for me it's probably too late already anyway but anybody applying for a work permit should know about exactly what to expect and how damn slow HRSDC is if you don't poke it with a stick every other day. (this whole story is taking place in toronto)
i don't even know how many months ago my employer applied for an LMO for the first time. i believe it was in march, 1-2 months before my then still valid work permit ran out. this was based on the fact that i somewhere read that it would take 2-3 weeks to be processed plus a few weeks for the actual work permit application.
well... after that, there was a bit of back and forth between CIC and myself, them threatening to deny my application because of no LMO and me basically going "well, what can i do if your colleagues take so long to reach a conclusion?". somebody at CIC actually told me it would be very unusual for LMO processing to take longer than those 2-3 weeks and he'll put a note on my file saying the will wait for the LMO, regardless how long it takes. in the mean-time, i would have implied status, allowing me to stay and work until all of that would be over.
but they didn't wait. in september (still no LMO), i received a letter saying my application was denied because i didn't provide them with an LMO. "oh and by the way - your implied status ended a week ago and if you don't intend on applying for restoration (which is $350) you're in the country illegaly now and enforcement action can be taken against you"
so i asked my boss what the hell is going on (since your employer is in charge of organizing the LMO) and he found out that they decided on my case by mistake but they refused to re-open it! the only thing i could do was the application for restoration and my boss apply for an LMO again.
this time around, since it is my last chance, he decided to be more forceful (and me as well, demanding to be updated every step of the way) and has a secretary calling up HRSDC at least twice a week. and HRSDC actually demanded copies of the same things multiple times, over a period of almost two months now! initially, they told my boss because of the field i work in (creative industry), they would be able to "fast track" it and he would get the LMO in about 8 days. 8 days, my ass! as i just said, it's almost two months now. and during all that time, there were even nice parts where the person processing the application couldn't be reached for about a week but once he was available, he went "oh and i need XYZ within two days, or the application will be denied".
i always used to think companies that don't want to hire foreign workers were just too lazy to fill out a damn form but now i realize exactly how much effort this process is since HRSDC will apparently not do anything without being constantly pushed and asks for the same information over and over. and i thought my experience with CIC was frustrating... but my application was a piece of cake in comparison. there, it really was just filling out a form, paying a fee and that was it.
i don't even know how many months ago my employer applied for an LMO for the first time. i believe it was in march, 1-2 months before my then still valid work permit ran out. this was based on the fact that i somewhere read that it would take 2-3 weeks to be processed plus a few weeks for the actual work permit application.
well... after that, there was a bit of back and forth between CIC and myself, them threatening to deny my application because of no LMO and me basically going "well, what can i do if your colleagues take so long to reach a conclusion?". somebody at CIC actually told me it would be very unusual for LMO processing to take longer than those 2-3 weeks and he'll put a note on my file saying the will wait for the LMO, regardless how long it takes. in the mean-time, i would have implied status, allowing me to stay and work until all of that would be over.
but they didn't wait. in september (still no LMO), i received a letter saying my application was denied because i didn't provide them with an LMO. "oh and by the way - your implied status ended a week ago and if you don't intend on applying for restoration (which is $350) you're in the country illegaly now and enforcement action can be taken against you"
so i asked my boss what the hell is going on (since your employer is in charge of organizing the LMO) and he found out that they decided on my case by mistake but they refused to re-open it! the only thing i could do was the application for restoration and my boss apply for an LMO again.
this time around, since it is my last chance, he decided to be more forceful (and me as well, demanding to be updated every step of the way) and has a secretary calling up HRSDC at least twice a week. and HRSDC actually demanded copies of the same things multiple times, over a period of almost two months now! initially, they told my boss because of the field i work in (creative industry), they would be able to "fast track" it and he would get the LMO in about 8 days. 8 days, my ass! as i just said, it's almost two months now. and during all that time, there were even nice parts where the person processing the application couldn't be reached for about a week but once he was available, he went "oh and i need XYZ within two days, or the application will be denied".
i always used to think companies that don't want to hire foreign workers were just too lazy to fill out a damn form but now i realize exactly how much effort this process is since HRSDC will apparently not do anything without being constantly pushed and asks for the same information over and over. and i thought my experience with CIC was frustrating... but my application was a piece of cake in comparison. there, it really was just filling out a form, paying a fee and that was it.
