Flagpoling - ICT closed Work Permit to SOWP open work permit

[aster0id]

Is there any risk in flagpoling for getting a SOWP work permit while I also hold an LMIA exempt closed work permit? My common law partner is a student at UofT and I'm planning to get my SOWP as her dependent. We are from India. We also have proof of common law (rent agreement from India/Canada (current residence), photos, messages etc proving that we are common law.

Also my employment with my current company will terminate at end of March. Will that impact anything?

 

[aster0id]

Requesting @Naturgrl and @scylla for assistance!

 

[scylla]

Requesting @Naturgrl and @scylla for assistance!

Did you get your closed work permit first or did your partner get their study permit first?

 

[Naturgrl]

Also are you on each other profiles with IRCC as common law. So she has her study permit with you listed as common law partner and vice versa. Also you have filed taxes as common law?

 

[aster0id]

- she got her study permit first
- we are both common law on each others profiles with ircc
- we haven't completed one financial year in Canada yet so haven't filed taxes yet. But we have a joint account, shared residence with shared lease, notarized statutory declaration of common law union and her name on my life insurance
@Naturgrl
@scylla

 

[canuck78]

- she got her study permit first
- we are both common law on each others profiles with ircc
- we haven't completed one financial year yet so haven't filed taxes yet. But we have a joint account, shared residence with shared lease, notarized statutory declaration of common law union and her name on my life insurance
@Naturgrl
@scylla

Did you only recently hit the one year mark? Was the lease signed and dated when you moved in together? Do you have any documents from the first month of your relationship proving when you started living together?

 

[aster0id]

I have lease from India that is dated from July 2021 - no end date, where we both have the names on the agreement. We also have the same address on our passports.

Also we have been together since 2018, and started living together in 2021.

 

[aster0id]

@Naturgrl @scylla @canuck78 requesting a response! Thank you

 

[scylla]

@Naturgrl @scylla @canuck78 requesting a response! Thank you

There's always some risk with flagpoling. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. You can certainly try based on the information you've provided. Make sure you research the hours the border crossing is open. Also, based on reports here, some of them stop issuing work permits after a certain number are issued each day. So you can try, but unfortunately not guaranteed it will work. If it doesn't work the first time, you can try again or submit an application.

 

[aster0id]

Thank you so much! Yes I'm aware of the logistical issues, but just wanted to know if I am presenting with any obvious mistakes that I cannot see myself.

 

[aster0id]

Replying here for posterity and if someone is in the same situation as me in the future.

I did get my owp. But here are some mistakes I did that you should avoid.

1. If you're common law, carry any documents with you that has both your names on it. Could be utility bills, delivery of packages on the same address but with both your names on it, anything. We had passport with same address, and a rental agreement with both our names and signatures, very new joint bank account and another new joint rental agreement. It wasn't enough. They wanted to see more concrete older documentation.
2. Eventually the officer decided to interview us separately. We both gave all the right answers and were open and friendly with her (and she was too, with us). But I think what worked for us was the fact that she believed in us from the get go, and that was where we lucked out. She wanted to help us. Could've gone the other direction just as well.

Overall a positive experience at the end. But it did become harrowing in the middle when we couldn't bring up all the proofs that she was asking us for.