Can Outland applicant living in the USA get NAFTA work permit?

[VermiciousKnish]

Can an outland applicant living in the USA apply for a Nafta work permit after their sponsorship application has been submitted? I always understood that outland application inherently means that the applicant can only get "visitor" or "temporary" status while they are waiting for PR approval. If they could get a Nafta work permit (assuming they qualify) this would mean they can get more than temporary status.

I don't see why applicant should be precluded from a Nafta work permit in this scenario since had they had a nafta work permit and were living in Canada prior to making a sponsorship claim they would still be able to submit outland. Seems like it should theoretically work in the reverse order too. Thoughts?

 

[scylla]

There's no such restriction - they can apply provided they are a US citizen (not simply a citizen of another country living in the US).

 

[Rob_TO]

I always understood that outland application inherently means that the applicant can only get "visitor" or "temporary" status while they are waiting for PR approval.

There is no such rule, and never has been. PR application is completely separate from any other work, study or visitor permit you wanted to apply for.

As mentioned, only requirement other than education/work experience/job offer is that you're a US (or Mexico) citizen.

 

[VermiciousKnish]

There is no such rule, and never has been. PR application is completely separate from any other work, study or visitor permit you wanted to apply for.

As mentioned, only requirement other than education/work experience/job offer is that you're a US (or Mexico) citizen.

Yes, applicant is a US citizen.

 

[VermiciousKnish]

Yes, applicant is a US citizen.

So when would it make sense for a USA applicant to apply inland? Why would they want to do that?

 

[Rob_TO]

So when would it make sense for a USA applicant to apply inland? Why would they want to do that?

Because they can get an Open Work Permit after a few months of submitting an inland app. That is not possible with outland.

NAFTA closed work permits are hard to qualify for since they are for very specific fields and you need specific education/experience plus a job offer to qualify.