Canada Visa

10th November - Applied
23rd November - Approved
26th November - Passport Submitted
28th November - Passport Delivered
11th December - Had not heard anything from them so I took the bus to NYC to go handle things by myself
12th December - Got an email from CIC about an update in my application with my passport details
12th December - Tracking number which I got in person at the VAC on the 11th says that my passport has been sent to the VAC

And hopefully, I will go collect it tomorrow.

It looks like things are moving faster than before from what I saw at the VAC so for those who submitted in December, it will move faster than the November applications did. If you can take the passport yourself though do that and save yourself a lot of time and stress.

Hope that helps

21st Nov: Applied
26th Nov: passport request letter genrated
27rth nov: sent passport to NY
28th: received at VAC NY
8th dec (Saturday evening) : tracking id generated
10th dec: received at IRCC
11th dec: returned by IRCC
12th dec afternoon : received at NY VAC
12th evening: picked up from NY VAC

Yet to get information updated in UPS system

Reaching out to anybody who used USPS for sending and the return of the passport. Can you please let me know if you got the passport back and how long it took for them to send it.

My passports were received back at VFS from IRCC (after stamping) on 08-Dec-2018. I have not seen an update after that. Based on some of the other posts, looks like UPS are processing faster.

Please let me know if anyone used USPS and got the passports back.

Thanks!

Hey i just wanted to ask you guys if any of you had a problem with your courier service. I sent my passport through fedex on 26th nov and i got an email yesterday saying that my Your processed decision envelope has been collected from the Canada Visa Application Centre in Canada Visa Application Centre, New York. However my fedex tracking id still says that my courier has not been dispatched yet. Anyone who had a similar experience?
Thanks in advance.

I am having difficulty in logging into the cic website.
Is it not working for anyone else too?

I wanted to start by thanking everyone who posted their experience here. It definitely helped me make decisions on how to proceed with my application.

Below is the timeline of events so far:

Dec 3, 2018: Submitted online application for visitor visa (along with my Spouse's application)

Dec 4, 2018: Got request to submit passport

After going through all the experiences posted here and the delay in processing mail-in applications at NY VAC, I decided to take a trip to NY to submit the application in person. I'm from New Jersey, so traveling to NY (1 hour by train) didn't seem like a big deal after reading experience of others who flew to NY to get a status update.

Dec 7, 2018: Took half day off from office and reached NY VAC at 2:45 PM. Stood in line to get a token only to be informed by the gentleman at the reception that they don't accept submissions after 2:00 PM. I told them that its clearly mentioned on their website that Passport Submission time is 09:00 – 17:00 (Link: https://www.vfsglobal.ca/canada/usa/contact_us.html).
But that didn't help. I'm sure they just made up this rule taking into consideration the 3 hour delay in getting to the counter after issuing a token. If they would have at least shown the courtesy to mention this on their website, I could have saved my trip. Anyways, i had to sadly leave without submitting my passport that day. Before leaving, I checked with the same gentleman about the best time to reach NY VAC for submission. He was kind enough to tell me that if i reach around 8:15 in the morning (that's when he starts to issue tokens), I can submit and leave within an hour.

Dec 10, 2018: This time i took a leave in the first half of the day and reached NY VAC at 8:20 AM in the morning. My token number was 13 and i was called within 30 mins. I submitted my passport along with consent form, Passport request form, Contact details and paid the transmission fee using credit card (got a customer copy of Credit card transaction receipt). After submission, i asked about the tracking number, but was told that i will receive it on my email by end of the day. This was a red flag, because i have already read here about the ordeal of getting the Tracking number on email. So i mentioned this to the gentleman at counter and he repeated the same thing about getting it on email. So i decided to leave without much argument. Also i opted to pick the passport in person after processing.

Below is an excerpt from their website about receiving tracking ID upon submission in person
Link: https://www.vfsglobal.ca/canada/usa/how_to_apply.html#temporary_documents
"Upon completion of the passport submission process you will be provided a receipt in the form of an Invoice-cum-Receipt (ICR), indicating the total amount paid based on additional services availed at the Visa Application Centre. ICR will likewise contain the application reference number and tracking number which can be used to track the application online"

PS: As expected, I did not receive tracking ID on email that day

Dec 11, 2018: Called the helpline number to inquire about the tracking ID situation. Poor lady at the other end obviously had no clue about a case where a tracking ID was not provided upon submission in person. She advised me to travel to NY VAC to check on this. She also mentioned that a typical mail-in application would take 10-12 business days to generate a tracking ID due to the current volume of applications. So i decided to wait for a couple of weeks even though I submitted in person.

Dec 12, 2018: No tracking ID or emails so far. But, when i checked CIC website, I saw counterfoil mentioned in the document status. Based on what i have read here before, I believe this indicates that my application reached IRCC and they have attached visa counterfoil to it.

This is my experience so far. Apologies for the long post.
Since i still don't know when my passport will be ready for pickup, I'm not sure if this is the fastest way to get things done. But i would recommend anyone from tri-state area to submit the passport in person at NY VAC.

Thanks, D

My application was received by vac via ups on 6th dec.
I got an email from cic that my application was updated on 8th dec.
When I logged in I was not able to find any new message.
Upon close observation I believe they have updated my passport detailed under additional documents.

Does this mean that my passport is with embassy ?
When I tried to contact vac via chat all they said was they are currently sending tracking info for application received on 16th nov.

Any advice on how to expedite the process.
I have a trip planned to Canada on 26th.

Background: The Fee sent thru USPS to "CSRA Consular Services, Inc. P.O. Box 419557 Boston, MA 02241" (it seems the Bank of America PO Box is closed recently.) has been returned last week. Meanwhile I have rec'd VFS email stating that my case documents has been dispatched to the IRCC Office y'day.

Question: Should I have to send the Fee along with return shipping label thru FedEx or send the shipping Service Fee + Shipping Fee as well .

Passport / Fee Shipping Address:
Canadian Visa Application Centre – New York
145 West 45th street, 4th floor
New York, NY, 10036, U.S.A.

Money Order - $151.69 TT Visa Services Inc
  - Package Transmission (per applicant): $19.90 * 3 = $59.70
  - Courier Service (return per package): $91.99 * 1 = $91.99
  Total = $151.69

Hi All,
 I want to share my experience with you all

Nov13 - Sent my passport to NY VAC through FedEx also attached the Return Envelope
Nov15 - Passport was received by VAC
Nov16 to Dec 9 - No updates, No email, No tracking id
Dec10 - Went to Newyork VAC in person and they said 'Your Passport has been already dispatched' and they gave Fedex tracking number
Dec11 - Got my passport :)

Below are the points to remember :

1. Please attach your contact information sheet with your name, DOB, Address, Phone number and email id. Please don't forget to mention your email id as that's the only way VAC send the tracking number through.

2. Remember to send Passport, 2 copies of consent form , online approval request form, Bankers cheque or money order and the contact information sheet. Please don't send personal cheque.

3. Better to send the passport through UPS as its mentioned in the website. This is preferred. But you can also send through Fedex as i did.

4. If your visa / work Permit is applied by your employer, they will send you Visa approval letter stating from when visa is valid and it states the expiry date. That's when you will come to know that your visa has been stamped and passport will be delivered to you in another 2 days,

5. Overall process took almost 1 month. Patience is needed. :)

11/27 passport arrived at LA VAC
No updates so far
Realized that I sent a personal check instead of a money order
Contact VAC, they said send the money order with application information
Money order will arrive tomorrow.
I see some people have the same issue, did any of you got your passport back after sending the money order? Thanks in advance.