on the forum.
AmericaninQuebec said:
Based on the spreadsheet I don't see anyone who has been refused. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though, because I just did a quick read-through and word search. I get the impression that it's rare to have an interview request and even more rare to be refused. Not saying it can't happen, but I get the impression that they don't tend to assume that an American would marry a Canadian for economic reasons.
 

cantor2537

Star Member
Jun 2, 2011
190
1
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo-->LA
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
19-08-2011
AOR Received.
01-12-2011
File Transfer...
28-10-2011, 15-12-2011 (transferred to LA)
Med's Done....
13-06-2011
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
17-02-2012
VISA ISSUED...
01-03-2012
LANDED..........
08-03-2012
kayan said:
Hubby just landed! ;D He drove from Seattle and landed at Port Huron. He said that it took about 5 minutes, just took care of some paper work (the title on the car, list of possessions...), and then the officer shook his hand, said congratulations and welcomed him to Canada. Now, like a true Canadian, he is lunching at a Tim Hortons :p

Someone was asking about landing with expired medicals or receiving PPR after the medicals have expired (which was our case). They did not ask about medicals at all :)
Congrats! hope my wife's medicals don't expire
 

ddobro2

Champion Member
May 4, 2011
2,589
38
123
Montreal, QC Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo, NY
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
I guess it would be nice if they broke it down by visa office (not to mention immigration stream!). As far as I know the official stats on how many applications were refused are aggregate - so for the first 6 months of this year, there were approx. 134,000 "positive outcomes", 39,000 "negative outcomes," and 12,000 cases of withdrawn applications. But like I said, that doesn't help people who want to know refusals specific to a VO or even specific to Family Class. If there are any refusals from Buffalo, particularly if they involve U.S. citizens, I would surmise that those refusals have to do with something other than the genuineness of the relationship.
cantor2537 said:
I was hoping that would be the case; looked through the spreadsheet too. I guess we don't have official stats but it's helpful to know that at least for the folks on here, we likely won't get refused, even with the current economic mess the US is in.
 

cantor2537

Star Member
Jun 2, 2011
190
1
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo-->LA
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
19-08-2011
AOR Received.
01-12-2011
File Transfer...
28-10-2011, 15-12-2011 (transferred to LA)
Med's Done....
13-06-2011
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
17-02-2012
VISA ISSUED...
01-03-2012
LANDED..........
08-03-2012
ddobro2 said:
I guess it would be nice if they broke it down by visa office (not to mention immigration stream!). As far as I know the official stats on how many applications were refused are aggregate - so for the first 6 months of this year, there were approx. 134,000 "positive outcomes", 39,000 "negative outcomes," and 12,000 cases of withdrawn applications. But like I said, that doesn't help people who want to know refusals specific to a VO or even specific to Family Class. If there are any refusals from Buffalo, particularly if they involve U.S. citizens, I would surmise that those refusals have to do with something other than the genuineness of the relationship.
Thanks. Yeah, your spreadsheet is quite helpful in this regard. It's a relatively large sample of all applicants over the past year or so, so if there were any refusals, I think it would be represented. The fact there are none probably means one less thing to worry about (knock on wood).
 

StateOfConfusion

Star Member
Nov 13, 2011
155
1
124
Pennsylvania - USA
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
16-11-2011
AOR Received.
20-01-2012 (CPC-M/Sponsor)/14-2-2012 (Buffalo)
File Transfer...
20-01-2012
Med's Done....
05-10-2011
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
20-3-2012
VISA ISSUED...
COPR - 10-4-2012
LANDED..........
24-5-2012
Ooooh...spreadsheet. Might I be added? :) Just one more place to track it :)