British Columbians: Experience with "Restricted" Snake permits?

[Cam]

So, the BC government classifies controlled species into two categories:

"Prohibited" Which is a misnomer because it seems from what I've read that you can own one with a permit, as long as it was either here before 2009 or you apply for a permit before bringing it into the province.

"Restricted" Which you can own, breed, buy, sell, whatever with no restrictions unless the animal in question happens to grow to 3m (9.8 feet), at which point you need to apply for a permit.

Both snakes I'm considering owning fall into the "Restricted" category (Boa Constrictor and Carpet Python) and both have a chance of reaching the 3m threshold. I looked at the permit application and so on, and there's nothing on there I don't think I could satisfy, but I wonder just how painful they make the process. If all your T's are crossed and all your I's are dotted, is it a slam dunk, or do they give you a hard time about it? I'm thinking that since they allow breeding, selling, and possession of these species that fairly regularly exceed the 3m mark then they must be granting permits to keep the animals - either that or seizing and destroying a lot of animals.

Anyone have experience they can share here?