Buffalo Tracker (please add)

1. Many notaries carry the FBI card (e.g., MBE, Postnet, etc.).
2. That's what I did. No problems encountered.
3. No cheap docs in the Bay Area. I used the only authorized doc in Berkeley (I forget his name) and he charged me $410/person including Fedex.
4. Mine recently took 6.5 weeks.
 
Response to canimm2002

1. Could anybody advise where to get the FBI cards in CA bay area to fill? Is it available at the DMV office or a police station or somewhere else?

- There is a UPS Store (simillar to Mailboxes etc) in sunnyvale right beside India Cash n Carry and Raaga VDO Store. I did my FBI fingeprinting there.

2. Could I write ITIN for my spouse's SSN? My spouse is on H4 visa and does not have a SSN.

- I left this blank for my wife (she is on H4).

3. Could you suggest a doctor in the bay area who is reasonably priced (a.k.a cheap!) for medicals? How much does s/he charge?

- I am going to visit Dr. Clarence Alegakoen @Mountain View. He is listed in the authorized doctors list in the following website: -

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/contacts/medical.html


4. How long is it currently taking for the FBI certification?

- In my case it took about one and half month.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks a lot, gretzky and stingray70 for your responses and information.

Your responses definitely helped me.. A few more questions for you guys and others:

1. Is there any strategic reason for doing your medicals after FBI certification?

2. Does FBI send the certification directly to the Buffalo Canadian consulate or do they send it to the applicants?

3. For Indian citizens like me, does the Indian consulate in the US send the police certification directly to the Buffalo Canadian consulate or do they send it to the applicants?

3. I believe doctors send the reports directly to the consulate. Am I right?

4. How much fund (bank balance) is good enough for them?

Thanks a lot and best regards.
 
Re: FBI fingerprint cards rejected twice

I believe you can send the FBI rejection letter along with the finger print cards. They may accept it.

Originally posted by evg
Hello,

I was wondering if someone had a similar problem with
the FBI fingerprint cards: FBI keeps rejecting my wife's
fingerprint cards because of the "low quality of characteristics".

First time we sent one card, but after it had been rejected we resubmitted 7 new cards in one package, taken at several different locations, but all of them have been rejected again.

So it seems there is a little chance the FBI will ever accept
her fingerprints (some of them are indeed really hard to distinguish).
What should we do? Can the Buffalo Consulate accept some other kind of police certificate?

This is the only thing left to finalize the process, but we have already missed the deadline (April 20).

Here is our timeline:

Applied: Jan 16, 2003
AOR: Feb 20, 2003
Initial Assessment: Jan 21, 2004 (Interview Waived)
Medicals: Feb 12, 2004
Sent RPRF, ref.letter, bank statement, my FBI certificate:
March 30, 2004

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Re: Few questions

Originally posted by cadolslow
Hello,

I just received a package from the Buffalo center asking me to get FBI clearance and medicals. I have few questions about this letter and would appreciate if someone could answer them:

1. Do I have to send RPRF right now? If not, when do people usually pay?

-- I paid at the end. I had sent the medicals and finger prints in sep 2003 in nov I got a letter for requesting the pay of ROLF ( The letter reads - They application has reached a state where paying ROLF is mandatory with in a month to delay further processing) which I paid prompts and got the approval letter in a month asking for PP ( this was in Jan 2004)


2. How long does it usually take them to go to the next step after submitting all these papers?
Month or Two - depending on how soon your medicals are received by the consulate.

3. If my application is approved, can I defer my passport stamping and landing? If yes, what is the maximum time I can request?

-- You can't defer pass port stamping. You have to give a good reason for that and may be able to extend couple of months.

Your final date of landing depends on when your medicals are done. Medicals are valid for 1 year ( from the date they are done). You get the PR visa till the medical expiry date. You can land in canada before that or you can claim the ROLF back ( even after PP stamping but not landing -- remember its landing fee ).


Thanks..
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by meera55
Can anybody tell if the transcripts from my school (I did my MS in U.S) should be in a sealed envelope? Or is it OK if photo copies are submitted?

I did submit only the photo copies, that is in Apr 2002. At that time phone service is available and asked them if I would need to send notarized docs and the answer was not required. ( things may have changed )- but from experience notarized copied would do the job.

would appreciate your help!
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by web_guru2003
am a bit confused about the "grey" envelop that Buffalo has mailed me to mail my passports in. Does it matter if i place the passport/pictures in grey envelope and put the envelope in USPS express envelope? or i HAVE to mail the grey envelope its self without putting that in any other (FedEx/USPS) envelope?.

