Status Check 1

Along comes July 2006 and I haven't heard anything from the fine folks at immigration yet. I decide it is time to call them and check on the status of my application. So, I call their Call Center number and it actually takes me 2 days to connect with a government employee. I am certain I have interrupted her Tuesday Paper Worshiping Ceremony, as she is somewhat abrupt with me.

She begins this phone call with 'lets play 20 questions and after you submit a DNA sample for our lab to verify your identity, will I, as a paper worshiping Canadian government employee, pretend to answer your concerns.' So the simple question of the day is "what is the status of my application?" The simple answer is "It is in process. Our current processing time is 8 months." I learn other details such as CIC does not send you any acknowledgment of receipt of your application or send you anything to let you know they have awarded your application a number, and they basically have no contact with the applicant on any level. I did, however, manage to pry a case number from the hands of this cold, paper worshiping, Canadian government employee, which will be invaluable in allowing me to access the CIC ECAS (Citizenship & Immigration Canada Electronic Client Application System).

My application has been in the 'system' for a mere 5 months. Who am I to think something has been done with the file at this point? I do log onto the ECAS system and I see this:

We received your application for permanent residence on February 15, 2006.

We started processing your application on June 16, 2006.

I am excited by this. The application is in process. Someone is looking at it and doing their government employee vodoo on the file. This is good news.