Hi everyone, I am applying for a work permit from the U.S., and I think my case has taken more than the averaging processing time. Both my employer and I are hoping that I can arrive in Canada soon. Below is my specific situation. Any advice on how I can speed up the process or how much longer do I likely need to wait would be very appreciated. If you have recently applied for work permits in U.S. and could share your experience that would be very helpful too. Many thanks in advance.
I am a Chinese citizen currently working in the U.S. in an F1-OPT status. I have a new postdoc job offer in Canada (U of Alberta) and submitted an application for a temporary work permit (closed, LIMA exempt) on-line on 1/26/2017. The averaging processing time listed on the IRCC website by the time I submitted my application was 14 wks, so it is supposed to finish reviewing my application by last Thr (5/4/2017). However, I have received no approval or rejection so far. I submitted an on-line inquiry on 3/28/2017, asking about my application status, and on 3/30/2017, I received a message asking for “proofs of your legal status in the U.S.”. I thought I submitted sufficient proofs already (scans of the EAD card, I-20, employment verification) except for the actual paper of OPT approval (i.e. I797, but one could not get an EAD card without an I797 so I thought it is redundant). I resubmitted everything and the I797. The IRCC website showed that the new materials were successfully submitted, no message ever since. I submitted another on-line inquiry last Thr (5/4/2017). No answer so far.
I am a Chinese citizen currently working in the U.S. in an F1-OPT status. I have a new postdoc job offer in Canada (U of Alberta) and submitted an application for a temporary work permit (closed, LIMA exempt) on-line on 1/26/2017. The averaging processing time listed on the IRCC website by the time I submitted my application was 14 wks, so it is supposed to finish reviewing my application by last Thr (5/4/2017). However, I have received no approval or rejection so far. I submitted an on-line inquiry on 3/28/2017, asking about my application status, and on 3/30/2017, I received a message asking for “proofs of your legal status in the U.S.”. I thought I submitted sufficient proofs already (scans of the EAD card, I-20, employment verification) except for the actual paper of OPT approval (i.e. I797, but one could not get an EAD card without an I797 so I thought it is redundant). I resubmitted everything and the I797. The IRCC website showed that the new materials were successfully submitted, no message ever since. I submitted another on-line inquiry last Thr (5/4/2017). No answer so far.