Status Check 2-32

Armed with the information posted on CIC's website and their current processing times, I leave the CIC Call Center alone for a few more months. Around comes October 2006 and having been sitting in Canada for over 1 year, I feel that about now, CIC should be doing more of their vodoo on my file.

I contact the Call Center on a weekly basis now. I ask benign questions like "What is the status?" and I always receive the same response: "We started processing your file in June 2006 and it is still in process." On one occasion, I venture a bit from the norm and inquire about an overpayment of fees.

I paid my fees in October 2005 (see: Going to the chapel and we gonna get married) according to the current fee schedule at the time. In May 2006, CIC announced that they cut their fee for permanent residence from $975 to $490 (see: CIC Reduction of Right of Permanent Residence Fee). I paid the $975 and hadn't received Permanent Resident status by their cut off date of May 3, 2006 making me eligible for the refund of $485. So I enter this conversation with my friendly paper worshiping Canadian government employee thinking it is a very simple thing, getting this refund. The nice CIC employee politely tells me that the refund is automatic and I will receive this refund when they have processed my file. Which begs the follow up question, "When will that be?" with the canned response: "Your file is in process and current processing times are 8 months." "But," I argue, "it has been 8 months." And still, I receive the same response: my file is still in process.

I leave all of these CIC Call Center phone conversations the same way: dejected and depressed. I learn nothing new with every phone call and my ECAS still shows the same information. My wiser-than-his-years husband advises me just to drop the issue; it will be over soon. He understands that I am not a happy person just playing housewife. I want to get a job, start looking at houses to buy, to basically get on with my life. But, wait more we do.