If i do place the "grey" envelope in any other envelope, will that slow the process of visa stamping as the Buffalo office cant identify by looking at the envelope its self that it contain passports? Are the really strict about it?

- You need to put them in the envelop they sent you. You can put the envelop in UPS envelop envelop not a problem. I actually sent gray envelop and prepaid usps return envelop together.
-- put only the passports and photos in the gray envelop( don't put anything else that they didn't ask)

I am actually planning to send pre-paid USPS express envelop and that "grey" envelope cant hold everything in it. I am planning to put passports,pictures and notice in grey envelope and put that and pre-paid envelope in USPS standard mailer.
Click to expand...
 
letter from bank

Hi,
This is for those of you who have received their initial assesment with interview waiver:
For financial documentation, is it enough to provide bank statements from the last couple of months, or is a letter required. If a letter is required, is it standard practice amongst banks to issue one ? what should the letter contain?
When I first applied, I only provided my statements.
Thanks
 
You may have few options. I had the same issue with my wife's fingerprints.

1. Send a letter from the finger printing agency that that is the best print they can get due to physical charecteristics/ conditions. There is a standard form available with each police station etc.

2. Go to a digital finger print scanning center where the finger prints are obtained digital scanner. I was told at the police station there is a service like that available at some centers.

I donot reccomend sending the rejection letter from FBI to Buffalo consulate.

________________________________

I was wondering if someone had a similar problem with
the FBI fingerprint cards: FBI keeps rejecting my wife's
fingerprint cards because of the "low quality of characteristics".

First time we sent one card, but after it had been rejected we resubmitted 7 new cards in one package, taken at several different locations, but all of them have been rejected again.

So it seems there is a little chance the FBI will ever accept
her fingerprints (some of them are indeed really hard to distinguish).
What should we do? Can the Buffalo Consulate accept some other kind of police certificate?
 
texancanadian

1. For financial documentation in their corrsepondence with me, CIC clearly mentioned "bank letter". So I got a letter from my bank.
2. With Bank of America, it doesn't seem to be something that they are familiar with. Initially they were not willing to write one up for me. When they did relent, they made numerous mistakes despite me specifying exactly what I wanted. The cost was $10 for three originals sent by regular mail.
3. In the letter, I asked the bank to specifically mention that my spouse and I had been their customers for x years and had y number of accounts with average balances of $z for the past three months.
4. In addition to the letter, I also sent the last three bank and brokerage statements to CIC.

You may be able to get away with less but I wanted to pre-empt any additional CIC requests which would only serve to delay the process.
 
Re: letter from bank

Originally posted by texancanadian
Hi,
This is for those of you who have received their initial assesment with interview waiver:
For financial documentation, is it enough to provide bank statements from the last couple of months, or is a letter required. If a letter is required, is it standard practice amongst banks to issue one ? what should the letter contain?
When I first applied, I only provided my statements.
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Re: letter from bank

Originally posted by texancanadian
Hi,
This is for those of you who have received their initial assesment with interview waiver:
For financial documentation, is it enough to provide bank statements from the last couple of months, or is a letter required. If a letter is required, is it standard practice amongst banks to issue one ? what should the letter contain?
When I first applied, I only provided my statements.
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Re: letter from bank

Originally posted by texancanadian
Hi,
This is for those of you who have received their initial assesment with interview waiver:
For financial documentation, is it enough to provide bank statements from the last couple of months, or is a letter required. If a letter is required, is it standard practice amongst banks to issue one ? what should the letter contain?
When I first applied, I only provided my statements.
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Re: letter from bank

to texancanadian


I used my last month bank statement and it worked just fine.




Originally posted by texancanadian
Hi,
This is for those of you who have received their initial assesment with interview waiver:
For financial documentation, is it enough to provide bank statements from the last couple of months, or is a letter required. If a letter is required, is it standard practice amongst banks to issue one ? what should the letter contain?
When I first applied, I only provided my statements.
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
I've cut and pasted a message below that I'd posted a few times. I was really surprised not to get any responses. My apologies if this isn't the most relevant thread (I have applied through Buffalo!), but I didn't know where else to post...

All,

I searched and searched and I was really surprised that I could not find any discussion in this forum (maybe it's old news) about the Canadian governments ability to raise the points requirement for PR applications and apply them retroactively.

I for example applied in January with an estimated score of 67 points. I hear rumors that the government may soon be raising the points requirement. When they do this, they can deny my application (eventhough it was submitted in January) based on the fact I don't have the required points.

Well... the really confusing this is that some lawyers are saying the Canadian government can do this, has previously won a court case that upholds their ability to do this, and WILL do it when the points requirement is raised.

