brutusblack

Hello all,

I applied for canada immigration under FSW category (pre Feb 2008). I have received my passport request.

I want to get the visa as soon as possible and so thinking of using the drop-in box service at London High Commission. In this drop in box service, one goes to high commission on a Thursday morning and drops in ones passport and form and photos etc.

Exactly 2 weeks later on a Thursday, one goes there to pick it up with the visa.

1.) Does anyone have any experience of this service?
2.) Does it work as advertised?
3.) Does anyone have a link to CIC London website for more information about it?
4.) What do I need to take to the high commission besides the form/letter, passport and 2 pictures?
5.) Are there any potential complications to be aware of?
6.) Are there any days when Canadian high commission is closed besides easter friday and easter monday?
7.) Can I submit the same pictures as the one I sent with my medical or does it have to be an "up to date" picture?
8.) I read that there are very long queues which start at 1pm. Do they process all people in the queue or just shut the door at 2pm and tell people to come back next week?

Thanks in advance for any replies. Please answer any questions you can.

raymasa

Congratulations on getting the request. Wish you all the best.

The drop off service is great, I did that when I received my passport request. Keep in mind that it’s an in-person service, you don’t drop the passport in a box (although they have that service as well). If you drop the passport in the drop-in box, I don’t think you can pick it up in person, it will be posted back to you. So, if you want to pick it up in person as well, make sure you don’t drop the passport in the box, but hand it in person.

I don’t know if there is a web page explaining the service, but you should have received that information with your passport request.

As far as I remember (mine was last summer), you need you passport, photos and information sheet with updated information.

The line does get long, I would recommend that you get there early (I was there around 12 noon, and there were few people in front of me). However, the line moves very quickly. So, even if you arrive late (but before 2 pm), you should be able to submit your passport.

Do check CIC London’s website for holidays to make sure they would be open on a particular Thursday you want to go on.

Ray

Coffeepot

Hi and welcome to BE, the passport drop offs are on thursday only i think and you need to get there early, there have been lots of posts on here about this, in fact i think there is another one going at the moment ?

Have a look in the blue bar at the top WIKI i think there is info on there if not do a search in the buff/orange bar, something like passport drop off and search posts,

Im sure as other BE peeps awake you will get more answers,

good luck and keep us posted

brutusblack

I applied for canadian immigration with my wife as my dependent. I am the principal applicant. Can she take my passport and the passport request letter and 2 photos each and submit it all in person at the canadian high commission London?

Is it legal to take someone else's passport with their permission to the high commission?

Does the principal applicant have to go to hand in the passport or can the dependent take both the passports?

Thanks for any replies

PMM

Hi

Yes, she can, but give her an authorization letter just in case.

dgagitw

I did this a couple of months back. My experience:

• I got there at 1.45 to do the drop-off and queued for no more than 30 minutes. I imagine, on that day at least, they'd have done everyone by 2.30.
• The receipt you get has what looks like a raffle ticket stapled to it, which is kind of funny. I was vaguely expecting to be given an out of date tin of pineapple chunks instead of my passport when I went back.
• There's two queues: 1 for pickup, which they did first, and the other for drop-off.
• When I went back for pickup, I arrived at 2pm exactly and was able to walk straight in and be back out in less than 5 minutes.
• I used photos from the same batch that I'd done for medicals.

I got the feeling that the 1 hour opening slot is timed to be long enough to process the queues they normally get and I also didn't get the feeling that they'd shut the doors if they didn't manage to process everyone in that hour.

Alphawolf

Hi, we are going this coming Thursday, just wondering if the dropoff place is easy enough to find once you get there?
Also regarding photos, we have used photobooth oics all the way through and intend to again, will these be ok?
Thanks

dgagitw

Yes, very easy. Go to Bond Street tube, walk down Davies Street for a bit and then turn left onto Grosvenor Street. You get to queue on the street until the security guy opens the door. It would be hard to miss it I think.
Well, that's what I did, so I guess it's fine. You can get Canadian passport spec photos from various places if you're worried though.

singingringingtree

My OH went down last Thursday to drop off our passports and go there early. He spoke to security guard who said they will process everyone who is in the queue by 3pm. He came back and queued at 2.30pm for 20 mins - better than we expected. Perhaps it was a good day?

Alphawolf

Thanks for that, roll on Thursday

brutusblack

I submitted my passport in person last week and I will collect it in person next week from the canadian high commission in London.

I am just trying to think in advance about what could go wrong. Is there any reason my immigration visa could be delayed now? My circumstances havent changed at all.

I guess the only thing they can object to is that they reject my pictures if my pictures dont meet the criteria. I notices that they have a slightly different criteria for the pictures for immigration visa. I used the same pictures as the pictures for my medical 3 months ago. So I sent the same pictures as for my medicals.

Has anyone had any issues when going to Canadian High commission to collect their immigration visa. Has anyone had their application delayed?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

singingringingtree

We'll be the in the queue to pick up on 1 April too. We have used same photos all the way through - even though they say white background a couple of ours look grey because of shadows, but nothing has been said to date.

64_Zoo_Lane

Thanks for all the info guys!
I'll be dropping in my passports mid April as I have needed to get my daughters renewed and we need them first over Easter for a holiday.
I'll have to take the afternoon off work as I won't be able to make the round trip (Canary Wharf) in a 'lunch hour'. That should make work paranoid that I am going for a job interview. Perhaps I should let them know soon that I am leaving the country in the summer?

BMM69

Hi singingringingtree,

Did you pick up today? Have you got your shiny visas???

I dropped everything off so back in two weeks hopefully to collect our visas!!

BMM69

flemmot

Does anyone have any recent timelines for the thursday 'drop off/ pick up' service? Are the lines worse in the summer?

if there is a bank holiday (such as 30 August) in the middle of your 2 week waiting period, does that mean they can't guarantee the 2 weeks for pick up?

Thanks in advance for any help.