It seems that earlier in the year the approvals were much quicker. For me it was :
Applied March 25th.
Conditional Approval: April 10th, 2016
Interview (initial availability) : October 11, 2016
Current appointment : August 2, 2016
Was able to get it earlier by checking the site often. Had many opportunities to get the slot much earlier but always 1 and I needed 2 spots for 2 people at the "same time". Finally founded last week.