My WP is expiring Sep 24th. I'm on CEC closed WP. I called CIC 4 days ago and demanded the 2nd AOR. She said she will generate and send it to me. I was happy when I received an email from CIC with attachment. Unfortunately it was the same PDF as the e-APR. I was pissed. I called CIC yesterday and demanded to know if I'm eligible for applying BOWP or not because I have no official way to know (MyCIC still says "eligibility review as in progress")
This time the agent said "Yes, I am eligible". For which I said, "OK then send me the proof (second AOR) so that I can apply for BOWP". For which he said "Please use the first one you have. That is sufficient." For which I told him "Your website clearly says not to use the first one and use the second one called AOR letter". For which he said "I know you haven't received the second one, that is okay. Despite Express Entry, it is still officially 13 months for processing and I may get the second AOR several months later too and so please go ahead and use the first one you have to make a paper application for BOWP. I can see in the system that you have "Passed" the eligibility". I asked him "why do you say paper why not online application?", for which he said for your own good please use paper application with supporting documents and the first received AOR and he does not want to have a conversation with me 3 months later about why my BOWP was refused. He said few who do it online get lucky but he recommends paper application for me. Bizarre. I know many have done online and got it approved and yet he said this. :'( He promised he'll send me an email with details. Few mins later, he sent me an email (CIC email) that said this:
"Sir, Madam,
Thank you for contacting Citizenship and Immigration Canada. I am pleased to follow up on your request:
Bridging open work permit - Certain federal economic class applicants
You can apply for an open work permit if you:
Have applied for permanent residence (PR) in Canada under one of the admissible categories of the economic class and are the principal applicant,
Have received a positive eligibility assessment on your PR application or, if applicable, the Acknowledgment of Receipt from the processing office,
Are currently in Canada, and
Already have a valid work permit that is due to expire within 4 months.
For information on the admissible categories, please visit our website.
To apply for an open work permit, you must send an Application to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay as a Worker to the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta.
You must do this before your work permit expires. You keep your current status under the same conditions, until a decision is made (implied status).
The application is available on our website.
Visit our website to see how long it may take to process your application."
What you discern out of all this is up to you... I'm so frustrated. They know my PR application is "Decision Made" but dont know when they will send the PPR or why its still not being sent (the agent said the decision is approved). And yet they want me to go and do the BOWP that too only paper application.