Throughout 2010, our office will be requesting medical examinations for applications submitted prior to October 1, 2007. Once medical examinations have been requested, the average processing time is from 6 to 12 months but can be longer if further background or medical checks are required. While it is difficult to project processing times for cases received in October 2007 or later, it is unlikely that these will be finalized in 2010. Sponsors who wish to know whether or not their parents’ or grandparents’ application will be processed this year should refer to the date of our Acknowledgement of Receipt for the Permanent Resident application, and not the date the Sponsorship application was sent to the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (Canada).