INLAND APPLICATIONS 2014

[jamique]

Hey everyone,

I have a question about the Open Work Permit and applying for jobs or working.

If someone has an Open Work Permit and an employer asks for the Social Insurance Number or some kind of identification number, which number on the Open Work Permit document is it?

Thank you for your help.

Your social insurance is not on your Open work permit. Social Insurance number is issued by Service Canada. If you haven`t been there to apply for your SIN number you need to do that ASAP. You need it to be able to work..

 

[Toronto84]

So how does someone get employed with an Open Work Permit?

 

[Ponga]

So how does someone get employed with an Open Work Permit?

1. Step one...follow jamique's instructions to get your temporary SIN from your local Service Canada office (number will change to your permanent SIN after you land).

2. Step two...find a job.

3. Step three...(if required) show the employer your OWP and SIN documentation, since they no longer issue SIN cards.

 

[Toronto84]

Great, thank you for both your help.

 

[SamHom]

After 18 agonizing months my journey is finally over. My wife finally landed today.

Special thanks goes out to:
The kind folks at our local CIC office who misguided us into applying with the inland steam instead of outland, and being generally clueless about every part of the application process.
The processing centers, who so selflessly went on strike, moved offices, and worked at a lobotomized sea sponge's pace over the past 18 months, causing wait times to triple, and ensuring that applicants would just barely be able to survive till their applications are dusted off.
All the morons at the call center who were happy to provide us with so little information.
Our MPP's office, who barely even knew what OHIP was, had no idea what the OHIP regulations were, and were always happy to provide us with untimely incorrect information.
Our MP's office who encouraged us to stick with the Inland stream a year ago, and took 10 months to find out if our application had arrived at CIC. We certainly enjoyed our monthly phone calls.
The neanderthals updating CIC's website, making sure we are kept up to date with the latest century-old information.

and finally, un-sarcastic legitimate thanks to the people of this forum for actually providing correct information, special call outs to Sophieee and Ponga.
CIC should seriously consider deleting their entire website and replacing it with this forum.

For anyone looking for details, we had these 3 landing questions:
Were you arrested or convicted of any crimes?
Have you ever been denied entry into Canada?
Do you have any dependents?

For the SIN # we got asked:
Are you a twin or a triplet?

That's it, we're done. Happy lives everyone. For those of you still enduring CIC's never ending BS, stay strong, stay vocal, you can defeat this beast. Cheers.

Your entire process got done in 18 months, when processing times for initial stage are 16 months alone for most people, and yet you complain? Very classless of you to be honest.

 

[Cedeel]

Your entire process got done in 18 months, when processing times for initial stage are 16 months alone for most people, and yet you complain? Very classless of you to be honest.

It's not only the processing time that matters. The level of service really isn't up to what people expect.

For example, it wouldn't increase any workload to have the call centre agents be allowed to view case notes which could provide more information than is currently available.
Also from the examples given, it sounds like some employees have missed some parts of their training if they give bad advice, again something that should be easy to fix.

Just because some people wait longer doesn't mean his complaints aren't valid.

 

[GustavesF]

Your entire process got done in 18 months, when processing times for initial stage are 16 months alone for most people, and yet you complain? Very classless of you to be honest.

Seriously SamHom, are you a call center agent who just made an account to defend your honor?

When I signed up, processing times were 8 months.
AOR took 10 months for me.
1st stage took 18 months.
2nd stage took 5 minutes, just like every single other straight forward Inland application.

If you honestly think 18 months for 1st stage isn't a problem, then you *must* work for CIC.

I seriously seriously seriously don't care that everyone is subjected to the same BS.
It does not make it okay. It is ridiculous and needs to be reformed. It is also not okay that the call center is useless, it is not okay that CIC doesn't have to send you AOR, or AIP if they don't feel like it, it is not okay that no other government body can tell you anything.
Just because the process is the same for everyone does not mean that the process is good.
That's the same BS they tell you every time you tell them their process is garbage "oh, it's within normal processing times, so don't worry".

