Approved 2 Year Visa, but Passport Expired in 1 year - Need my 2nd Year

[CW-Toronto]

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can help me out and provide some advise and or information on my current situation. I was given a 2 year Visa from IEC under the work holiday visa program, but when I went to enter Canada in July 2014, the border officer only granted me 12 months as my passport was expiring in June 2015. I have since renewed my passport (valid until 2025) and now would like to claim my additional 12 months.

Two questions:

1. Am I still entitled to the 2nd year as originally approved for?
2. If I am then do I just need to leave the country and come back in to have the additional year granted? What paper work should I bring?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm a little unsure about what I am entitled to and would very much like to stay in Canada.

Thank you in advance!

 

[pkssandhu]

I do not have any experience with IEC specifically but hopefully the following explanation will help.

When you get a work permit from a non-IEC country, you get a work permit and a temporary resident visa (TRV) stamped on your passport. The work permit gives you the right to work in Canada while the TRV is needed to enter Canada or re-renter Canada (in case you need to travel outside Canada). So if you do have these two separate documents, a work permit and a visa, then as long as the work permit is valid you do not need to get your passport stamped again for TRV. You can stay in Canada legally.

If however you need to travel outside Canada after the one year TRV expires, then I suggest you take a copy of your work permit, passport and other required documents and submit to Ottawa so they can renew your visa. Search in Google for, "Apply for a new temporary resident visa from within Canada". It should be the very first link.

Hope this helps.

P.