Why is there such approval and processing variance between Visa Offices

[Boncuk]

And in the end every application is different. A guy married to a woman who has never moved, never lived in another country, and has an easily checked background would probably go much faster than a guy married to a woman who has lived in 4 countries over the years who would require more checking.

Apples and oranges. It sucks to wait, we all have to wait, sometimes you're an apple, sometimes you're an orange.

As much as that sounds lovely I beg to differ.. They are not as well run as you make it sound. They are audited quite rarely.. last time our office was audited was in 2005. Having being married to someone who has never moved never lived in another country, no military service.. it's not all easily compared like you are making it. There are many offices that need to be revamped and better run. Plain and simple

 

[frolic]

it's not all easily compared like you are making it.

There you go...you made my point. It is NOT easily compared.

Last time the office we went through was audited was in 2005 as well.

Our application was done in 5 months from the date it arrived in Mississauga. You can't know our situation of course, and you don't know what our paperwork looked like either, so you can't compare our timeline to yours. But, in the end my wife received her visa without an interview or any further requests for information and in the meantime she had managed to get a temp visa as well to visit over Christmas.
Your situation is possibly more complicated, harder to verify, going through a busier office, relys on paperwork proof that is less reliable, or perhaps some combination of all of the above.

 

[genio]

When I applied , I didn't include a lot of material proving our relationship was genuine. I got some e-mails we had sent even translated by a certified translator, receipts from two flights, hotel, a few edding fotos. I assumed she would be extremely easy to contact, and has tons of connections in her city to vouch for her. A guy I know from India here helps a lot of people here. He said if you are married , they cannot deny you immigraction. Of course I know that is wrong). In retrospect, I hope we don't regret not giving "tons" more evidence of our relationship, but I am really hoping, after a year,and there has been no request for an interview, that is a good sign. ):

 

[Rasha]

it's not all easily compared like you are making it.

There you go...you made my point. It is NOT easily compared.

Last time the office we went through was audited was in 2005 as well.

Our application was done in 5 months from the date it arrived in Mississauga. You can't know our situation of course, and you don't know what our paperwork looked like either, so you can't compare our timeline to yours. But, in the end my wife received her visa without an interview or any further requests for information and in the meantime she had managed to get a temp visa as well to visit over Christmas.
Your situation is possibly more complicated, harder to verify, going through a busier office, relys on paperwork proof that is less reliable, or perhaps some combination of all of the above.

While I will agree, that no two cases are the same, I do think that one can pull similarities from cases with respect to how a particular VISA office examines and reviews cases [vis-a-vis cultural aspects etc...]. Similarly no two cases are the same for any I/O - but there is a manual of OP's from which they have to have some standardization with which how they review any case - and it's with these notions that some will discuss time lines.

Generally speaking, CIC should operate similarly in all visa offices, and it doesn't - there are some very distinct variances AND that is proven by the conditions of those offices before and after audits, and the drastic changes that usually occur after such audits - to streamline and standardize the process at a particular site when it not meeting the 'standards' of the CIC as a whole.

 

[frolic]

but there is a manual of OP's from which they have to have some standardization with which how they review any case - and it's with these notions that some will discuss time lines.

None of the OP's manuals mention anything about timelines though...so having standard practices does not imply standard timelines ever.

Disregarding the fact that every individual case is different so it is nearly impossible to compare anyway you have to admit that there are differences within each country. Checking an application coming from one country can be much different than checking an application from another.

Do you not think that checking paperwork in Columbia might be more difficult than say...checking someones paperwork in U.S.A? Maybe the local government is slower to respond? Maybe the local government's work is more suspect to errors or fraud or corruption? Maybe there are more people who come to Canada from that country under false pretenses so they check MORE for people from certain originating countries? Just because the offices operate with the same procedures doesn't mean that external factors which are out of their control can't affect their timelines.

I have been through the same crappy wait so I know what you are going through. It seems unfair to see other offices with shorter timeframes. It sucks to wait! You know what I say...DON'T WAIT! Plan a visit to see each other somewhere besides Canada. Try to get a Temp Visa to Canada to visit. Don't just sit and wait and watch the status on the website. You'll go crazy! Just because you are waiting on paperwork does not mean that your life is on hold.

Our application was approved right after my wife visited me here in Canada and I emailed them to ask where I should send additional proof. I can't say for sure but I feel that my request to send more proof to them came too close to our approval for coincidence. Good luck.

 

[genio]

This really sucks. Everytime stats are up-dated, my wait is longer. At one point gov't site read 80% Bogota visa office, 11 months. Every time it is up-dated , they add another month on. It now reads, 80%, 14 months. I do not have the heart to tell my wife that we probably will not spend another Christmas together. My thought for the day, I wish some of the people in Canadian gov't who have control over visa offices, ( i.e. how many people work there etc.), had to endure this H.... that some of us endure, maybe they would make some changes to speed things up.

 

[Rasha]

frolic - I was not speaking in terms of actual times - but being an immigrant myself, and having many friends who have pass through the process as well, I can say there is a process that all i/o's pass through - that all charts pass through. these 'timelines' irrespective that you speak of, I did not mention in definitity - but there are many pieces of information that can be drawn when certain timepoints or requests have been passed.

