Just to clarify - the visitor visa (temporary resident visa) status expires Jan 29, 2020 on the passport and I am expecting OWP this month or early January as PR is processed in coming months.
Am I correct that getting OWP changes status from Visitor to Worker and that no action is needed to begin working in Canada awaiting PR to finalize?
As in, once OWP is granted the Jan 29, 2020 date is not relevant - and my status is determined by the OWP which for most normal cases will be valid until PR is granted?
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Looks like all the medical requests so far in spreadsheet are for Alberta first!
Hi there,
I think I know where the confusion comes in. Permit and Visa serve two different purposes. Please see this page:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/permit/temporary/extend/travel-outside-canada.html
Simply put, if you come back from your trip before your visitor visa expires (January 29, 2020), you should be fine. The thing is, you cannot leave Canada and re-enter Canada after January 29, 2020 (even if you have your new OWP that's valid to, let's say 2021), unless you have a new visitor visa (because your current visa expires January 29, 2020)
If you are granted OWP in December 2019, you do have Worker status since that day and start working, and can stay and work in Canada until the date the OWP expires while you wait for your PR. If you want to leave Canada and re-enter in the future, you will need a new, valid visitor visa.
Permit gives you the status and allows you to stay in Canada while visa allows you to re-enter Canada. Think of visa as the key to your house -- you cannot enter the house without the key, and think of the permit as your legal document of your house that says you are the owner of the house and can legally live there.
Hope this helps!
