scylla said:
Technically it can meaningfully affect US visa program. If you benefit from the visa waiver program, visit the US and then overstay - you can no longer benefit from the visa waiver program going forward.
Yes, this is a bit more accurate than what I said (which I admit was kinda cursory and generic). From what I gather, scylla is talking about a specific subset of the US immigration system (i.e., relating to those who enjoy visa waiver treaties/programs). But this thread is about how all that affects Canada's PR application, not about future visits to the U.S. What scylla says is applicable to future visits to the U.S. (in general terms, and there may be ways to waive statutory restrictions, if any, even in such cases too).
ag2015usa said:
FTR, "overstay" and "out of status" are completely different terms. "Out of status" is when you have a valid visa but you're no longer complying with the terms of the visa (on a work visa, but laid off; on a student visa but not longer attending classes). "Overstay" means when you exceed the date up to which you were allowed to be in the country (the date in your passport stamp).
Yes, this is an important distinction and ag2015usa
almost gets the distinction, with just one caveat (and just to make sure the details are clear). The overstay does not depend on the visa dates. Instead, it refers to the date as issued during port of entry (D/S stamp) OR the date which USCIS (upon further applications/petitions post-POE) deems to be the date until when one is legally allowed to stay in the U.S. I won't get to how "out of status" and "overstay" are related in this thread since that would be going off the rails (suffice it to say it's not entirely accurate to say "they're completely different terms", as ag2015usa claims).
Best wishes to all.