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Lawyer Failure and Hitting Walls... (CEC + PR)

vivaio

Full Member
Sep 29, 2013
24
0
hello fellow sufferers of bureaucracy and bad lawyers!

let's see if anybody on here knows a way out of my misery...

background story (short version):
- working legally in canada for 12+ months
- working permit just expired
- employer applied for LMO before expiry of the above
- working under 'implied status' now...
- LMO is about to be denied (lawyer's fault)
- new work permit application was based on LMO application
- applying for CEC (hopefully before WP refusal arrives)

do you see any way for me to stay in canada AND keep working?

how to restore my status? any ideas/advise is much appreciated. cheers!
 

kushari

Hero Member
Oct 3, 2012
801
87
Category........
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CPP-Ottawa
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6221
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
09-10-2012
AOR Received.
30-11-2012
IELTS Request
22-06-2012
Med's Request
12-12-2013
Med's Done....
18-12-2013
Passport Req..
19-03-2014
VISA ISSUED...
24/03/2014
LANDED..........
27/03/2014
I don't think so. I know you could change your status to visitor, but you wouldn't be able to work.
 

esbex550

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2013
213
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Currently in India.. Based in Toronto
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Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
21-09-2012
Doc's Request.
06-11-2012
AOR Received.
22-10-2012
IELTS Request
10-1-2013
File Transfer...
04-12-2012
Med's Request
07-10-2013
Med's Done....
22-10-2013
Interview........
waived....Decision Made 13-01-2014
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10-01-2014. Sent PP on 03-02-2014
VISA ISSUED...
09-01-2014. Received PP on 13-02-2014
LANDED..........
landing in April
vivaio said:
hello fellow sufferers of bureaucracy and bad lawyers!

let's see if anybody on here knows a way out of my misery...

background story (short version):
- working legally in canada for 12+ months
- working permit just expired
- employer applied for LMO before expiry of the above
- working under 'implied status' now...
- LMO is about to be denied (lawyer's fault)
- new work permit application was based on LMO application
- applying for CEC (hopefully before WP refusal arrives)

do you see any way for me to stay in canada AND keep working?

how to restore my status? any ideas/advise is much appreciated. cheers!
you can go on student's permit and enroll in a one year course (hopefully you might have saved some money for ur tution fee for 1st semester since you were working for 12+months)
 

gladaki

Champion Member
Jul 15, 2012
1,683
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Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
17-11-2013
AOR Received.
30-12-2013
IELTS Request
submitted with application
Med's Done....
Upfront on 29th April..Updated on Ecas on 26th May
Passport Req..
11-07-2014
VISA ISSUED...
17-07-2014
LANDED..........
20-07-2014
esbex550 said:
you can go on student's permit and enroll in a one year course (hopefully you might have saved some money for ur tution fee for 1st semester since you were working for 12+months)
Above advise is most accurate on your situation.
Do a course for a year, u can always tell future employers
You went for some courses
 

esbex550

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2013
213
3
124
Currently in India.. Based in Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
CPP- OTTAWA
NOC Code......
0013
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
21-09-2012
Doc's Request.
06-11-2012
AOR Received.
22-10-2012
IELTS Request
10-1-2013
File Transfer...
04-12-2012
Med's Request
07-10-2013
Med's Done....
22-10-2013
Interview........
waived....Decision Made 13-01-2014
Passport Req..
10-01-2014. Sent PP on 03-02-2014
VISA ISSUED...
09-01-2014. Received PP on 13-02-2014
LANDED..........
landing in April
kushari said:
I don't think so. I know you could change your status to visitor, but you wouldn't be able to work.
the problem with the visitors visa is that, if a candidate is in canada, they allow only 6 months visa. After tht you have reapply again. Also, once you are on visitors visa, its kindda hard to get back on student visa or working visa. Once you are issued student visa, you can apply offcampus work permit aftr 6 months of completing your course & you get an open ended workpermit for 3 years. with this time frame, i am sure, you will get your CEC answer even before you go for post grad work permit. the biggest "+" point is tht you get canadian educational credentials. education is always good my friend...
 

