Visitor visa - processing time between biometrics and request for passport

[pat_ru]

Hello good people of the forum

I will try to be brief. My wife is Colombian, applying for Canadian Visitor Visa from Ireland. Nearest VAC is in London. Application submitted on the 2nd of August. Got email that biometrics are needed. To travel to London she needs a UK visa. She should be able to travel to UK around 30th of August - close to 30 days limit for biometrics.

Now the question - after she gives biometrics, hopefully around 30th of August - how long before she will get an email invitation to send the passport to get the visa placed in it? Is it going to be ~a day, ~a week etc? Is this when the visa application processing time actually begins (which is 6 days at present)? Called Canadian Visa centre and they couldn't help.

Also - how long, apart from the 2-4 working days for processing listed on the website, will we actually wait for the passport if we send it by super priority 1 business day courier?

We are travelling on the 14th of September and getting really nervous. So many setbacks with US Visa, UK Visa, Canadian Visa - all slow and non-applicant friendly in terms of getting some actual timelines etc...

Anyway - hope someone could help providing some estimates?

Thanks!
Pat

 

[Jalex23]

Now the question - after she gives biometrics, hopefully around 30th of August - how long before she will get an email invitation to send the passport to get the visa placed in it?

from 1 to 8 weeks, usually it takes 2.

Is it going to be ~a day, ~a week etc?

Working day.

Is this when the visa application processing time actually begins (which is 6 days at present)? Called Canadian Visa centre and they couldn't help.

Uh? The estimated processing times start from where the application is received by CIC and it ends when the application is approved/rejected.

Also - how long, apart from the 2-4 working days for processing listed on the website, will we actually wait for the passport if we send it by super priority 1 business day courier?

Estimated time is 2-4 working days. It might take longer.

Mailing time is better consulted with your courier provider.

 

[pat_ru]

Thank you @Jalex23 for prompt reply. If I may ask further:

from 1 to 8 weeks, usually it takes 2.

I'm confused. Currently, when I check online for processing times, it says 6 days for applying in Ireland. So there is 1-8 weeks on top of that after biometrics? I can't find any info on that.

So at best, from the day we provide biometrics, we can hope for
- 2 weeks
plus
- 2 - 4 days for passport processing
plus
- mailing passport

...

There is no way this can be done between 30th of Aug and 14th of Sept...

 

[Jalex23]

I'm confused. Currently, when I check online for processing times, it says 6 days for applying in Ireland. So there is 1-8 weeks on top of that after biometrics? I can't find any info on that.

Yes, that is the estimated time. The 1-8 weeks is from previous applicants.

So at best, from the day we provide biometrics, we can hope for
- 2 weeks
plus
- 2 - 4 days for passport processing
plus
- mailing passport

From the day you provide biometrics is 1-8 weeks + 2-5 days of passport processing + mailing passport.

At best you can expect 1 week + 1 day + 2 days = 1.5 weeks... more than enough for Sept 14th.


What you are trying to do is not advised. TImelines are estimates, not commitments. Many times the process takes way less and others it takes way more. Hard to say what will happen. You can be lucky and get the TRV in no time, or unlucky and you are randomly chosen for strict screening. No point on speculating.

Just be patient.

 

[pat_ru]

Thank you again @Jalex23 .

So the application is essentially on hold until they take biometrics and they won't even start looking at it? Makes absolutely no sense to me. Why bother someone to travel to another country if, for example, in the end the application is refused? One might think that biometrics should be the last step, after the application is processed and successful... Oh well....

Thanks again!

 

[Jalex23]

So the application is essentially on hold until they take biometrics and they won't even start looking at it?

The application is on hold, but this doesn't mean they haven't start working on it. One thing is certain, biometrics means some phases have been succesfully cleared.

Why bother someone to travel to another country if, for example, in the end the application is refused? One might think that biometrics should be the last step, after the application is processed and successful...

Biometrics can be failed, so what you are assuming cannot be done. Biometrics can and will only be requested BEFORE approval.

 

[pat_ru]

Another question on the same topic if I may. If we go to, say, Paris instead of London to provide the biometrics - is that going to affect the processing time in any way?

Thanks again!

 

[pat_ru]

I just wanted to share my experience with the Canada Visa Application process. I explained the starting situation at the beginning of this thread.

