Timeline

[Learner77]

Hi all,

It is the usual question, waiting is obviously not fun, although website says processing time takes approximately 12 months, I am seeing applications being processed sooner...

Any idea how long it takes once Medical and Biometrics are done...

We applied in April 09, Medicals and Bio metrics request was around the same time in June, since then no communication just waiting...

My lawyers secretary says there is a lot of backlog and we are at the background check stage which for most applications dating back to sept 2018 haven't started? is that so? is there really a lot of backlog? I just need to plan my self, if it is going to take over a year then I would rather move to India for some time , if its a matter of a few more months, then I can patiently wait...

 

[Hurlabrick]

Hi all,

It is the usual question, waiting is obviously not fun, although website says processing time takes approximately 12 months, I am seeing applications being processed sooner...

Any idea how long it takes once Medical and Biometrics are done...

We applied in April 09, Medicals and Bio metrics request was around the same time in June, since then no communication just waiting...

My lawyers secretary says there is a lot of backlog and we are at the background check stage which for most applications dating back to sept 2018 haven't started? is that so? is there really a lot of backlog? I just need to plan my self, if it is going to take over a year then I would rather move to India for some time , if its a matter of a few more months, then I can patiently wait...

80% processed in 12 months, some longer some shorter. They are NOT processed in any specific order and there is no correlation between having medical requests quickly, does not mean your will be any quicker.

Settle in for a 12 month wait.

 

[Learner77]

80% processed in 12 months, some longer some shorter. They are NOT processed in any specific order and there is no correlation between having medical requests quickly, does not mean your will be any quicker.

Settle in for a 12 month wait.

Hi thanks for the reply, yes it is i guess case to case ! if at all they are to deny application? how soon do they do that, i am assuming in the first few months? since my husband has been denied tourist visa twice before, its our first marriage and obviously genuine, but could that impact application?

 

[scylla]

Hi thanks for the reply, yes it is i guess case to case ! if at all they are to deny application? how soon do they do that, i am assuming in the first few months? since my husband has been denied tourist visa twice before, its our first marriage and obviously genuine, but could that impact application?

A denial can happen at any time - however typically it's towards the end of the processing period rather than at the start. A TRV denial should have no impact provided you've submitted evidence the relationship is genuine.

 

[Learner77]

A denial can happen at any time - however typically it's towards the end of the processing period rather than at the start. A TRV denial should have no impact provided you've submitted evidence the relationship is genuine.

Thanks that is very comforting !

 

[StellaArtois]

Hi all,

It is the usual question, waiting is obviously not fun, although website says processing time takes approximately 12 months, I am seeing applications being processed sooner...

Any idea how long it takes once Medical and Biometrics are done...

We applied in April 09, Medicals and Bio metrics request was around the same time in June, since then no communication just waiting...

My lawyers secretary says there is a lot of backlog and we are at the background check stage which for most applications dating back to sept 2018 haven't started? is that so? is there really a lot of backlog? I just need to plan my self, if it is going to take over a year then I would rather move to India for some time , if its a matter of a few more months, then I can patiently wait...

Medicals and biometrics done is great, but the part that takes the longest/has the greatest variability in timing is the background check... every case is different so it's pretty hard to say.

Yes apparently there is quite a bit of backlog, especially at the visa offices outside of Canada. There's a lot of factors in play, but generally the less complicated cases are processed more quickly, whereas the more complicated cases are much closer to taking the full 12 months (or more sometimes). I don't know your circumstances of course, but if you look for a thread on this forum with other applicants that have submitted for the same class of sponsorship around the same time as you, you can see where others are at.

For example, my husband and I are May 2019 Outland Family Class Sponsorship applicants, and our thread is this one https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/may-2019-outland-spousal-sponsorship.624808/ . The thread also has links to the excel spreadsheet tracking timelines of fellow applicants, as well as a WhatsApp chat group. About a third of Outland Familiy Class Sponsorship applicants from May 2019 have actually already had a decision made on their file as of today, which is impressively quick at a mere 4 months!
Quickly approved cases are usually more "simple" applications (married/together for 2+ years, have children together, no previous marriages, no "red flags", etc.) that are not missing any documentation. I've heard of what should have been "simple" cases taking extra long though, because not enough proof of relationship was given, or required documents were missing or expired.

If you browse the timeline tracking spreadsheets from past years, you'll notice that applications that finish processing at the Mississauga Visa Office are generally done much more quickly than the 12 month timeline. Usually it's the more complex applications that get transferred from Mississauga to the VO closest to the PA that end up taking around the entire 12 month wait time or longer, though on some occasions even simple applications may be transferred to the PA's closest VO.

Our application is considered "complex" because my husband has been married before, plus he has 4 criminal charges on his record (15+ years old, but still unfortunately a barrier...), plus we have what the government would consider "red flags" (age difference, ethnicity difference)... so our application got transferred from Mississauga to Los Angeles. Our lawyers have told us to expect our application to take at least 12 months to process, maybe even longer.

