Approved Sept 2006. Interview Nov 30, 2006. From there things went bad. In Feb 2007 they asked for more details about my husband's obligatory military service where he served as a supply clerk. Hardly a security threat. However they made the military investigation take ONE YEAR exactly from Feb 2007 to Feb 2008 and during that time the case underwent a CSIS background check that occurs back in Canada.
Finally that ended and in the first week of Feb 2008 they asked for and were given renewed medical and police report. They asked for and where given renewed passport on April 1, 2008. On April 16 they confirmed the case had already been given to an officer for a "final review". To me that means it's all done but a final read through to check for accuracy before issuing the PR Visa.
Everyone posting on this site has noted an average of 2 to 8 weeks after the passport is turned in until the PR Visa is issued. Our case has been with an officer for a "final review" since at least April 16 but NOW my MP says it is awaiting a background check per CIC Ottawa's electronic file.
I am shocked and confused as to why it seems to be sitting with CSIS yet again when they just finished a CSIS check in Feb 2008 and we were told on April 16 we were at the "final review" stage, not that it would be undergoing yet another active CSIS investigation. This is completely insane.
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I would contact CSIS. They will ask you to fax them, then in about 4 weeks they will fax or mail you a letter telling you 1 of 3 things:
Report is complete and CIC has the results
Report is in process
Report has or has not been req'd
If it has been finished you can take that info to your MP or CIC, if it has not, then you have to wait, though it is highly unorthodox for them to request more than one background check.
Have you requested your CAIPS?
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I have requested CAIPS, waiting for it now. Where do I contact/write/request anything from CSIS? I've never heard of where to contact them.
Thank you very much for your input. I also thought it would be highly irregular for them to do a second CSIS check. I also had the thought that maybe they had not actaully finished off the first one but went ahead and asked for the renewed medical/police/passport anyway to finalize things. But that does not make sense either if they confirmed on Apr 16 that the case was with an officer for a FINAL review. Do you mind if I ask how you know it's highly unorthodox to ask for a second background check? I'm not looking for your name/profession, just if I can quote to my MP if that statement is from a source who would know that to be generally true? thankyou yppgina
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Well a background check is typically done (through CSIS anyway) on work and address history. It is initiated in the final stages of processing so that it is up to date. If it was initiated early it's because they expected the case do be done early. Background checks are very expensive which is why they are typically the last step. Regardless I would call CSIS
National Headquarters Ottawa:
CSIS
PO BOX 9732 STN T
OTTAWA ON K1G 4G4
CSIS - Location
1941 OGILVIE RD
OTTAWA ON K1J 1B7
T: 613-993-9620
There you will speak with a receptionist who will leave a message for that department. Then an officer will call you back. This is easily done if you are within Canada. If you are outside Canada have your sponsor call.
When the officer calls you back they will request that you fax them a formal request..... the fax should look similar to this:
COVER LETTER SHOULD READ
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATTENTION: CONTACT NAME THAT CALLED YOU OR YOUR SPOUSE BACK
RE: IMMIGRATION BACKGROUND CHECK
NAME: YOUR NAME
DOB: MONTH/DAY/YEAR
CLIENT ID: 12345678
RETURN FAX NUMBER: 604-555-1212
PAGE 1 OF 2
____________________________________________________
May 16, 2008
Good afternoon CSIS CONTACT NAME,
As we discussed I was hoping you could update me on the status of my (husband's) Immigration Background Check.
Name: YOUR NAME
DOB: MONTH DAY YEAR
Client ID: 12345678
Fax Number: 604-555-1212
I was originally informed that the background check had been completed but recently have been told that it is either outstanding or a second request was submitted.
I couldn't thank you enough for looking into this for us. Should you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact either of us.
Warmest regards,
JOE BLOW
Your contact info
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That is wonderful information, THANK YOU!
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As it turns out, after my MP had gotten on Immigration's case "this time", they got an answer from CSIS that they were still waiting on the background check. Miraculously, one week later my husband was called to an appt at the Embassy and he was granted his PR visa on July 22, 2008. This was only after my MP pushed for an answer, and they got off their bureaucratic arses and hurriedly finished up the 17 month investigation. When it was initiated, he was told it "could take 1 yr to 18 months". They made damn sure it DID take that long.
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CONGRATS!!! I'm so glad things are done for you! I guess this makes our case one of the longest now..... yup, second longest for inland applications *sigh*
I'm so happy for you though hun! Enjoy!
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Wow ... congrats! Maybe we should push our MP as well. I will let him know about your case.
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