PPR RECEIVED!

Hoorah! received the PPR on the 6th Jan.

Well that took long enough didn't it. And isn't the reality completely different from the dream. Two days ago I was ready to sell up and jump on the first plane. Now I am almost dreading dealing with all this. 

I hate to say it but my husband was right.  He always said that we should rent it out first and one day sell it. How he always seems to be completely grounded in any (most) situation is beyond me. But here we are. 

I think what will happen is I will go over and rent a cheap room while i find a job and a better place to rent then he will come over with the cats.

Friends have already said they want to rent the flat... that idea feels the best instead of selling everything lock stock and barrel.

I have to suck it up and give in my notice even though I have nothing to go to. Quite daunting, but i have a crazy 3 month notice period and i know i want out so three months is enough to deal with!

I will spend the weekend doing some focused job research - and NOT start packing even though all i can think about is what to take and not what to take!

Distracted

I can’t work, I can’t eat, I can’t think straight for this damn application.

I am utterly obsessed by peoples timelines, i get frustrated with those that are new and are already moaning about the time, i get jealous with those that are faster than me, i am happy for those that get PPR - but still jealous (!), and i pity those that are even slower than me.

This is not healthy behaviour! It is acute only when i go past the date i expect to hear something.

I buckled today and sent my second case specific query. I qualified for it (you have to have exceeded the processing times, which for London is 13 months. Well i am 19 months if you count from submission, or i am 16 months from full application submission - which i think is when they count from. I will be in trouble if they count from the 'processing date' as that is only at 11 months).


Plllleeeeeassseee reeeeelleeeaasseee meeeeeee lett me gooooooo (to canada). ENGELBURT ECHOING MY FEELINGS

First box packed

OK i know its premature. But i just packed my first 'Canada' box. It was the Christmas decorations - no matter what i will not be having another Christmas in this flat... this is the last. So i packed the decorations away according to country - this box is a UK box - which means it stays here and is given to someone living here... not that i am giving it away yet (just incase we get the wrong outcome)... the others are going to CA. Two boxes. Already feels excessive!

Now i just need to convince my husband to clear out his old clothes and sell old books (pulling teeth would be easier).

Some time lines do have 'em

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
This has got to be it - this HAS to be my year.... puuurrrllleeeaassseeee!!

I am still waiting (4 months now) for passport request - or PPR as they say. Some are the same as me, some waiting 2 weeks (?) i am pretty certain it is down to NOC codes... maybe i should do some research into this.

Below I will compile some timelines of fellow waiters. Must say britishexpats.com is the best website for helping keep me sane.


This is the typical sort of signature you will find on a board members post... i will translate below..


FSW to CIO: 7.09 120 day:9.09 Docs to CHC 28.9.09 AOR:15.11.09 PROCESSING 8.2.10  MORE INFO RQST:2.10 SENT 15.2.10 MEDS & NEW POLICE CERT RQST: 20.8.10 MED DONE: 31.8 MED SENT: 8.9.10 POLICE SENT: 7.9.10


Translation


FSW to CIO: 7.09 - The date the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW / FSW1 etc) application was first sent into Centralized Intake Office based in Nova Scotia, Sydney, Canada (people sometimes say NS or SYDNEY or CIO)


120 day:9.09  - this is the email or letter that you receive from Nova Scotia to say you have 120 days (referred to as the 120 day) to file the full application. This is a land mark event as it is a) the first bit of correspondence you get from them and b) indicates you are potentially good to be approved for immigration. This took me not that long to get too - these days it is slower. 


Docs to CHC 28.9.09 -this is the date i submitted my full application to the London Canadian High Commission 


AOR:15.11.09 - Acceptance of Receipt - again they confirm they got it all!


