Thanks again
@OPS.
The lawyer said I should put the date I received my completion letter on the form and with that I can say no to 'unauthorized work.' He told me I am not lying by doing that. I like integrity and have decided before this (based on the advice from my uni) that I'll mention the dates of the so called unauthorized work, but I am surprised by the lawyer's advise - he argued that no officer will approve any unauthorized work and will put the 6 months ban. He assured me I am not lying by what he advised that whoever said I should declare what I did as an authorized work is a moron. So I am confused - I don't want to lie and at the same time I don't want to act in ignorance in the name of tying to be honest. Anyway, I am writing my letter and will send it to the uni to advise of anything I can add to apologize for my oversight. Few people on Quora have also said such violation can be overlooked - that the most important thing is to have a transcript and attend uni full time.
Also, I did a lot of research and came across the below info, so maybe 1 violation is allowed with some conditions. An example of someone on a work permit who failed to renew before continuing his/her work is given and IRCC say they will approve such violation - IFF with same employer. Not sure if the same applies to moving from a study permit to work permit.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents/foreign-workers/prohibitions.html#failed-comply
Unauthorized work or study
There are several factors that could be applied under paragraph R200(3)(e). Only 1 of the following factors [R200(3)(e)(i) to (iv)] needs to apply for the officer to refuse the work permit.
(i) Unauthorized work or study and 6 months not elapsed
As per subparagraph R200(3)(e)(i), the officer should not issue a work permit if either of the following applies:
- the foreign national worked or studied in Canada even though they never held a previous work or study permit, nor were they authorized to work [R196]
- the foreign national worked or studied in Canada under authorization but did not comply with the imposed conditions [R200(3)(e)(ii)]
The officer
may issue a work permit as long as 6 months have passed since the foreign national stopped their unauthorized work or study.
Note: Under subsection R182(1), officers may
reinstate or restore the status of temporary residents who have failed to comply with subparagraphs R185(b)(i) to (iii)
only if they have met the following restrictions:
- they have not been out of status for more than 90 days
- they have not otherwise failed to comply with the specified conditions of their stay
(ii) Failed to comply with more than 1 imposed condition
As per subparagraph R200(3)(e)(ii), if the foreign national has failed to comply with a condition of a previous permit or authorization, unless the study or work was unauthorized only because the foreign national did not comply with conditions imposed under
paragraph R185(a),
subparagraphs R185(b)(i) to (iii) or
paragraph R185(c). Paragraphs R185(d) and (e) are not included in these exemptions.
If the foreign national did not comply with
only 1 imposed condition, a work permit can be issued as long as they have applied for restoration of their temporary resident status.
However, if the foreign national did not comply with
more than 1 imposed condition, they may not be issued a work permit under paragraph R200(3)(e).
See
Conditions and validity period on work permits for more details.
Example
A temporary worker was authorized to work for employer A as a waiter until July 15, 2017, and continued working beyond July 15 without applying for a new work permit.
If the foreign national otherwise meets eligibility and admissibility requirements, they could be issued a new work permit without waiting for 6 months to elapse.
However, if the temporary worker was authorized to work for employer A as a waiter until July 15, 2017, and on August 15, 2017, they began working for employer B as a waiter, their work is considered “unauthorized” and they must wait for 6 months to pass since the day the work for employer A stopped before a work permit can be issued.
