thank you everyone for the helpful feedback. I am convinced now that I should apply for my PR from outside Canada. With a very sick father back home it is essential to me that I'm not "stuck" in Canada and that I be free to travel home at short notice.
One more question:
If I apply through the Buffalo office do I include my work permit extension application with it? Or do I send it somewhere else? I'm a little unclear if they are supposed to be applied for together.
One more question:
If I apply through the Buffalo office do I include my work permit extension application with it? Or do I send it somewhere else? I'm a little unclear if they are supposed to be applied for together.
If I'm not eligible for an open work permit while applying for PR outside of Canada, then how do I legally stay living and working in Canada while the PR is being processed?
You can apply to vary your status to visitor, and apply for an extension of your stay on the basis that you have applied for PR. Should be some threads around that say how to do so, it's been successfully done by others.
If I'm not eligible for an open work permit while applying for PR outside of Canada, then how do I legally stay living and working in Canada while the PR is being processed?
As the other poster said, you can apply for a change of conditions to your current status from worker to visitor. But you cannot work as a visitor. However, if your employer wants to keep you, they must apply to Service Canada for a Labour Market Opinion to be allowed to hire a foreign worker. They must meet the advertising requirements for the skill level of the position, prevailing wage and show that no Canadian or permanent resident that applied for the job was qualified and/or willing to take it. If they receive a positive response to their application, you can obtain another work permit.