We are now 84 days into the process and our trip worth thousands of euros is long gone. Gone because no airline or cruise line will refund anything other than taxes and fees so close to the date of travel and taxes and fees are small change. Wont even cover the cost of credit we had to take for this. And we still didn't get the visa.

Application was finally approved a month ago and we are now stuck without passport as it's in London in VFS office for the past two weeks according to the tracking number we were given.

Let me just recap the reason for this moaning of mine: the processing time of Canada Visitor Visa, shown on Canada Visa website, for applicants residing in Ireland was showing 5 working days at the time of application. What the website fails to inform about is that the visa is not processed in Ireland but in Paris where the processing time is a LOT longer. Website also fails to inform that there is no way to provide biometrics in Ireland so you have to travel to the nearest VAC. The whole process is atrocious, scam-like and a scandal. If there was a way to sue - believe me I would.

So, here are the time-frames we experienced (all excluding things like postage, travel to VAC [which got delayed], delay to send passport [cause we didn't care anymore] etc)
1) Processing time before biometrics request - 4 days
2) Processing time between biometrics and approval - 39 days
3) Processing of the passport after approval - 13 days and counting (excluding postage)

Total - 56 days of pure processing so far vs 5 days that was showing on the website.

Cost of our visa - only visa - was:
- €124 visa fee
- €20 some other VFS fee out of nowhere
- €120 passport courier (cheapest and slowest there was from Ireland to UK)
- €300 travel to provide biometrics in Spain (cheapest there was last minute ticket)
- TOTAL €564 for nothing. Might have put it in the bin.

I've been to Canada myself many years ago and have always dreamed of returning with my wife to show her the beauty of it. Now just thinking about Canada makes me ill on my stomach. How can a visa process be so frustrating, difficult and long? Why is getting a US, Vietnam, UAE or even Russian visa so quick and easy in comparison??? How is US visa processing time so short and true to estimates and Canada isn't? How is there no process for speeding up or someone who can bump the application or at least look at it and say "oh, low hanging fruit - application and documents are perfectly organised, no errors, dream applicant - approved". Would literally take one glance at the passport with multiple visas all over the world and Irish residency... Blows my mind...

Gotta go before I break my keyboard

Good luck to anyone applying. Hope you're luckier than we were!

 

[PARWEZ_AKHTAR]

Dear friends.
I was applied through online CIC in 12/09/2017.
Next day i got my UCI & Application number.
My application Update two times and i received mail. " Your Application has been updated". on 13/09/2017 and also 15/09/2017.
After one month i got another mail. " Thank you for being patient ".
My current status is
Application status: We are processing your application. We will send you a message when there is an update or if we need more information from you.
Review of eligibility : We are reviewing whether you meet the eligibility requirements.
Review of medical results :You do not need a medical exam. We will send you a message if this changes.
Review of additional documents: The additional documents you provided are being reviewed.
Interview: You do not need an interview. We will send you a message if this changes.
Biometrics : We do not need your fingerprints. We will send you a message if this changes.
Background check:Not applicable.
Final decision : Your application is in progress. We will send you a message once the final decision has been made.

I want to know, How much time taken for final decision. its already 34 days passed.
Any suggestion. Please inbox me

 

[pat_ru]

@PARWEZ_AKHTAR I listed some figures above which could give you indication. But since you posted in my thread, I'm not sure if you will get any help here. I'd suggest opening a new thread to get exposure to your query. And you'd probably need to provide more details like from where you apply and for what kind of visa etc.

Now, back to my topic and continuing the rant

After I emailed UK VAC, the only reply I got was "call your courier to arrange the pickup of the passport". What?? Two issues with that adding to the long list of nightmare with Canada Visa:

1) Return envelope I sent them is with fedex and has a phone number on it - nobody in VAC can pick up the damn phone and call them to arrange collection? What am I paying all the fees for?
2) If I didn't send an email asking for an update would the passport be just sitting there forever? It's been several days since the passport was returned to VAC by the visa office.

I know I can only dream of someone who has any decision making power to actually look into improving this awful process but one can always hope...

Abysmal experience continues...

 

[RowlandE]

Hello please i am really worried. I applied online for Canada study visa since feb. 13th 2018 From Sweden and i was told to submit biomtic which i had to travel to Canada visa office in poland on feb 15th 2018 and i submited my biomtic.
On my study admission i was to start school 15th june 2018.
Its been more then 3 months,3 week, 3day i have not gotten any reply about my visa. I dont know what is going. I checked it said still processing. Please any help.

