Shorten PAL Approval Times
- Thread starter calalta
- Start date
If it was your first I suspect that would be rare as there is a minimum 28 day waiting period. Renewals? Yeah I have received mine in 6 working days.
My new PAL application took 12 calendar days to show online from the day they signed for the envelope in NB. My sister's new PAL application also took 12 calendar days, and hers was sent in 2 months after mine. The 28 day waiting period definitely applies for new PAL holders, but it isn't tied to your application status showing online.
This has nothing to do with some crappy "system" that you are imagining. It doesn't decide what your password is. The person that entered your application into the system chose to use "Komsomlsk" and leave out the rest.
- Location
- Winnipeg, Winter is here.
Mine was sent by registered mail and it was received on October 20th. It did not show up on line until October 7th.
That's18 days.
It now says "Your application has completed initial processing. It is now in progress. Please check the status again at a later date"
That's pretty confusing.
Initial processing is the check where they take your money and make sure your application is complete. Now they're running your background checks and you're in the queue for reference calls. The next/final status you'll see is that it's complete and your license has been issued.
How long does the final approval take at the Ontario CFO office? Today (Nov 10th) is the 45th day from when my application was received. They called one of my references a couple of weeks ago, and I called the 1-800 number shortly after this to make sure that my application was filled out correctly (which it was), and they told me that my file had been sent to the CFO. I was never contacted for an interview and they never called my second reference. This was a new application for a PAL/RPAL.
I was also very surprised that they didn't choose to contact me because I answered "Yes" to one of the personal history questions (I have a history of depression and I take medication, but I've never had suicidal ideation or anything like that, so I know that me owning a firearm would not cause a danger to myself or others, but I figured that it was a sure-thing that they would want to speak with me).
Does anyone know what might be happening here? Any suggestions as to how to speed things along?
I was also very surprised that they didn't choose to contact me because I answered "Yes" to one of the personal history questions (I have a history of depression and I take medication, but I've never had suicidal ideation or anything like that, so I know that me owning a firearm would not cause a danger to myself or others, but I figured that it was a sure-thing that they would want to speak with me).
Does anyone know what might be happening here? Any suggestions as to how to speed things along?
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I was the reference for someone in this situation. I called to initiate the reference interview, and had a very brief chat with the RCMP. I acknowledged the past depression and said I had no concerns. My friend called after and asked if they needed anything else...and they said no. Day 28 comes and goes with no approval. Friend calls again, was told "there are delays" and nothing else. The following week, I get an unexpected call from the Ontario CFO and had a *much* more in depth interview where they asked more personal questions. That same day, the CFO called my friend, gave them a lecture on safe storage and mental health awareness, then approved the license. No doctor information was involved because it was more than a year ago, and a detailed letter explaining the situation was included in the application. (I got that idea off a Reddit forum, and it seems to have worked)
Now for the unhelpful part: all of the above took place in 34 calendar days from mail receipt to approval. Perfect example of "your mileage may vary"
I don't know if it would be helpful, but being proactive is never harmful. You can google the extension of your provincial CFO and call that extension directly to avoid the RCMP. I have had good luck asking "Do you need any additional information from me?" rather than just asking for an update.
The call to me:
- Was I aware of the depression, and what was my take on the situation. With that situation in mind, did I think the person was a good candidate to own firearms. Do I feel there would be any danger posed to the person, or anyone they know. Had the person ever handled any firearms, and was I aware of their mindset as it pertained to safety (if they thought it was a joke, or took it seriously)
- How often I see the person. How do they seem. Do they have friends. Do they see them often. Do they get along with family. Do they seem them often. How long have they been at their job. What is their job. Is their life stable. Do they live alone. Do they have pets.
- Why they wanted firearms. Why both R and NR instead of just NR. How do they plan to store them. What do they plan on shooting. Where do they plan on shooting.
The follow up call to my friend:
Why you want your firearm license. What are you going to do with your firearms. How are you going to store them. Are you going to buy any restricted firearms. Is the depression situation in the past. How long in the past. Still taking any medications. Any interest in hunting. Then a lecture on safe storage and transport, and a reminder to carry the "list of conditions" even if it's blank.
Following that call, approval. I am a very sarcastic person and it was REALLY hard not to be a smart a$$ or to heckle about the relevancy of some of the questions, but it wasn't my own license at stake so I behaved.
sending in my RPAL application soon.
Does it still work in Ontario to mail in the application right away without the exam certificate, and then mail the exam certificate later? Is there a way to send the exam certificate faster, like emailing it or faxing it, or do they need the original hard copy?
Does it still work in Ontario to mail in the application right away without the exam certificate, and then mail the exam certificate later? Is there a way to send the exam certificate faster, like emailing it or faxing it, or do they need the original hard copy?
Yes, it does work. The fastest way to get them the certificate is by fax
