No updates since September (June 2023 - Inland Spousal Sponsorship)

[joaogabrielp3]

Hey there,

We applied for Family Sponsorship in June 09, 2023. My spouse is currently in Canada, and we have two dependents in Brazil. We meet all eligibility requirements, and both the medical exam and biometrics were completed in August. However, since September, our application has been transferred to the Etobicoke office, and we have not received any updates regarding its status. Only the background check is still in progress. I am puzzled as to why it is taking so long, especially considering that the processing time has been reduced to only 9 months. Despite this, our application remains in progress with no updates.

The Application Status Tracker portal shows that there was an update on March 12, 2024, but the overall status remains the same. The most recent visible update was on September 20, 2023, which indicates that the application was transferred to the Etobicoke office.


Are there others who are also experiencing a lack of updates on their application status?

 

[thatstupiddeer]

Background checks are notorious for taking a long time to clear because that involves communicating with other countries.

When my wife and I's application went a long while without communication, and we crossed the 13-month mark (that was the current timeframe for outland applications) we went to our MP's office, and the fellow who handled immigration matters for my MP was able to contact IRCC directly. I would recommend doing that, as it's a relatively simple process.

You can also order GMCS notes for your application. This I have not done, so I'm not 100% sure of the process, but I believe you can file for them online.

 

[joaogabrielp3]

Hey, thank you for your response.

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My timeline:

(Inland Spouse Sponsorship)

Sponsor: Citizen

Principal Applicant: Brazilian living in Canada

Dependents: Two dependents living in Brazil

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Jun 09, 2023 - Application submitted.

Jun 17, 2023 - AOR received.

Aug 03, 2023 – Medical exam requested.

Aug 17, 2023 – Biometrics requested.

Aug 17, 2023 – Eligibility completed.

Aug 18, 2023 – Pre-arrival letter received.

Aug 28, 2023 – Biometrics completed.

Sep 06, 2023 – Medical passed.

Sep 08, 2023 – Sponsor approval letter received.

Sep 13, 2023 – Updated passports received through webform.

Sep 20, 2023 – Application transferred to Etobicoke office.

Sep 23, 2023 – Ghost update.

Mar 12, 2024 – Ghost update.

Mar 14, 2024 – GMCS notes ordered through ATIP request (in progress)

 

[GBMfaith]

Background checks are notorious for taking a long time to clear because that involves communicating with other countries.

When my wife and I's application went a long while without communication, and we crossed the 13-month mark (that was the current timeframe for outland applications) we went to our MP's office, and the fellow who handled immigration matters for my MP was able to contact IRCC directly. I would recommend doing that, as it's a relatively simple process.

You can also order GMCS notes for your application. This I have not done, so I'm not 100% sure of the process, but I believe you can file for them online.

May I ask how to go to MP’s office? I applied inland spouse sponsorship in July 2023 by myself ,now stuck waiting for the P2 mail for 3 months.

 

[thatstupiddeer]

May I ask how to go to MP’s office? I applied inland spouse sponsorship in July 2023 by myself ,now stuck waiting for the P2 mail for 3 months.

If you are in Canada, you can look up who your MP is on this website: Find Members of Parliament - Members of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada. Enter your postal code, and go with the current Member of Parliament that comes up.

You can find their Constituency office (NOT Hill office) phone number under contact when you click on their name when it comes up in the search. Call that number, and explain that you are looking for immigration services/help with immigration, and you can make an appointment.

You're not likely to speak to the MP directly--when my wife and I went, we spoke to a man who handled immigration matters, and he was very helpful--and they have a more direct line into IRCC.

 

[nyantaro19]

Did you check your GCKey account? The only time I had a ghost update from the tracker was when my application got approved in the GCKey.

 

[GBMfaith]

If you are in Canada, you can look up who your MP is on this website: Find Members of Parliament - Members of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada. Enter your postal code, and go with the current Member of Parliament that comes up.

You can find their Constituency office (NOT Hill office) phone number under contact when you click on their name when it comes up in the search. Call that number, and explain that you are looking for immigration services/help with immigration, and you can make an appointment.

You're not likely to speak to the MP directly--when my wife and I went, we spoke to a man who handled immigration matters, and he was very helpful--and they have a more direct line into IRCC.

Thank you very much

 

[GBMfaith]

Did you check your GCKey account? The only time I had a ghost update from the tracker was when my application got approved in the GCKey.

I can’t link my application to Gckey

 

[GBMfaith]

Background checks are notorious for taking a long time to clear because that involves communicating with other countries.

When my wife and I's application went a long while without communication, and we crossed the 13-month mark (that was the current timeframe for outland applications) we went to our MP's office, and the fellow who handled immigration matters for my MP was able to contact IRCC directly. I would recommend doing that, as it's a relatively simple process.

You can also order GMCS notes for your application. This I have not done, so I'm not 100% sure of the process, but I believe you can file for them online.

So what happened after the MP fellow contacted IRCC?

 

[joaogabrielp3]

Did you check your GCKey account? The only time I had a ghost update from the tracker was when my application got approved in the GCKey.

Yes, I've checked my GCKey account, but the only update visible to me through that portal was on September 6th, confirming that I have passed the medical exams.

 

[joaogabrielp3]

If you are in Canada, you can look up who your MP is on this website: Find Members of Parliament - Members of Parliament - House of Commons of Canada. Enter your postal code, and go with the current Member of Parliament that comes up.

You can find their Constituency office (NOT Hill office) phone number under contact when you click on their name when it comes up in the search. Call that number, and explain that you are looking for immigration services/help with immigration, and you can make an appointment.

You're not likely to speak to the MP directly--when my wife and I went, we spoke to a man who handled immigration matters, and he was very helpful--and they have a more direct line into IRCC.

What happened after the MP's communication with IRCC?

 

[thatstupiddeer]

What happened after the MP's communication with IRCC?

We didn't hear back for a while. I spoke to him in late November 2023, he contacted them on Dec 1, 2023, and he got an update in Feb which he then shared with us. There weren't a lot of details, just couple of statuses that were changed and on what dates, but it did give us an idea of what was going on behind the scenes to some degree.

I am not sure if the gap between his contact and the reply he got from IRCC is normal, but it may also have been because the Christmas holidays were around the corner.

After he reached out to them, things suddenly did get moving, but I'm not sure if this was because of his contact, or just coincidence. However, since then, my wife has gotten her application approved, so it was a positive thing for our application.

 

[joaogabrielp3]

I reached out to my MP, and following his correspondence with IRCC, he informed me that they are unable to take any action due to my spouse being out of status. He expressed concern that pressuring IRCC could result in my spouse's deportation. I find this confusing, as my spouse is already eligible and has received a pre-arrival letter. Everything was progressing smoothly until this point.

 

[Lili611]

I reached out to my MP, and following his correspondence with IRCC, he informed me that they are unable to take any action due to my spouse being out of status. He expressed concern that pressuring IRCC could result in my spouse's deportation. I find this confusing, as my spouse is already eligible and has received a pre-arrival letter. Everything was progressing smoothly until this point.

did you apply to restore his/her status after the pre-arrival letter?

Being eligible for apply PR under Family doesn't give back valid status. You'd have to apply to restore it.

anw, under IRCC policy public, people who are out-of-status can still getting PR approved under the Family Class.

Did you try to order GCMS notes?

 

[joaogabrielp3]

Hey, I ordered GCMS notes through ATIP request on March 14th, still waiting to receive them. Last week, we applied for a Spouse Open Work Permit in an attempt to restore her status, as our application has been approved in principle. Keeping our fingers crossed for a positive outcome.