engineer80

Izzi, this may actually be a good thing for you! I found out from someone today (I have my sources ) that the ecas system has changed and now will only show your application status as "In Process" if it is physically being looked at by someone. This makes sense considering you applied a couple of months before us and means yours is now under review but we are still in the queue. Hope you get your med request soon!

PMM

Hi

You also have to remember that CIC/CHC is switching over to GCMS (Global Case Management System) which has been tying up all their IT resources. Finally after almost 10 years, will be migrating all the systems, FOSS, Citizenship, CAIPS from a 45 year old system starting in April, I believe. There will be teething pains with the running of 4 systems at the same time. So I don't think that very much attention will be paid to ecas, until the whole thing is up and running.

engineer80

I actually didn't know this. Thanks for the extra info, appreciate it

Waggle

Does anyone know of anyone whose application was received after April 2010 who has been able to check their status online?

As far as I can make out the entire group and May/June applicants, plus all of the post-June-26 applicants, still cannot check their status online.

Is it fair to say that CIO have abandoned this system for new applicants now?

Wayne.

Waggle

Sorry I should learn to read a few posts up before replying

Since no applicant from May 2010 onwards can access ECAS, it seems a fair bet that CIC have stopped adding new applicants to that system, and that they are preparing for all applications to be dealt with on the new GCMS system.

It is just a bit frustrating for May 2010 + applicants since they cannot even access ECAS (even if it is slow to get updated it is better than nothing).

Wayne.

izzi81

Do you mean FSW applications not being on ecas post May 2010? Because our application didn't get to London until the end of August 2010, and we can access our application on ecas - it says it's been processing since Aug 28th so someone must have put it on the system!

It's good to see it's there... but it doesn't really give you any info. Hopefully the new system will be more forthcoming with details.

Waggle

Hi, well I was referring to the date the application first reached CIO Sydney, and also referring to Federal Skilled Worker. My apologies I should have mentioned this

But no Federal Skilled Worker applicant, from May 2010 received date onwards, as far as we can tell has been able to check his/her status online.

This would lend weight to the theory that CIC are not adding any new applicants to ECAS and are instead intending to give them access to GCMS once it is available.

Guess seeing is believing though.

Wayne.

Jim Humphries

There is no way that access to GCMS will be given to the public. Instead they will simply continue with Ecas more or less as it is, but, hopefully, with more precise info!

izzi81

lol I've just realised why GCMS kept triggering something in the back of my mind... it also stands for 'gas chromatography mass spectrometry' - an analytical device which I don't use but another area of my work does.

Sorry that's probably totally irrelevant to anyone else but slightly amusing to me hehe

Funky Florist

It made me laugh too 'cos they use one of those devices all the time on CSI: New York!!!

james.mc

I'd like to think so Jim. The current offerings are pretty poor to say the least.

Waggle

Hi Jim,

I would not suggest for a moment that CIC open up their GCMS data directly to the public via a web site. That would have massive security and performance implications.

However, if they are going to "get with the times" then this ridiculous manually updated ECAS system has to go.

Ideally they would have some kind of nightly replication service which would update the relevant data across to a separate staging database, and that separate database would be what we get access to online.

But should be fully automated and accurate. I think if they are going to invest this much in terms of time and money in something like GCMS, then this is the least they should do.

Wayne.

Jim Humphries

The trouble with that idea is that the system relies on codes to indicate the decision, rather than plain language.

izzi81

OK, my turn to be neurotic. Tried to log in to ECAS today, can't log in! It says it can't find me from the details I'm giving... even though it's the same details I've used every other time. I've sent them an email because I've no idea what it means, though I guess it could mean they're updating (it is Tuesday) and maybe it's actually a good thing... but I'm still freaking out!

christmasoompa

Don't panic, seems that (from looking at other forums) Ecas has gone a bit wrong today - lots of wrong status updates. Seems to have been a problem over the past week or so.

Deep breaths and count to 10!