OpenVisaBIL and medical: when do they come, and is silence normal?
The letter sets the clock. Until then there isn't one.
Each letter sets its own deadline when it arrives; before that there isn't one. Processing starts once IRCC has your biometrics, and months can pass between steps with no visible change.
1. When does the biometric instruction letter (BIL) come?
After you apply and pay the biometrics fee, IRCC sends a biometric instruction letter (BIL). The letter states its own deadline to give fingerprints and a photo at a collection point: a Service Canada office in Canada, a visa application centre abroad. Collection points, what to bring and the current rules are on IRCC's biometrics page.
We encourage you to give your biometrics as soon as possible after getting the BIL. We’ll start processing your application after we get your biometrics.
Biometrics given for an earlier visitor, study, work or permanent residence application don't carry over. Guide 5289 says you pay for and give them again for this application.
You will need to pay for and then give your biometrics, even if you gave biometrics in the past to support a visitor visa, study or work permit application, or a different permanent resident application.
2. When does the medical request come?
For family sponsorship, the applicant and each family member wait for IRCC's request, then book with a panel physician, who sends the results to IRCC directly. Guide 5289 says to do the exam within 30 days of the instructions being issued.
Note : Don’t be concerned if you don’t receive a request to complete medical exams immediately after applying. Because medical results can expire, we might not ask you to do your medical exam right away. This is to reduce the chance that a new medical exam will be required later.
3. Is silence normal?
Guide 5289 says processing starts after IRCC receives your biometrics. After that, months can pass between steps with no visible change, and the online account's status line changes rarely.
Note: If your application was received before someone else’s, but you have not received all of the same requests, don’t be alarmed. Each file is different, and application steps may happen at different times for each file.
4. When should I actually contact IRCC?
When something changed on your side (address, passport, family) or when a stated deadline has passed with nothing outstanding from you: for example, biometrics given and the online account still says they're required after several weeks. IRCC's web form is for changes and new information. It isn't a way to speed up a file. Otherwise, the useful checks are that your contact details are current and your status documents aren't expiring.
OpenVisa is software, not a lawyer or RCIC. This page explains what the rules and forms say; it is not advice about your case. You submit your application yourself.