When, after 18 months I got a letter from CIC stating that I had a landing interview scheduled and some nebulous statements regarding the need to prove we had met certain vague requirements that "we had previously been informed about" I couldn't even ask the moronic call center what the letter was referring to (as I had never gotten any correspondence from CIC, ever) their response was:
CIC: "We're working on applications from March 20th"
Me: "I got a letter, it says I have a landing interview, it also says we had previous correspondence about meeting some criteria, I didn't get any previous correspondence"
CIC: "Well you wouldn't have gotten anything because they're on March 20th and you're April 2nd. It'll just be a few more days, you're within normal processing times."
Stupid, government, morons.

I didn't just get an AOR, I had to fight for it. So I had absolutely ZERO info from CIC because they decided that I wasn't going to get an AOR. In my ATIP notes it shows "MP requests status of AOR, did not send AOR, processing times are 15 months, no action required".
For those who are following along, when I applied processing times were 8 months, and at the 10 month mark I had heard NOTHING from CIC.
Why? Because CIC isn't required to send AOR, and processing times were now 16 months instead of 8. So why complain right? Everything's good, right?

If processing times double again in 2015, would that be OK too? No reason to complain since it's crappy for everyone, right?

People like you are the problem. The people who say "oh, it's the same for everyone, therefore it's fine". It's not fine, it's a stone-age process with zero accountability.

There needs to be reform. If you can't see that, go work for the government.

 

[SamHom]

Seriously SamHom, are you a call center agent who just made an account to defend your honor?

When I signed up, processing times were 8 months.
AOR took 10 months for me.
1st stage took 18 months.
2nd stage took 5 minutes, just like every single other straight forward Inland application.

If you honestly think 18 months for 1st stage isn't a problem, then you *must* work for CIC.

I seriously seriously seriously don't care that everyone is subjected to the same BS.
It does not make it okay. It is ridiculous and needs to be reformed. It is also not okay that the call center is useless, it is not okay that CIC doesn't have to send you AOR, or AIP if they don't feel like it, it is not okay that no other government body can tell you anything.
Just because the process is the same for everyone does not mean that the process is good.
That's the same BS they tell you every time you tell them their process is garbage "oh, it's within normal processing times, so don't worry".

When, after 18 months I got a letter from CIC stating that I had a landing interview scheduled and some nebulous statements regarding the need to prove we had met certain vague requirements that "we had previously been informed about" I couldn't even ask the moronic call center what the letter was referring to (as I had never gotten any correspondence from CIC, ever) their response was:
CIC: "We're working on applications from March 20th"
Me: "I got a letter, it says I have a landing interview, it also says we had previous correspondence about meeting some criteria, I didn't get any previous correspondence"
CIC: "Well you wouldn't have gotten anything because they're on March 20th and you're April 2nd. It'll just be a few more days, you're within normal processing times."
Stupid, government, morons.

I didn't just get an AOR, I had to fight for it. So I had absolutely ZERO info from CIC because they decided that I wasn't going to get an AOR. In my ATIP notes it shows "MP requests status of AOR, did not send AOR, processing times are 15 months, no action required".
For those who are following along, when I applied processing times were 8 months, and at the 10 month mark I had heard NOTHING from CIC.
Why? Because CIC isn't required to send AOR, and processing times were now 16 months instead of 8. So why complain right? Everything's good, right?

If processing times double again in 2015, would that be OK too? No reason to complain since it's crappy for everyone, right?

People like you are the problem. The people who say "oh, it's the same for everyone, therefore it's fine". It's not fine, it's a stone-age process with zero accountability.

There needs to be reform. If you can't see that, go work for the government.

My post has nothing to do with most of the things you are mentioning. My whole point was that everyone isn't subjected to the same bs, because you weren't, your process was a lot faster than for most.
From what I can understand, as of now, most people have to wait around 26 months for the entire process, so really don't understand why you are complaining about 18. That's like complaining to cancer patients that you have a kidney stone, seriously. Yeah, a kidney stone sucks, but you're still lucky compared to most of the people you're complaining to. Does that mean a kidney stone is all great and jolly? No.