I also already spoke on the differences inherent between visa offices - which is why I said you can draw more similarities within a particular visa office. I was trying to be PC - so please forgive the verbage. BUT an arabic if not muslim visa office is not going to review the file the same as it would from say your wife's country of Columbia, or US etc... this is what I was saying. I would not cross compare culturally speaking any office - BUT you can see similaries in different regions - it's a fact. AS well, you will see differences between christian and muslim cases, this is also a fact.

As for visiting each other, not all applicants have the financial ability to do so as frequently as they would like - and I daresay that suggesting to do that to prove genuiness of a relationship is subjective and unfair...so basically ppl with money can get through faster or 'easier' than those without? that is not fair ..adn I am not saying you are suggesting that - but in my opinion, that's not a fair level field by which to review cases...

AND the mere fact that your wife got a TRV to Canada is rare - it would never happen in our case, and I have several friends in the same position as me, who spouses are from the same country and have been denied....

 

[Rasha]

This really sucks. Everytime stats are up-dated, my wait is longer. At one point gov't site read 80% Bogota visa office, 11 months. Every time it is up-dated , they add another month on. It now reads, 80%, 14 months. I do not have the heart to tell my wife that we probably will not spend another Christmas together. My thought for the day, I wish some of the people in Canadian gov't who have control over visa offices, ( i.e. how many people work there etc.), had to endure this H.... that some of us endure, maybe they would make some changes to speed things up.

ACtually genio, my MP is the foreign affairs critic in the Can gov't, so they are a bit more versed than some other, and I have learneda lot more about the process from a procedural perspective. There was a recent bill pased to reform can imm- ironically it did not address more than 10% of what it was supposed to do, and it made no real changes in decreasing wait times [what it was supposed to do].

Very sad actually. - please forigve the typos etc.. I am home recovering from surgery today [yet another event in my life my hsuband could not be here to help me through ] and I am veery disgusted with teh cic at this point in time. I think the whole process is economy driven and I am soryr to say this, but countries more in bed with Canada if you will, are passing through the process much more quickly. [eg. UK, India]...

anyway, my rant.

 

[MARLENA]

Rasha sorry to hear about your surgery :0(. Wish you a quick recovery.
If you need any help let me know... you know i live in Ottawa and I'll be more happy to help in any way I can. I swear I mean it...

 

[Boncuk]

Sends a strawberry smoothy Rasha's way!! Hope the tooth feels better

 

[genio]

You guys are great! I appreciate all your info. It would probably just make things so much easier if we actually knew when to expect things. I am sure for a lot of us, the battle of loneliness just promotes the worst in us. I am off work for ? lumber industry, so I cannot go to Colombia to see my wife, and I did not even try the process of her coming on a visitor visa. I am 100% certain it would be rejected. JUst wanted to say I appreciate some of you on here trying to help others with your knowledge and encouragement hope you are recovering well Rasha

 

[Rasha]

Thanks Genio everyone,

I am back online since a few days - doing the best I can amidst all of the GLORIOUS approvals of VISA's and passport pickups - all of which don't include ours.

This process sucks.

I am becoming extremely cynical - and am doing my best to hold back the cynical comments that just wanna come out lol.

 

[ParadiseCrystals]

Dear all,

I had to have my baby July 2nd without my husband being here. but at least my mom was by my side...but still not the same..we are lebanese and sponsoring him through Nairobi Kenya...their max time to process used to be 15 now its 23!!!!

 

[ParadiseCrystals]

OH MY GOD I JUST CHECKED NOW IT'S MAX TIME 25 MONTHS!!! THEY KEEP ADDING MONTHS!!!!!

 

[Rasha]

Paradise,

I feel your pain, and am so sorry to hear you had to endure that by yourself!! Nothing can return those prescious moments .

I am worse to give advice because I am so angry and hate this process so much. They tell you one thing, then tell other elected officials something else, THEN, suddenly they change their mind and it's then something 'else'.

I have seen people pass through in half of the time we are still waiting! I have seen non-traditional cases fly by but yet they are scrutizining our cases so badly. Really, I have no faith in the process. Everyone i know is saying how good it is, how fair they are etc... They lose people's documents, they disallow them to travel for months, they hold up our lives, and we are supposed to just take it and be happy because 'we are going to a new country' and it is worth the wait!???

We started our process in March, I was approved in less than two weeks. Til now, they lost my file, then suddently found it and it was in queue. Then we were told BY an MP that almost 4months later it has not even been reviewed nor assigned to anyone...yet miraculously, we get an email last week saying it's within normal process time of 6 months, it's being processed etc.. Why all of these games and masquarades???? Why do we have to just have to take anything they give us and be thankful for the scraps we get!?? How is that fair and just??

Just today someone posted that their passport has been lost - they have the applicant's visa, but they lost the bloody passport - they are 15 I/O's at this site and they lost the most important document for that person. How is that OK?

bunch a bs.