 

[fatima2000]

hello...im just confused.i uploaded my all my documents through online for canadian student visu .i paid my biometric fees through on line on 12 june 2018.Till knw i didnot receive any mail for biometric.i am rellly worried,

 

[fatima2000]

i would like to know will my visa process start without biometric through online which i applied.

 

[Tihomir50]

I know I'm replying to an old message, but just for the record, here's my similar experience:

—I'm a UK national with a non-UK husband. We booked the trip of a lifetime to Canada. I had an eTA which was no trouble at all.
—When we made the application for his visa, the processing time was given as 47 days. He gave his biometrics within 2 days of the application being submitted online.
—It's now well over 70 days, and we still haven't heard anything—since the biometrics were done, it just says background and eligibility checks are going on, and the application is in progress, everything else says "you do not need to . . . "
—Our holiday dates are now in the past, and as with your experience, our trip, that cost thousands of pounds, is gone, and none of it was recoverable. The travel insurance didn't cover visa issues.
—There is nothing on the website to say how you get the visa in your passport, and how long it will take. It just says, we'll let you know what to do next when we've processed the application.
—You can complain via webform. It says they'll only reply (within 2-5 working days) if you're outside the processing times, which we were. After 6 working days, we got a message saying that the application had gone to the London office (even though you upload everything to a site with a .ca domain), complain there instead.
—We complain to the London office, begging them to respond so we might save the holiday. The autoresponder says they'll try to reply in 28 days.
—Now, since the holiday is in the past, there's no point in pursuing it, so we use the webform to cancel the visa. Again, they'll try to reply in 28 days.

Our documents should have been fine, given that my husband had just successfully got his further leave to remain in the UK, which is hard work, and not given easily. As you say—how can they not have a priority service, or some way of speeding up applications which shouldn't be problematic?

Such a heartbreaking and disappointing experience. All we wanted was a 2 week holiday there, is there not a simpler way?

I just wanted to share my experience with the Canada Visa Application process. I explained the starting situation at the beginning of this thread.

We are now 84 days into the process and our trip worth thousands of euros is long gone. Gone because no airline or cruise line will refund anything other than taxes and fees so close to the date of travel and taxes and fees are small change. Wont even cover the cost of credit we had to take for this. And we still didn't get the visa.

Application was finally approved a month ago and we are now stuck without passport as it's in London in VFS office for the past two weeks according to the tracking number we were given.

Let me just recap the reason for this moaning of mine: the processing time of Canada Visitor Visa, shown on Canada Visa website, for applicants residing in Ireland was showing 5 working days at the time of application. What the website fails to inform about is that the visa is not processed in Ireland but in Paris where the processing time is a LOT longer. Website also fails to inform that there is no way to provide biometrics in Ireland so you have to travel to the nearest VAC. The whole process is atrocious, scam-like and a scandal. If there was a way to sue - believe me I would.

So, here are the time-frames we experienced (all excluding things like postage, travel to VAC [which got delayed], delay to send passport [cause we didn't care anymore] etc)
1) Processing time before biometrics request - 4 days
2) Processing time between biometrics and approval - 39 days
3) Processing of the passport after approval - 13 days and counting (excluding postage)

Total - 56 days of pure processing so far vs 5 days that was showing on the website.

Cost of our visa - only visa - was:
- €124 visa fee
- €20 some other VFS fee out of nowhere
- €120 passport courier (cheapest and slowest there was from Ireland to UK)
- €300 travel to provide biometrics in Spain (cheapest there was last minute ticket)
- TOTAL €564 for nothing. Might have put it in the bin.

I've been to Canada myself many years ago and have always dreamed of returning with my wife to show her the beauty of it. Now just thinking about Canada makes me ill on my stomach. How can a visa process be so frustrating, difficult and long? Why is getting a US, Vietnam, UAE or even Russian visa so quick and easy in comparison??? How is US visa processing time so short and true to estimates and Canada isn't? How is there no process for speeding up or someone who can bump the application or at least look at it and say "oh, low hanging fruit - application and documents are perfectly organised, no errors, dream applicant - approved". Would literally take one glance at the passport with multiple visas all over the world and Irish residency... Blows my mind...

Gotta go before I break my keyboard

Good luck to anyone applying. Hope you're luckier than we were!