I didn't mean to offend you. Just wanted to give you a reality check since you were complaining about 18 months in a thread where most people wait 26. I agree with most of the things you said about the current system.

 

[GustavesF]

My post has nothing to do with most of the things you are mentioning. My whole point was that everyone isn't subjected to the same bs, because you weren't, your process was a lot faster than for most.
From what I can understand, as of now, most people have to wait around 26 months for the entire process, so really don't understand why you are complaining about 18. That's like complaining to cancer patients that you have a kidney stone, seriously. Yeah, a kidney stone sucks, but you're still lucky compared to most of the people you're complaining to. Does that mean a kidney stone is all great and jolly? No.

I didn't mean to offend you. Just wanted to give you a reality check since you were complaining about 18 months in a thread where most people wait 26. I agree with most of the things you said about the current system.

Well my post, the one you objected to, has everything to do with all those things.
You're wrong, sorry. The process *is* bad for everyone. Everyone here is dealing with CIC, and CIC is useless.

I'm not going to change my opinion because I'm finally done.
I don't care that the call center agents had a pleasant demeanor, or that the landing interview person was nice to us. It doesn't change the fact that every step of the process was complete and utter BS.
I don't care that the website says 17 months, and I only had to wait 18 months, 17 is too long, 12 is too long. I signed up for 8, so did everyone else in this thread.
Why is it allowed to get progressively worse CONSTANTLY without any explanation.

Everyone *is* subjected to the same BS, some have it slightly worse and some have it slightly better.
No one takes 8 or 10 months for second stage, that's just website fluff so no one is allowed to call in or get upset that their ECas is a year out-of-date.

I'm not saying that I had it worse than my fellow warriors out there, and I'm certainly not blaming any of my fellow warriors for any part of my experience.

Your cancer analogy is ludicrous.
If I showed up to a hospital with a liver disease, and a trained cat using a stone scalpel operated on me, I'd be rightfully upset *EVEN THOUGH* there was some poor soul in the bed next to me with brain, bone, and lung cancer being operated on by the same stone-scalpel-wielding cat.

That's what this process is. Some of us have it worse, some have it better, but we're still subjected to the same incompetence every single step of the way.
Just because I didn't have it as bad as others that does not mean that my opinion on the system is invalid.

I take offense to any defense of CIC, because it's nonsense.
They don't talk to the public, they don't even talk to the government, they have no accountability, no transparency, no way of knowing what they are doing.
We are Canadians living and paying taxes in Canada with the *right*, not the privilege, to bring our spouses into Canada.

People like you are the reason there's never any reform in anything.
If it could be worse then it doesn't need to get any better.
Why clean up the streets when there are dirtier streets out there?
Why treat the sick when there are sicker?
Why control pollution when there are worse polluters?

Currently wait times are double what they've been over the past 5 years. Don't stand for this. Don't stand for lack of transparency.
Complacency is why Canadians always just go with whatever BS flow we are being subjected to.

 

[SamHom]

Well my post, the one you objected to, has everything to do with all those things.
You're wrong, sorry. The process *is* bad for everyone. Everyone here is dealing with CIC, and CIC is useless.

I'm not going to change my opinion because I'm finally done.
I don't care that the call center agents had a pleasant demeanor, or that the landing interview person was nice to us. It doesn't change the fact that every step of the process was complete and utter BS.
I don't care that the website says 17 months, and I only had to wait 18 months, 17 is too long, 12 is too long. I signed up for 8, so did everyone else in this thread.
Why is it allowed to get progressively worst CONSTANTLY without any explanation.

Everyone *is* subjected to the same BS, some have it slightly worse and some have it slightly better.
No one takes 8 or 10 months for second stage, that's just website fluff so no one is allowed to call in or get upset that their ECas is a year out-of-date.

I'm not saying that I had it worse than my fellow warriors out there, and I'm certainly not blaming any of my fellow warriors for any part of my experience.

