To further elaborate on the Dual Intent issue:GlenL said:...Notwithstanding the information at the following 2 links, which are in regards to your 'in progress' Permanent Residence application. While you do have a valid passport, valid work permit, etc.. a border officer could question you further, and wonder what you would do if your Permanent Residence application was denied. If you have no money, and nowhere to live in your home country, they could choose to deny you. The links below are written more as a guide for the border agents, but I found these links particularly helpful in understanding their perspective.
My wife recently came back from home (I posted her experience earlier today) and I was worried about her ability to cross the border. As a result of my research, and these links, I suggested she bring some recent mail from Ireland back to Canada with her, as I thought that would be pretty good proof of ties to Ireland if she REALLY got questioned. She had bank statements etc.. at the home that is still available to her in Ireland if PR was denied. None of that was necessary at all, but was good to be informed and prepared.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/visa/dual.asp (a link at the bottom of this page labeled 'permanent residence in progress' leads to the second link
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/visa/processing/pr.asp
Sorry for all the responses! I just spent a lot of time recently investigating this, and found the info in many different places. Thought it wouldn't hurt to put it all here for everyone's benefit (and/or further discussion)
Temporary residence status might be refused for several reasons, including:
history of having contravened the conditions of admission on a previous stay in Canada;
lack of or insufficient proof of adequate funds to support oneself while in Canada, and to affect one’s departure from Canada;
medical inadmissibility;
not satisfying the visa officer that the individual will leave Canada at the end of their period of authorized stay.
That last part is where the real danger lies (IMHO), because if the CBSA officer suspects/doubts that s/he wouldn't leave, if PR is denied, s/he could have a problem.
Some people (myself included) feel that a person that has submitted a PR application may have a bit more trouble, simply because the CBSA officer now knows that the person truly has dual intentions for entering Canada, unlike a person simply entering as a visitor.
Now...here's what they [CIC] say about an Inland applicant that chooses to leave Canada temporarily:
Temporary residence applicants with in-Canada applications for permanent residence in progress
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by CIC staff. It is posted on the CIC website as a courtesy to stakeholders.
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its regulations permit certain foreign nationals to apply for permanent residence from within Canada. Given that processing times for in-Canada applications can be lengthy, in some instances, an applicant may voluntarily and temporarily leave Canada during the processing of their application.
Has an approval in principle been granted?
When processing applications for temporary resident visas for foreign nationals with an application for permanent residence in Canada in progress, take into consideration whether approval in principle (first-stage approval) has been granted. It is consistent with IRPA, and in the best interests of both CIC and the applicant, to facilitate the re-entry of these applicants as temporary residents in order to continue processing their application for permanent residence from within Canada.
Note: Officers should note that issuing a temporary resident visa to facilitate return will permit these applicants to be granted permanent residence from within Canada. A temporary resident permit will not.
So, it sounds like they are encouraging CBSA to allow re-entry, right? However, there's no way of knowing if this really does have any weight, because it simply comes down to the individual CBSA officer and (sometimes) their mood.