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| Subject: Canadian Immigration Summary |
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I have benefited so much from this forum. Here is a summary of my own experience on Canadian immigration. Good luck to you all and hope this can somehow help you.
TIMELINE:
Buffalo Skilled Worker Category
APP: May, 2004
AOR: June, 2004
IA: January, 2005 (Interview Waived)
Medical and additional documents: February, 2005
Passport Request: May, 2005
Visa: June, 2005
MYTH BUSTER:
PO BOX: Who says one cannot use a PO Box for Canadian immigration? I had expected moving before I submitted my application. While reading the instructions, I did not find anything in the instructions, which explicitly said one could not use a PO Box address. I then decided to try my luck. Of course, you have to have a US residential address as an indication that you are in the country. But your residential address does not have to be the same as your mailing address. I used a PO Box address as my mailing address. All correspondence was sent to the PO Box address. It worked just fine. I never had to change my mailing address. So, if you expect moving and don?t want to be worried about changing your address, use a PO Box as your mailing address. The smallest size only costs about $26 a year. It?s worth avoiding the trouble with address change.
KEY EXPERIENCES:
FOLLOW the instructions: Follow the exact instructions. Do what you are asked to do. Be thorough. It does not hurt to provide more than what they ask for as evidence for your claims.
NO need for a lawyer: I always consider myself as a low IQ person. If I can do it, trust me, you can do it too.
LANGUAGE ability: There is no joke here. Don?t assume if you?ve had some education in the US or Canada, you will be automatically waived for the language ability proof. Unless you can prove you are a native English speaker, even you have a PhD from the US or Canada, you still have to write the language proficiency letter. I didn?t take any test. I wrote a 3-page single space letter providing evidence for my language proficiency. I also speak some French, so I assume that helped me to. But be thorough and show HARD EVIDENCE to support your claims. I don?t think a sample letter is necessarily helpful, because each case is so unique. There is no better way or worse way writing that letter. The key is to support your claims with hard evidence. My English proficiency letter was only 3 pages long, but I showed about 20 pages of different documents to support every single claim I made in that letter. Let me stress this one more time, ?language proficiency is very crucial?!
COVER letter: For every correspondence you send in, include a cover letter. Without it, your application feels dry. Visa officers are humans too. Writing a cover letter makes both you and the visa officer feel like it is a human-to-human interaction, instead of mad-individuals-to-emotionless-bureaucrats interaction. Be polite, and thank them all the time, even you are pissed off. Politeness is virtue (that?s not ass-kissing). Don?t think kicking someone?s ass is the ultimate solution. It ain?t!
PATIENCE VS AGGRESSIVENESS:
In general, patience will help. Nowadays, it takes 1-3 months to get your AOR; 6-8 IA; 2-12 passport request; and 15 BUSINESS DAYS to get your visa back. Ask yourself first. If what?s happening to you is within the standard service time frame, then be patient. It will come. If it is completely at odds with the average time frame, then don?t sit on your ass. Do something about it. A polite fax or letter might help. My E-client status changed a week after I had faxed an inquiry to them. I am not certain if that?s a coincidence or if there is any correlation between my fax and the E-client status change (although I never got any reply from them), but something happened.
MAILING THINGS: For some reason, I always liked FedEx. So every single item I sent to Buffalo I used FedEx. I like FedEx because their tracking is spontaneous. USPS only updates its system every early evening. Ever since UPS merged with Mailbox Etc., I stopped using them. You have to go in to their local store and give them an address, and then they will type a label for you. If your mail is returned, it is not returned to you directly. It is returned to the UPS store where you sent the package, and the store will contact you for a pickup (At least, it?s the case in my town). I always tried to avoid going through unnecessary agents in between for sending important documents like this. So I always used FedEx Express to send things in. Getting things back is different. Buffalo only uses USPS. For the passport return, I highly recommend that you use a self-addressed, prepaid USPS Express Flat Rate service. It cost about $13 and you get it back the next day guaranteed. You don?t want your passport lying around somewhere! The bottom line ? don?t plan on saving money.
These are what I can think of so far. I will post more when I can think of anything. But it?s been my pleasure reading this forum. I learned a lot here. I wish you the best!
[18-06-2005,16:42]
[***.206.108.21]
Fran?ais |
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(in reply to: Canadian Immigration Summary)
great advice
[18-06-2005,19:15]
[***.20.170.23]
sharon |
(in reply to: Canadian Immigration Summary)
God Bless UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.
[19-06-2005,15:28]
[**.114.248.66]
Romantic Warrior |
PO Box (in reply to: Canadian Immigration Summary)
I too have used a PO Box in the US for my application. I have passed the IA stage without problem.
PO are boxes are secure and consistent, you also generally get your mail a day early.
Thanks for the tips.
[20-06-2005,13:57]
[**.41.99.69]
Tim |
(in reply to: Canadian Immigration Summary)
Can you tell me about funds? I meet all the requirements till now but funds I am planing to take from my uncle for few days. How long should I keep the funds in my account. I dont have all the funds right now but half of it so planned to take some from uncle and friends. Advice me I will be grateful
[21-06-2005,03:43]
[***.78.98.107]
Mohammed |
(in reply to: Canadian Immigration Summary)
I never had to borrow money, so I am not sure if I knew the right answer. But in my case, there was no indication that Buffalo conducted any check on my financial sources. So, my best guess would be that as long as you can get a statement/letter from the bank saying you have what Buffalo asks for, you should be fine. Good luck!
[21-06-2005,13:00]
[***.206.108.18]
Fran?ais |
sample letter (in reply to: Canadian Immigration Summary)
can any one help me to write the language proficiency letter
for canadian immigration. If u guys have sample letter plese post it. it will be great help
thanks in advance
[21-06-2005,23:32]
[**.199.0.201]
Andy |
police certificate (in reply to: Canadian Immigration Summary)
Hi there,
I just came across this forum, seems really helpful. I have a quick question on obtaining a police report from US.
we have already furnished a police report from our home country, however we were able to furnish police certificate from the current state that we live in, The local police said they could access our criminal record only for this state.
so, My question is, Can we send our application along with Police report from home-country and local police certificate from here now, and send the US police certificate and finger print as soon as we get it from FBI.
or, is it absolutely necessary to send all documents at once?
and also, The photo requirement is not 2 by 2 passport size, It is something like 1 3/8 by 1 3/4, i could not find any thing that makes the required size, how big of a issue is this? I am thinking of cutting the picture myself? any suggestions.
what are some of the things that could be included in language proficiency letter? I was thinking of making a letter from my advisor showing my language proficiency? any advice?
I really appreciate your help.
Thank you,
alicia
[16-08-2006,02:22]
[***.212.34.77]
Alicia |
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