Of course, every case is individual and different, but if you just want to have some kind of idea of the range of what to expect, you can check out other people's timelines. Hopefully your case is less complicated than ours and will be approved on the faster end!

 

[Learner77]

Medicals and biometrics done is great, but the part that takes the longest/has the greatest variability in timing is the background check... every case is different so it's pretty hard to say.

Yes apparently there is quite a bit of backlog, especially at the visa offices outside of Canada. There's a lot of factors in play, but generally the less complicated cases are processed more quickly, whereas the more complicated cases are much closer to taking the full 12 months (or more sometimes). I don't know your circumstances of course, but if you look for a thread on this forum with other applicants that have submitted for the same class of sponsorship around the same time as you, you can see where others are at.

For example, my husband and I are May 2019 Outland Family Class Sponsorship applicants, and our thread is this one https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/may-2019-outland-spousal-sponsorship.624808/ . The thread also has links to the excel spreadsheet tracking timelines of fellow applicants, as well as a WhatsApp chat group. About a third of Outland Familiy Class Sponsorship applicants from May 2019 have actually already had a decision made on their file as of today, which is impressively quick at a mere 4 months!
Quickly approved cases are usually more "simple" applications (married/together for 2+ years, have children together, no previous marriages, no "red flags", etc.) that are not missing any documentation. I've heard of what should have been "simple" cases taking extra long though, because not enough proof of relationship was given, or required documents were missing or expired.

If you browse the timeline tracking spreadsheets from past years, you'll notice that applications that finish processing at the Mississauga Visa Office are generally done much more quickly than the 12 month timeline. Usually it's the more complex applications that get transferred from Mississauga to the VO closest to the PA that end up taking around the entire 12 month wait time or longer, though on some occasions even simple applications may be transferred to the PA's closest VO.

Our application is considered "complex" because my husband has been married before, plus he has 4 criminal charges on his record (15+ years old, but still unfortunately a barrier...), plus we have what the government would consider "red flags" (age difference, ethnicity difference)... so our application got transferred from Mississauga to Los Angeles. Our lawyers have told us to expect our application to take at least 12 months to process, maybe even longer.

Of course, every case is individual and different, but if you just want to have some kind of idea of the range of what to expect, you can check out other people's timelines. Hopefully your case is less complicated than ours and will be approved on the faster end!

WOW! Thank you Stella, really appreciate your detailed response!

Just to add to my story, though my hubby doesn't have any criminal records or so , but he has had over 10 visa applications denied, including 2 tourist visa denial and two US visa denials... in his last Canadian tourist visa denial his agent filling out application did not mention his earlier denials and due to that he does have misrepresentation on his GCSM notes . Will that impact his spousal application now, last visa refusal was in 2016. Our lawyer has applied under H & C grounds considering we have a history of relationship and simply want to be together.

 

[jnemiada]

just want to share my in-laws timeline
Country: Philippines
Tourist Visa Application
Original Passport Request: September 27, 2019
Corespondense Letter: September 27, 2019
Biometrics Collection: September 14, 2019
Submission Confirmation: September 13, 2019
Confirmation of Online Application Transmission: September 13, 2019

both of my inlaws got approved

 

[StellaArtois]

WOW! Thank you Stella, really appreciate your detailed response!

Just to add to my story, though my hubby doesn't have any criminal records or so , but he has had over 10 visa applications denied, including 2 tourist visa denial and two US visa denials... in his last Canadian tourist visa denial his agent filling out application did not mention his earlier denials and due to that he does have misrepresentation on his GCSM notes . Will that impact his spousal application now, last visa refusal was in 2016. Our lawyer has applied under H & C grounds considering we have a history of relationship and simply want to be together.

You're welcome; I am a little obsessive about detail myself haha.

Hmm... Like scylla said, past TRV denials shouldn't have an impact... but misrepresentation is definitely a concern that would make your application be deemed "complicated", because it calls into question the trustworthiness and completeness of the entire application. I'm not sure if you've seen this already, but CIC has a page about misrepresentation here https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/protect-fraud/document-misrepresentation.html Notably:

"If you send false documents or information, we’ll refuse your application. We may also:

• forbid you from entering Canada for at least 5 years
• give you a permanent record of fraud with us
• take away your status as a permanent resident or Canadian citizen
• have you charged with a crime or
• remove you from Canada"

If misrepresentation has occurred in the past, it could possibly prevent your current application from being approved, even if you are entirely honest this time. I personally don't have any idea what your chances of success are like, because I have not seen any cases with misrepresentation (to my knowledge) so far on this forum.

It's good that your lawyer has filed for you and your husband under H&C. If you've done everything possible to thoroughly declare all history this time, as well as to explain the misrepresentation in the past TRV application, then you've already done everything you can do. All that's left is to wait for the immigration officials to ask for more information and/or to make a final decision. It's a tough wait for sure