Your cancer analogy is ludicrous.
If I showed up to a hospital with a liver disease, and a trained cat using a stone scalpel operated on me, I'd be rightfully upset *EVEN THOUGH* there was some poor soul in the bed next to me with brain, bone, and lung cancer being operated on by the same stone-scalpel-wielding cat.

That's what this process is. Some of us have it worse, some have it better, but we're still subjected to the same incompetence every single step of the way.

I take offense to any defense of CIC, because it's nonsense.
They don't talk to the public, they don't even talk to the government, they have no accountability, no transparency, no way of knowing what they are doing.
We are Canadians living and paying taxes in Canada with the *right*, not the privilege, to bring our spouses into Canada.

People like you are the reason there's never any reform in anything.
If it could be worse then it doesn't need to get any better.
Why clean up the streets when there are dirtier streets out there?
Why treat the sick when there are sicker?
Why control pollution when there are worse polluters?

Currently wait times are double what they've been over the past 5 years. Don't stand for this. Don't stand for lack of transparency.
Complacency is why Canadians always just go with whatever BS flow we are being subjected to.

Can I ask you what you mean by signing up for 8? 8 was never the entire process, from application sent to PR, 8 was just for the first stage. Even back in the spring of 2014 when you applied, the waiting time for stage one and stage two combined was 16-18 months.

I am not defending CIC. If that's what you get from my posts you need to read them more carefully.

 

[GustavesF]

Can I ask you what you mean by signing up for 8? 8 was never the entire process, from application sent to PR, 8 was just for the first stage. Even back in the spring of 2014 when you applied, the waiting time for stage one and stage two combined was 16-18 months.

I am not defending CIC. If that's what you get from my posts you need to read them more carefully.

I don't need to read your posts more carefully, you need to stop taking offense to my dissatisfaction with CIC.

When I sent my application in the 1st stage wait time was 8 months.
My first stage took 18 months. I never got first stage approval, SA, or AIP.
I don't even remotely care about stage 2.

If there aren't any problems with your application your stage 2 will take ZERO time.
You've been told this by multiple people here.

I don't understand what you're so agitated about.
Is your stage 2 taking long? Did you move and forget to tell CIC about it?
CIC is stupid, they mail the landing appointment to the applicant when everything else is emailed to the sponsor. Your ECas probably won't even know about your appointment till you've been landed for a few months.

Are you the only person who is allowed to complain?

As a reasonable person, if I was to hear about your hardships with CIC I'd add it to my cause, not tell you that you haven't had it bad enough.

Don't argue against me because you feel you've had it worse than I have, join me.

 

[SamHom]

I don't need to read your posts more carefully, you need to stop taking offense to my dissatisfaction with CIC.

When I sent my application in the 1st stage wait time was 8 months.
My first stage took 18 months. I never got first stage approval, SA, or AIP.
I don't even remotely care about stage 2.

If there aren't any problems with your application your stage 2 will take ZERO time.
You've been told this by multiple people here.

I don't understand what you're so agitated about.
Is your stage 2 taking long? Did you move and forget to tell CIC about it?
CIC is stupid, they mail the landing appointment to the applicant when everything else is emailed to the sponsor. Your ECas probably won't even know about your appointment till you've been landed for a few months.

Are you the only person who is allowed to complain?

As a reasonable person, if I was to hear about your hardships with CIC I'd add it to my cause, not tell you that you haven't had it bad enough.

Don't argue against me because you feel you've had it worse than I have, join me.

Again, I am not defending CIC. I don't understand how you can't see my point at all when your entire process took 18 months, something that many people here would beg for. It does come off as tasteless when you complain about something that the majority of people you're complaining to only could dream of. Anyway.

The stuff with the SA and the AIP is absolute bs. Can't believe they didn't send it to you at all. So what happened exactly, you just got a letter with a landing interview and that was it?

Actually, I don't think anyone here has told me that stage two will take ZERO time if there aren't any problems with the application. If that's really the case, it would be amazing news.

What happened with the medical in your case, did they just accept it even if it had been past 12 months?

