Help! Have i been working on a void permit?

[Stunned]

I feel like the ground just collapsed and i really need some advice from the people on here.

My story:

Moved to Canada in late 2008 on a 1 yr WHV with my boyfriend.
We lived together and were classed as common law.
His employer sent in and got a positive LMO for him and as a result he (and i) was issued a new 1 yr permit in late 2009.
He ended things out of nowhere at the start of 2010 and we moved into separate places.
He completely cut me out of his life,said he wasn't in love with me anymore and wouldn't tell me why.

I was devastated. I continued living, working and paying tax in Canada as the permit was valid until late 2010.
I stopped working shortly before the expiry and on the day of expiry i went to the border, applied for and received a visitor visa in order to remain in Canada legally for another few months. I wanted to do so as a company are in the midst of an LMO application to try and hire me.
If this is successful my plan is to apply for a new permit and then apply for PR.

I'm in shock for 2 reasons:

I have just found out today that my ex married someone last month (who he apparently only started seeing mid 2010, so they got married a few months after meeting.I don't know if their relationship is genuine.)

On top of this, the person who broke the news to me also informed me that as far as she knew,my work permit was null and void as soon as our relationship ended.

I'm now panicked and really worried as if this is true, does this mean I've been illegally working(albeit on a permit i thought was valid) for most of 2010? If this is true and had i known, there's no way i would have continued working.

I'm now so worried that my chance at a future in Canada will be destroyed. This would affect my chances at PR as i would need to declare that i had a previous common law partner and it would ask for the date the relationship ended.


Can anyone please advise me?

 

[Leon]

I don't know the answer but I suggest you call the CIC call centre: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/contacts/index.asp#callcentre

You don't have to tell them your name. Ask them if a spouse work permit becomes invalid if the relationship breaks down or if it is still valid until the expiry date.

If they say it's still valid, then you don't have a problem. If they say it is not, then you go from there.

 

[Stunned]

Thanks for the response Leon.

I will have to wait until Monday as they are closed for the weekend.
If it's still valid, then i've nothing to worry about and if it's not, then i have no idea what to do.

 

[JGK]

If the working Holiday visa was one of the BUNAC ones it will have been issued in your name and not dependent on you being "in a relationship" with "Mr Ex". That would only be a problem if you were going through the spousal sponsorship route.

You worked till the end of the visa then got a visitors visa while you wait for the LMO and, hopefully, new permit so you can work again. As far as I can see you have done everything correctly and have nothing to worry about.

 

[Stunned]

I think i need to clarify:

When we arrived we each had a BUNAC which was valid for 12 months (late 2008 - late 2009), completely independent of each other.
Just before the BUNAC one expired, his employer got a positive LMO.
As a result a new 12 month work permit was issued (dated late 2009 - late 2010) for him and one for me as his common law partner.
So the one i'm asking about is the one dated from late 2009 - late 2010.

Why oh why didn't i even think of checking with CIC about this when we split up? :'(

 

[Leon]

Why oh why didn't i even think of checking with CIC about this when we split up? :'(

It's understandable, at least to me. It is issued in your name only and has an expiry date. I am assuming it is not printed on it anywhere that if you leave this man, the work permit is null and void so why would you automatically assume that it is?

I read through the foreign worker manual at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/fw/fw01-eng.pdf hoping to find something about this and could not find a thing.

 

[angelbrat]

I shouldn't worry too much. You left Canada and reentered with no problem. If there had been any red flags, you would have been refused entry or at least quizzed about it at the border.

The border guards have full access to all your paperwork, they obviously found nothing wrong, so my gut feeling is you did no wrong.