Other lawyers I have spoken to (including my own) claim that, technically, yes, the Canadian government can do this, but its very unlikely that they will, unless they want another class action lawsuit against them.

So... this is driving me crazy! Whats the opinion of people here?

I've found a company that specialises in matching foreigners with Canadian employers and arranging HRDC approval etc. Finding a job through them would get me an extra 10 points, but the cost is a killer.... $6,500 USD! And of course there is no guarantee (well there's a 90% money back guarantee, but no job guarantee).

So.... if the Canadian govt can't/wont apply any higher points retroactively, I'm ok. Either way I'm going from happy to stressed on a daily basis as everyone I speak to tells me something different!

Oh yeah.... this is my second attempt. First time applied in January 2002... by case was denied... a month later they lowered the points from 75 to 67 and made it retroactive.... if my application had taken a month longer, the retroactiveness (see, they did it THEN!) would have worked in my favour.

Arrrgghhhh!

One more thing... as far as I'm concerned, if they can raise the points and made the application retroactive and NOT refund money, thats out and out FRAUD.

Douglas.
 
For jhumkasrc

Yes, you can pay RPRF in US dollars, but make the cashiers check/ MO at the last minute before posting, and just before you go to the bank refer to Buffalo and a couple of the other Canadian Consulate's website to make sure the fee hasnt change.
I think the current fee of US $ 715 has been in effect since 2003 but is subject to change at any time.
Thanks
 
dgarstang,

Law is quite clear

http://www.canlii.org/ca/regu/sor2-227/sec77.html

You have to meet the criteria at the time of application as well as at the time the visa is issued.

Now if any lawyer (including your's) is saying that "it wont happen" there is not guarantee. If he gives the guarantee of giving money back (his and CIC fee) then its a good deal do it else nah !

Basic idea behind the score is that Canadian Govt want to use that as valve. Whenever they feel that they need to rush in immigrants they will lower the marks and when they feel otherwise they will move the marks to higher limits.

I have also seen many benifiting from the law too. I know atleast 3 people who were given 70,70 and 72 marks in initial assesment and they submited their application when passing marks were 75. They passed only because passing marks were lowered to 67. So its all about having luck buddy.

Best of luck in whatever you do.



Originally posted by dgarstang
I've cut and pasted a message below that I'd posted a few times. I was really surprised not to get any responses. My apologies if this isn't the most relevant thread (I have applied through Buffalo!), but I didn't know where else to post...

All,

I searched and searched and I was really surprised that I could not find any discussion in this forum (maybe it's old news) about the Canadian governments ability to raise the points requirement for PR applications and apply them retroactively.

I for example applied in January with an estimated score of 67 points. I hear rumors that the government may soon be raising the points requirement. When they do this, they can deny my application (eventhough it was submitted in January) based on the fact I don't have the required points.

Well... the really confusing this is that some lawyers are saying the Canadian government can do this, has previously won a court case that upholds their ability to do this, and WILL do it when the points requirement is raised.

Other lawyers I have spoken to (including my own) claim that, technically, yes, the Canadian government can do this, but its very unlikely that they will, unless they want another class action lawsuit against them.

So... this is driving me crazy! Whats the opinion of people here?

I've found a company that specialises in matching foreigners with Canadian employers and arranging HRDC approval etc. Finding a job through them would get me an extra 10 points, but the cost is a killer.... $6,500 USD! And of course there is no guarantee (well there's a 90% money back guarantee, but no job guarantee).

So.... if the Canadian govt can't/wont apply any higher points retroactively, I'm ok. Either way I'm going from happy to stressed on a daily basis as everyone I speak to tells me something different!

Oh yeah.... this is my second attempt. First time applied in January 2002... by case was denied... a month later they lowered the points from 75 to 67 and made it retroactive.... if my application had taken a month longer, the retroactiveness (see, they did it THEN!) would have worked in my favour.

Arrrgghhhh!

One more thing... as far as I'm concerned, if they can raise the points and made the application retroactive and NOT refund money, thats out and out FRAUD.

Douglas.
Click to expand...
 
Yes, well it seems that I must be one unlucky son of a bitch then.

This is my second application. I was denied the first time because my application was submitted when the requirement was 75. The requirement was lowered a few weeks after my case was denied.

Now, after having submitted in December 2003, it looks highy likely that the pass mark will be raised BEFORE my application is reviewed and I'll be fucked again.

I had someone telling me the other day that Canadians are a fair bunch. This fair bunch has left a pretty sour taste in my mouth. If they can change the points, then WHY THE HELL EVEN BOTHER?
 
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