 

[screech339]

Can I ask you what you mean by signing up for 8? 8 was never the entire process, from application sent to PR, 8 was just for the first stage. Even back in the spring of 2014 when you applied, the waiting time for stage one and stage two combined was 16-18 months.

I am not defending CIC. If that's what you get from my posts you need to read them more carefully.

The only reason GustavesF is pissed off about the 1st stage is that it took him 18 months instead of 8 months to get first stage, when he submitted the application. It is a very valid reason to get pissed off over. I would be too if I were in his shoes. The only reason he doesn't care about 2nd stage is that he has been wanting to get his wife on OHIP only. He has been trying to use OWP case 27 to get his wife on OHIP but his case was moot as OWP case 27 doesn't prove his wife is eligible for PR status, unlike AIP, regular OWP and DM letter does prove PR eligibility. He has very good reason to be pissed off with CIC regarding the 1st stage timeline. If his timeline calls for 8 months for 1st stage at time of submittal, CIC should, at least, honour that.

I am curious as to what was the timeline for second stage when he signed up for it or the total processing time for start to finish when he submitted his application.

GustavesF should still be thankful that his wife landed as PR, regardless of how long the process took him, whether it took 18 months or 26 months, no matter the excuses CIC has for the latest poor state of inland processing timeline. Should also be thankful that despite the long hard process his wife had to endure to get PR, at least he is with his wife during the entire process. There are many others who don't have this luxury of being with their spouses, physically separated, unable to be with their spouses until the PR process is completed.

Which is worst? Being together with your spouse for 18 - 26 months to land as PR or physically separated from your spouse for 18 months (average outland timeline) to land as PR. Sometimes some people forget that and take the small important things in life for granted.

 

[GustavesF]

Again, I am not defending CIC. I don't understand how you can't see my point at all when your entire process took 18 months, something that many people here would beg for. It does come off as tasteless when you complain about something that the majority of people you're complaining to only could dream of. Anyway.

I'm complaining about some very easy to understand things, about a process that warrants complaining about.
If it offends you somehow, then sorry about that, it's meant to offend CIC. No one else.
It's meant to tell fellow sufferers that their dissatisfaction is shared, that I'll speak out whenever given opportunity. That I'll be telling my MP that I'm displeased and embarrassed that my country has such incompetent services.

The stuff with the SA and the AIP is absolute bs. Can't believe they didn't send it to you at all. So what happened exactly, you just got a letter with a landing interview and that was it?

I sent my application in, and didn't hear anything for 9 months. So I started to work with my MP, and after a month or so my MP forced CIC to send me AOR.
You see, CIC had decided that they didn't need to send me an AOR, but after a month of fighting I got one sent to me, out of spite.
Then after 8 more months we got a landing letter.
According to ECAS my application is only as far as "medical results received".

Actually, I don't think anyone here has told me that stage two will take ZERO time if there aren't any problems with the application. If that's really the case, it would be amazing news.

I believe it was MaryLou6 who told you first, when you were inquiring about the 10 month stage 2 time.

What happened with the medical in your case, did they just accept it even if it had been past 12 months?

They accepted it. There's no standard to how they do this, ours got accepted.
It is ridiculous that some people need to get it re-done. If it was valid at the time of sending, and processing used to take less than a year then I don't see why they need to re-assess your health.
It's not like people who landed in 2014 or 2013 had to go in to get a second medical in 2015 to see if they could be deported or not.
Not sure why an extra long processing time warrants a double-standard.

The only reason GustavesF is pissed off about the 1st stage is that it took him 18 months instead of 8 months to get first stage, when he submitted the application. It is a very valid reason to get pissed off over. I would be too if I were in his shoes. The only reason he doesn't care about 2nd stage is that he has been wanting to get his wife on OHIP only. He has been trying to use OWP case 27 to get his wife on OHIP but his case was moot as OWP case 27 doesn't prove his wife is eligible for PR status, unlike AIP, regular OWP and DM letter does prove PR eligibility. He has very good reason to be pissed off with CIC regarding the 1st stage timeline. If his timeline calls for 8 months for 1st stage at time of submittal, CIC should, at least, honour that.

