+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

Spousal Open Work Permit - Health insurance???

karlos_macca

Full Member
Oct 25, 2016
47
0
All,

I am applying for the OWP at the same time I am applying for inland spousal sponsored PR. I am currently on a 2 year IEC work visa, and hence have to apply for a OWP to continue working.

For the OWP application under the document checlklist, it states, is that if I am a participant in the IEC then I need to show proof of health insurance to covering length of stay in Canada. This is confusing me. Does it mean, until my IEC Visa expires in March? Or am I still required to buy travel insurance for the OWP for an arbitary length of time until PR is approved???? It was my understanding that I didnt require health insurance for the OWP. (on a side not is it easier to be covered under the local health insurance when on OWP....its a pain under IEC)

Any help appreciated.
 

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,553
7,205
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
karlos_macca said:
I am applying for the OWP at the same time I am applying for inland spousal sponsored PR. I am currently on a 2 year IEC work visa, and hence have to apply for a OWP to continue working.

For the OWP application under the document checlklist, it states, is that if I am a participant in the IEC then I need to show proof of health insurance to covering length of stay in Canada. This is confusing me. Does it mean, until my IEC Visa expires in March? Or am I still required to buy travel insurance for the OWP for an arbitary length of time until PR is approved???? It was my understanding that I didnt require health insurance for the OWP. (on a side not is it easier to be covered under the local health insurance when on OWP....its a pain under IEC)

Any help appreciated.
They are asking for insurance if you are applying for IEC. You are not applying for IEC again, so you don't need it.

Health care depends on what province you are in. Generally, it's not easy.

From your previous posts, your IEC permit expires in March. It takes about 4 months to receive the OWP once you've submitted the app, so there will be some time where you will have to stop working.
 

karlos_macca

Full Member
Oct 25, 2016
47
0
Great. Thanks.

I won't be working during the gap between permits. I work regionally in a contract role and will have time off back in Vancouver during any gap period - should work out well. Do I need to cross the border and re-enter as a vistor before the IEC expires?
 

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,553
7,205
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
karlos_macca said:
Great. Thanks.

I won't be working during the gap between permits. I work regionally in a contract role and will have time off back in Vancouver during any gap period - should work out well. Do I need to cross the border and re-enter as a vistor before the IEC expires?
No, you don't need to leave Canada. You will have Implied Status allowing you to stay in Canada while you wait for the OWP.
 

samanta60

Hero Member
Sep 7, 2016
438
9
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
16-01-2017
AOR Received.
16-01-2017
IELTS Request
19-02-2017
File Transfer...
23-02-2017
Med's Done....
25-02-2017 (BG IP: 25-02-2017, BG NA: 09-03-2017, BG IP2: 25-03-2017)
canuck_in_uk said:
No, you don't need to leave Canada. You will have Implied Status allowing you to stay in Canada while you wait for the OWP.
If I understood the above posts correctly, he is going to switch from IEC to OWP. There is no implied status after IEC. This was discussed in:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/iec-working-holiday-to-wplmo-help-t469250.0.html;msg5706659#msg5706659

So if there is going to be a gap between permits, he has to get visitor status or something to be legally staying in Canada.
 

samanta60

Hero Member
Sep 7, 2016
438
9
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
16-01-2017
AOR Received.
16-01-2017
IELTS Request
19-02-2017
File Transfer...
23-02-2017
Med's Done....
25-02-2017 (BG IP: 25-02-2017, BG NA: 09-03-2017, BG IP2: 25-03-2017)
By the way receiving OWP may not take that long. My spouse applied for one (at the same time that I applied to renew my closed wp) and it took a months plus few days to receive the approval message in the account saying that the permit has been mail to us. But it may take longer too.
 

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,553
7,205
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
samanta60 said:
If I understood the above posts correctly, he is going to switch from IEC to OWP. There is no implied status after IEC. This was discussed in:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/iec-working-holiday-to-wplmo-help-t469250.0.html;msg5706659#msg5706659

So if there is going to be a gap between permits, he has to get visitor status or something to be legally staying in Canada.
There is no Implied Status as a worker. There is Implied Status as a visitor and no need to apply for anything else.


samanta60 said:
By the way receiving OWP may not take that long. My spouse applied for one (at the same time that I applied to renew my closed wp) and it took a months plus few days to receive the approval message in the account saying that the permit has been mail to us. But it may take longer too.
For OWP apps submitted with inland PR apps, the processing time is 4 months.
 

3peat

Newbie
Oct 2, 2017
2
0
All,

I am applying for the OWP at the same time I am applying for inland spousal sponsored PR. I am currently on a 2 year IEC work visa, and hence have to apply for a OWP to continue working.

For the OWP application under the document checlklist, it states, is that if I am a participant in the IEC then I need to show proof of health insurance to covering length of stay in Canada. This is confusing me. Does it mean, until my IEC Visa expires in March? Or am I still required to buy travel insurance for the OWP for an arbitary length of time until PR is approved???? It was my understanding that I didnt require health insurance for the OWP. (on a side not is it easier to be covered under the local health insurance when on OWP....its a pain under IEC)

Any help appreciated.

Hi there!

I am in the exact same situation with my IEC work permit expiring in Jan 2018. My PR Application (Common Law) was submitted back in April 2017 and I didn't bother to submit and OWP application as I thought I had plenty of time. I was wrong :( Anyway did you have to submit more proof of health insurance past you IEC permit expiry date when applying for OWP?

Any help based on your experience would be hugely appreciated?

Thanks,

Nathan.