Visitor Visa for Conference - F1 visa - From USA

[nisee91]

Hi

I am invited to speak at a conference in Banff on May 20 to 24.

I applied online for a visitor visa to Canada on May 6th and submitted my biometrics on May 8th.

I am an Indian citizen on an F1-OPT visa. I've been living in the US since 2012.

I have sent letters of support from the inviters with my application.

What are my chances of getting the visa before the dates of the conference?

I live in Philadelphia so, the application will be through the VAC in NYC.

Thanks!

 

[k.h.p.]

Today is the 13th. Barring a miracle, you will not get your passport back in time for a conference on the 20th unless your online application indicates it was approved in the next day.

 

[nisee91]

Thanks for your reply!

Ah, I see. When would you expect it to be approved, given the biometrics date?

And can I expect to have the passport by May 22 at least? The organizers have agreed to let me speak on the last possible day (May 24).

I am willing to go to the VAC in person to make sure the passport stamping takes less time.

 

[k.h.p.]

Thanks for your reply!

Ah, I see. When would you expect it to be approved, given the biometrics date?

And can I expect to have the passport by May 22 at least? The organizers have agreed to let me speak on the last possible day (May 24).

I am willing to go to the VAC in person to make sure the passport stamping takes less time.

The VAC does not affix the counterfoil to your passport. They courier it to a Canadian consulate that does the affixing. All you do is give a VAC clerk your passport. End of that day they send it to the consulate. Two to ten days or so later the consulate sends it back to the VAC.

 

[nisee91]

The VAC does not affix the counterfoil to your passport. They courier it to a Canadian consulate that does the affixing. All you do is give a VAC clerk your passport. End of that day they send it to the consulate. Two to ten days or so later the consulate sends it back to the VAC.

Thanks so much! That's good to know. Hopefully it gets approved soon.

And hopefully the transit time from VAC to consulate is small as they are both in NYC.

 

[nisee91]

Update: My visa application got approved yesterday night (May 13th). And I submitted my passport this morning on May 14th.

I filled out an request for urgent processing, I hope it gets done soon.

 

[k.h.p.]

Fingers crossed for you.

 

[nisee91]

Hello again, so I submitted my passport at the VAC in NYC yesterday. They sent it to the IRCC yesterday and the IRCC received it this morning.

I now got the following notification:
Your processed decision envelope has been dispatched from the IRCC Office, on 2019/05/15 and is on transit through the VAC in (HUB City) to the Canada Visa Application Centre in New York

What does this mean?

 

[k.h.p.]

Your passport is on its way back to the VAC in NYC.

 

[nisee91]

Oh that's great. Does that mean I can pick it up as soon as it gets there? Or is there more that needs to be processed by the VAC?

 

[nisee91]

Update: the passport was stamped and delivered to the NYC VAC yesterday i.e. May 16th.

So here is my timeline for a business visa:
May 6 - completed online application
May 7 - received request for biometrics
May 8 - completed biometrics
May 13 - received biometrics notification and passport request
May 14 - submitted passport at NYC VAC in person
May 16 - received notification that passport is ready for collection at NYC VAC

 

[k.h.p.]

Congratulations - just in time. Good idea to pay for urgent processing.

 

[nisee91]

Thanks!

Oh, I didn't have to pay anything for urgent processing. Just had to fill a form providing a reason and provided a letter from my inviter in Canada requesting speedy processing.