What to expect next?

[jeff198901]

I am going to be sending my application out today to sponsor my spouse from the states, what should I expect next?

 

[kasskiss125]

I am going to be sending my application out today to sponsor my spouse from the states, what should I expect next?

You haven't sent the application and you're wondering what's next?. Welcome on-board.
All I can tell you is, it will be long ride. Patience is the key.

 

[CDNPR2014]

you should expect silence for about 2-3 weeks. IRCC will open it, confirm everything has been signed and the correct forms are included and send the sponsor an "acknowledgement of receipt" (also known as AOR). Then, IRCC moves on to processing the sponsor's application and will send an approval letter (known as SA) another 1-3 weeks after receiving AOR. It's best to check the thread specific to the month you send your application so you can track when others are receiving notifications from IRCC. The timing for SA goes up and down based on application volume and other seasonal factors.

Once that's done, the application will be transferred to the appropriate visa office (Ottawa for US applicants), and it will sit in queue until it's picked up for processing. Generally speaking, US applicants are getting approved in 5-6 months, so there will be more silence until IRCC contacts the applicant about any additional document request, their passport request and visa processing.

 

[Tdot_Boy]

I am going to be sending my application out today to sponsor my spouse from the states, what should I expect next?

Here is the March 2017 Excel tracking sheet to get a good sense of what to expect
mar 2017- http://tinyurl.com/jhfk6ph


Cheers

 

[jeff198901]

you should expect silence for about 2-3 weeks. IRCC will open it, confirm everything has been signed and the correct forms are included and send the sponsor an "acknowledgement of receipt" (also known as AOR). Then, IRCC moves on to processing the sponsor's application and will send an approval letter (known as SA) another 1-3 weeks after receiving AOR. It's best to check the thread specific to the month you send your application so you can track when others are receiving notifications from IRCC. The timing for SA goes up and down based on application volume and other seasonal factors.

Once that's done, the application will be transferred to the appropriate visa office (Ottawa for US applicants), and it will sit in queue until it's picked up for processing. Generally speaking, US applicants are getting approved in 5-6 months, so there will be more silence until IRCC contacts the applicant about any additional document request, their passport request and visa processing.

Will aor come to my(the sponsors) email?

 

[CDNPR2014]

Will aor come to my(the sponsors) email?

yes, AOR and SA go to the sponsor. Everything else after goes to the applicant.

 

[danawhitaker]

Will aor come to my(the sponsors) email?

AOR actually came to me as the PA, but most of the time it seems to go to the sponsor. Keep an eye on both e-mail addresses.

As for what else to expect, the request for the background declaration will come at some point after you're able to link, as well as the request for the police check (if you didn't send up front) and for the medical exam (if you didn't have a chance to get that done prior to the change to that system). That seems to be happening prior to the applications actually going on to the VO, or close to in tandem with that. You can start trying to link whenever you want. I was able to link prior to AOR. Keep in mind that with the new kit no one knows for sure exactly how everything's going to work.

I highly recommend keeping an eye on other U.S. applicants, beyond those in just your month. It gives you the opportunity to see what's going on ahead of you, and to prepare for it. For instance, I noticed people getting asked for new photos from the July applicants getting approved before I did, so I took the opportunity to have new photos done when I was in Canada for Christmas in case they asked us for them (which they ultimately did). This meant not having to deal with trying to find a place in the U.S. or going to get them immediately after arriving in Canada. And because I was paying attention to the group of people who got DM and PPR before I did, I knew to anticipate that I was going to be asked for a prepaid envelope, an Annex A form, a copy of my passport, and the new photos, which differed from the way Americans were previously being processed. My husband and I were able to plan how we wanted to handle the mailing of that prior to actually getting the PPR e-mail. That preparation ultimately made the difference in me being able to move one weekend instead of a later one, because we were able to get everything mailed off quickly, and I was able to make plans with my daughter's school for when her last day would be based on the timelines I was observing for DM and PPR.