PROCESSING 8.2.10 - another land mark step - this time they confirm that your application is being looked at and processed, CHC referr to it as PROCESSING on their online application status site

MORE INFO RQST:2.10 SENT 15.2.10 - NOT a good step - this meant they needed more info - this cost me my place in the fast queue and put back my application 4 months.  UGH

MEDS & NEW POLICE CERT RQST: 20.8.10 MED DONE: 31.8 MED SENT: 8.9.10 POLICE SENT: 7.9.10 - MEDICAL REQUEST BIG step forward - means everything is good and we are on our way to PPR (term for Passport Request which means they are ready to release your visa)- providing we are not a threat to public safety or health resources. They needed a new police cert as we had changed our names. 


Other signatures out there right now

AINP sent 26/08/09 - AINP File number 15/06/10 FSW1 01/10/09 - Rec'd NS 07/10/09 - 120 day 23/12/09 - App to London 20/01/10 - AOR 29/01/10 - In Process 28/05/10 - Med Reqs 10/11/10  - Meds done 25/11/10 - Meds sent 12/12/10 - PPR 31/12/10


__________________
Timeline FSW1 Forms sent 18/11/09 /Forms rec'd by CIC 25/11/09 / 120 day email received 4/02/10/Docs sent to London 5/3/10/AOR 15/3/10 /In Process 12/8/10/Med Reqs 17/9/10/Meds done 8/10/10/ Req for more medical info 4/12/10


__________________
Docs to NS: 25/1/2010, 120 Day Letter:19/3/2010 Supporting Docs signed for at Visa Office London: 29/3/2010 AOR Letter dated: 30/3/2010, Currently "Pending Review", Anxiously waiting to go into process...


__________________
FSW application sent to Sydney 08/04/2010, arrived 13/04/2010, CC billed 11/06/2010, 120 day email 30/06/2010, full package dropped at London CHC 04/08/2010, AOR 27/08/2010... More waiting!


__________________

FSW1 app sent 14/8/09 120 day letter 1/10/09 full app to CHC 19/11/09 AOR 26/1/10 in process 2/2/10 Med request 1/3/10 RPRF 1/3/10 Meds done 12/3/10 TB test 7/5/10 PPR 30/8/10Passports dropped off 2/9/10 Picked up visas 16/9/10 Landed14/10/10

__________________

Applic'n to CIO: 26/08/09, 120 day email 28/10/09, Docs to CHC 17/12/09. AOR rec'd 26/01/10 - In Process status: 23/4/10 (per website) - 26/4/10 (online at cic)

Am off to do some research into some of these timelines - just for my own sanity really!

Have a great 2011

Medicals done

Hi, we chose to go with number one health. This was mainly down to our time available and their location.

Must say great service. They have a dedicated visa person you can speak to who kept us informed. Plus, when they noticed my husbands blood pressure was looking high they asked him to come back in to double check it.

Low and behold it turns out his blood pressure is just fine. He was rather stressed that day which reflected in the blood pressure results. If they hadn't done this it would have resulted in CIC requesting further heart tests which would have costs us a ton more money and taken even longer.

Of course we haven't heard back yet from CIC so who knows really what will happen next but this bit of the process went quite smoothly.

MEDICALS!!!

Finally... 13 months and 2 weeks after our application went in we got our medical requests.

Here is what i have learnt about the two london practises...

Number One Medical - 0207580 5467

1 Harley Street

£230 MEDICAL - 30 minutes

they have same day / next day bookings, and late nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

£56 XRAY

Weekends more pricey and you have to go down the road to 126 Harley Street. They operate 9-5 so this doesn't fit well with the medical timings if you are in a late night appointment!

£12.10 COURIER

TOTAL: £298.10

Knightsbridge Doctors – 020 7589 5633

£247 MEDICAL / XRAY / COURIER 1hr 30mins

I just phoned them and the next appointment available they had was 2nd September so 1.5 weeks away.

So i guess its down to how quickly you want it turned around.

SO i did email on June 6th and got a reply the very next day. All they said was its with an officer pending review.

And still NOTHING!!! GRRR. That means i am now waiting over a year in the new system. 80% case get finalised within 8 months so i am in the other 20% this is now affecting all plans and is very frustrating. I know there are people out there waiting 3 years or more... but its hard when you are expecting 8-12 months and get longer. It just makes me nervous and ever so cranky!