Sample CAIPS File

The format of the CAIPS file you will receive is a 'screen print'. CAIPS is an old fashioned terminal based program. The information is (unfortunately) not designed for reading on paper.

You will receive approximately 7 pages (more if there are long notes, or many dependents) representing many screen prints from the CAIPS computer system. Some examples are included below.

Bring Forward Date

The 'bring forward' date is repeated in several places in the CAIPS printout you will receive (as it appears at the bottom of many screens). The typical form is as follows.

PAPER FILE SENT TO  PA  FILE BF'D TO: CPT ON 15-01-2006

This example above, from the Canadian High Commission London, means that the file is currently in the storage area "PA". The next action is allocation of an interview date "CPT". A program assistant will be prompted to allocate the interview date on "15-01-2005" (note this is dd-mm-yyyy format, so this means 15-Jan-2005). On this date the visa office will open the interview diary and schedule an interview.

Immigration Assessment Record Summary

The 'Immigration Assessment Record Summary' holds two primary useful sets of information - the visa office's points computation, and the status of each of the 7 stages of issuing a visa. An example is as follows :-

                      IMMIGRANT ASSESSMENT RECORD SUMMARY

FILE: B123456789   NAMES: 
DATE REC'D: 26-06-2004 REGS: M94  NON-NAT?:     CPLR: ENGLAND  
PS.  COMPUTER PROGRAMMER                        PS. CCDO:         PS. IMMCAT: ND2
SEL. COMPUTER PROGRAMMER                        SEL. CCDO:            IMMCAT: ND2
                            PS. NOC: 2163 . 0   SEL.  NOC: 2163 . 0

AGE(34)              10  00   COST RECOVERY CODE: FPA   ROLF: LFC  EMP CODE:
OCCUPATION FACTOR    10  00   DESTINATION CITY: VANCOUVER
ETF/S.V.P            15  00   PROVINCE:         BC
EXPERIENCE            6   0   TOTAL FUNDS     $ 00030000
A.R.E                00  00   
DEMOGRAPHIC FACTOR   08  00   PS DECISION:         1 24-09-2006 MTS
EDUCATION            15  00   INTERVIEW SCHEDULED: 
ENGLISH               9   0   SELECTION DECISION:  4 02-10-2006 MRK
FRENCH                0   0   REVIEW OFFICER:
BONUS                00  00   SECURITY DECISION:   1 02-10-2006 MRK
SUITABILITY              00   OTHER REQ DECISION:  1 09-11-2006 MRK
TOTAL               073 000   MEDICAL DECISION:    1 09-11-2006 MRK
PRIORITY              7       RECORD CHECK:        Y 09-11-2006 MRK
SPECIAL PROGRAM               FINAL DECISION:      1 09-11-2006 MRK


Most of the information is fairly obvious, but there are a few special codes used on this page. As part of our service we will help you to interpret any codes.

Case Status

The 'Case Status' screen summaries the current status of the application. It repeats the decision information from the Immigration Assessment Record Summary screen.

                                 CASE STATUS
FILE: B123456789        CLIENT ID: 12345678                      CASE  1 OF   1
XREF: 1234567890        XREF2    : 9876543210      CASE TYPE: IMMIGRANT
TOTAL PERSONS:  1   APPLIC. REC'D: 18-11-2004    IMM 1017S REQUESTED: 01-12-2004
IMMCAT: SW1 INTERVIEW:            TIME:
WC STATUS: **   WC TYPE: ** DECISION REASON:   **   MAILING ADDRESS
PSDEC 1 01-02-2006 SELDEC 4 01-02-2006 53 WATFORD ROAD
BDEC  1 27-02-2006 MEDDEC 1 27-02-2006 WATFORD
OREQ  1 27-02-2006 FINDEC 1 27-02-2006 WD12 5VF
VISA(S) PRINTED: 28-02-2006            COUNTRY:  ENGLAND
                                   PHONE: 020 1234 5678     FAX:
CIC NAME: MISS CPC        FILE: 123456789012               SPONSORSHIP STATUS:
AGENT: 
                                CLIENT       DATE     STATUS         MEDICAL
FAMILY MEMBERS                    ID	  OF BIRTH   SEC CRIM    STAGE VALIDITY
DOE, JOHN                      12345678  03-08-1953   1   1      M03  12-02-2007  
 





PAPER FILE SENT TO  PA  FILE BF'D TO: RET ON 11-11-2008  MICROLOCATOR:

Most of the information is fairly obvious, but there are a few special codes used on this page. As part of our service we will help you to interpret any codes.

Documents

The 'Documents' screen lists all additional documents that have been requested, by who, and whether the requested documents have been received back.

                                 DOCUMENTS

       FILE: B123456789	NAMES: DOE, JOHN

       IMMCAT-PS: SW1     IMMCAT: SW1

           DOCUMENT(S) REQ'D      DATE REQUESTED      OK     AUTHORITY           

           RCMPx1                   01-02-2006         Y        ESS
           RPRF                     01-02-2006         Y        ESS
           _______________                             _
           _______________                             _
           _______________                             _


We occasionally discover processing errors in the documents screen. We have seen applications on hold for several months while the visa office waits for documents that have either been sent already, not requested, or their non-existence explained in a letter that does not seem to have been received, or maybe not read fully, by the visa officer.

Medical Assessment

The 'Medical Assessment' screen summarises the results of the medical examinations that were sent to the medical section.

                              MEDICAL ASSESSMENT
FILE: B123456788                                IMS SERIAL NUMBER: LON123456789  
NAME: DOE JANE                                                DOB: 25-10-1971

                 MEDICAL STATUS CODE: A   MEDICAL OFFICER #:  AW

                   MEDICAL ASSESSMENT VALID UNTIL: 12-02-2007

                                 MEDICAL CODE 

                           M 03 H 1 D 2 T 3 S 1     E 6
DIAGNOSIS/OBSERVATIONS:     
Text: HW-DIAGNOSIS         F14 Insert/Overstrike         F20 to leave text area
Narrative: DIAGNOSIS:  ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION  NARRTIVE:  MAY NEED PERIODIC
           MEDICAL CARE.  STABLE ON MEDICATION  /AW
           MOF: Alex Williams
           MOF Date: 20 Feb 2006
           Initials: byerss
 ** IMS - Visa Notified on 20 Feb 2006, Case Status 'Assessed MO3' **
******************************* 20/02/2006 ** AW ** MEDLOAD *******************

A very brief summary medical status is included, as well as a summary code "M01" to "M07" which indicates the severity of medical problems, if any.

Sample CAIPS Notes

The section within CAIPS comprising the visa officers' notes is where some of the most interesting information is found. This is where the visa officer(s) make note of any particular strengths with or concerns about the application. The comments will also show if he/she has decided an interview is warranted, and if so, why. See our sample CAIPS notes for further information.