I am curious as to what was the timeline for second stage when he signed up for it or the total processing time for start to finish when he submitted his application.

8 months 1st stage and 8 months 2nd stage. 16 months total.
I knew early on that normal life followed 1st stage, which is why I didn't recall my application after 9 months of crickets.
PR is great, but all PR does over-and-above AIP is entry security, but I never cared about that because my wife is Visa exempt anyway.

GustavesF should still be thankful that his wife landed as PR, regardless of how long the process took him, whether it took 18 months or 26 months, no matter the excuses CIC has for the latest poor state of inland processing timeline. Should also be thankful that despite the long hard process his wife had to endure to get PR, at least he is with his wife during the entire process. There are many others who don't have this luxury of being with their spouses, physically separated, unable to be with their spouses until the PR process is completed.

Which is worst? Being together with your spouse for 18 - 26 months to land as PR or physically separated from your spouse for 18 months (average outland timeline) to land as PR. Sometimes some people forget that and take the small important things in life for granted.

First, it's a right, not a privilege.

Second, my wife and I are both citizens of first world nations, nations that have decided on Visa exemption between them, and free trade agreements to boot.
This is why my wife could be with me during this process. This is why we are a very simple immigration case.

We have options. When presented with my options I don't like being lied to.

I am thankful that my wife finally landed, just like someone who is thankful to have made it out of a traffic jam.
It's a little silly to think that everyone should be happy with CIC when they finally make it through.

The process is bad screech339, it's a bad process. All the links in the chain are rusted. It doesn't matter that people still slowly make it through, it's the journey that we're talking about.

I made it through, great, but reform still needs to happen. At this point I'm done, but I still care for people subject to this mess.

 

[SamHom]

I'm complaining about some very easy to understand things, about a process that warrants complaining about.
If it offends you somehow, then sorry about that, it's meant to offend CIC. No one else.
It's meant to tell fellow sufferers that their dissatisfaction is shared, that I'll speak out whenever given opportunity. That I'll be telling my MP that I'm displeased and embarrassed that my country has such incompetent services.

I sent my application in, and didn't hear anything for 9 months. So I started to work with my MP, and after a month or so my MP forced CIC to send me AOR.
You see, CIC had decided that they didn't need to send me an AOR, but after a month of fighting I got one sent to me, out of spite.
Then after 8 more months we got a landing letter.
According to ECAS my application is only as far as "medical results received".
I believe it was MaryLou6 who told you first, when you were inquiring about the 10 month stage 2 time.
They accepted it. There's no standard to how they do this, ours got accepted.
It is ridiculous that some people need to get it re-done. If it was valid at the time of sending, and processing used to take less than a year then I don't see why they need to re-assess your health.
It's not like people who landed in 2014 or 2013 had to go in to get a second medical in 2015 to see if they could be deported or not.
Not sure why an extra long processing time warrants a double-standard.

8 months 1st stage and 8 months 2nd stage. 16 months total.
I knew early on that normal life followed 1st stage, which is why I didn't recall my application after 9 months of crickets.
PR is great, but all PR does over-and-above AIP is entry security, but I never cared about that because my wife is Visa exempt anyway.

First, it's a right, not a privilege.

Second, my wife and I are both citizens of first world nations, nations that have decided on Visa exemption between them, and free trade agreements to boot.
This is why my wife could be with me during this process. This is why we are a very simple immigration case.

We have options. When presented with my options I don't like being lied to.

I am thankful that my wife finally landed, just like someone who is thankful to have made it out of a traffic jam.
It's a little silly to think that everyone should be happy with CIC when they finally make it through.

The process is bad screech339, it's a bad process. All the links in the chain are rusted. It doesn't matter that people still slowly make it through, it's the journey that we're talking about.

I made it through, great, but reform still needs to happen. At this point I'm done, but I still care for people subject to this mess.

This will be the last time I say this. I am not saying that you should be happy about the process, I am just stating my opinion, that it is classless to complain to people worse off than you about your situation.

Hopefully more people get to experience an incredible fast second stage soon.