Leon

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Jun 13, 2008
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If your employer were to apply for an LMO before the work permit expires and then 2 weeks before the work permit expires, he applies for concurrent processing of LMO and work permit, he would have implied status.
 

gladaki

Champion Member
Jul 15, 2012
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App. Filed.......
17-11-2013
AOR Received.
30-12-2013
IELTS Request
submitted with application
Med's Done....
Upfront on 29th April..Updated on Ecas on 26th May
Passport Req..
11-07-2014
VISA ISSUED...
17-07-2014
LANDED..........
20-07-2014
esbex550 said:
the problem with the visitors visa is that, if a candidate is in canada, they allow only 6 months visa. After tht you have reapply again. Also, once you are on visitors visa, its kindda hard to get back on student visa or working visa. Once you are issued student visa, you can apply offcampus work permit aftr 6 months of completing your course & you get an open ended workpermit for 3 years. with this time frame, i am sure, you will get your CEC answer even before you go for post grad work permit. the biggest "+" point is tht you get canadian educational credentials. education is always good my friend...
But if u already have PGWP before then u won't get a PGWP work permit
Again as per my knowledge. Correct me if I am wrong
 

vivaio

Full Member
Sep 29, 2013
24
0
thanks for all the feedback so far. not looking very good for me, i was afraid that that would be the case... my employer will freak out after all this work he had with me.

when do i have to notify CIC about the LMO being refused? and how much quicker would they send me the refusal for my work permit application (it was submitted in online). what is the CEC application going to do to all this? does it give me any kind of status while it is being processed (taking 12 months)? or do i have to apply for a tourist visa at the same time to be able to stay in canada? should i go for a student visa, does that allow me stay while i am waiting for the student visa application to be processed?

@ Leon
not sure i understand, but isn't that what happened? employer applied for LMO, i applied for a work permit just before the current one expired and while the LMO application was being looked at. now i'm working under 'implied status' until CIC tells me my application is denied due to LMO being refused. correct me if i'm wrong.
 

iamroth

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Jan 26, 2013
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u meet all requirements for CEC, you can apply for it from anywhere.
Also you could enroll in to a 1 yr college program, by that time your CEC application would be approved.

best of luck.
 

Leon

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Jun 13, 2008
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vivaio said:
@ Leon
not sure i understand, but isn't that what happened? employer applied for LMO, i applied for a work just before the current one expired and while the LMO application was being looked at. now i'm working under 'implied status' until CIC tells me my application is refused due to LMO being refused. correct me if i'm wrong.
I was replying to a post I saw there asking how you could have implied status just for applying for an LMO but this message is no longer there, no idea where it went but yes, you are right, you have implied status and can continue to work until your work permit extension is denied.

After that, I suppose you could request to change your status to student if you are accepted to a course and can pay for it and can show funds to survive or you change your status to visitor. Having applied for CEC doesn't give you any rights in itself but after you get your AOR, you would have qualified to apply for a bridging open work permit if your work permit had still been valid which is unfortunately isn't any more.
 

InfoSeeker12

Champion Member
Aug 28, 2012
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vivaio said:
thanks for all the feedback so far. not looking very good for me, i was afraid that that would be the case... my employer will freak out after all this work he had with me.

when do i have to notify CIC about the LMO being refused? and how much quicker would they send me the refusal for my work permit application (it was submitted in online). what is the CEC application going to do to all this? does it give me any kind of status while it is being processed (taking 12 months)? or do i have to apply for a tourist visa at the same time to be able to stay in canada? should i go for a student visa, does that allow me stay while i am waiting for the student visa application to be processed?

@ Leon
not sure i understand, but isn't that what happened? employer applied for LMO, i applied for a work just before the current one expired and while the LMO application was being looked at. now i'm working under 'implied status' until CIC tells me my application is refused due to LMO being refused. correct me if i'm wrong.
Vaio Fan! First thing I want to tell you...Everything is going to be ok. It might get tough for you in the beginning, but the fact that you approached this site tells me that you are not panicking and you are thinking faculty is on full alert. That's awesome cuz many people in your situation would not know what to do or where to seek help. So thumbs up for you!

I have been been through the same road and had to resort to Study Permit at the end. First, let me answer your questions point by point. Seniors & others... Pls do jump in if you know a quicker or better way or if rules have changed since my time (last year same time) or to simply compensate my lack of knowledge. Thank you.

First thing Vaio, it would've been awesome if you'd have given some dates in your initial post. Like when did it all began...when did WP expired etc.

when do i have to notify CIC about the LMO being refused? and how much quicker would they send me the refusal for my work permit application (it was submitted in online).
How do you know its already refused? Cuz if a decision by CIC has already been taken, that means your stay in Canada is already over. If this is the case, you'd need to leave Canada asap so that you dont jeopardize your CEC application. Any illegal stay in Canada, will put your CEC application at risk. Keep that in mind while making your decisions, cuz that should be your priority#1.

But, if the scene is so that your lawyer or you have just realized that CIC will most probably refuse it (but havent done so yet)...then you may have a chance. Again that depends when you applied for LMO and all that timelines, so im completely blind about the time scales here. As long as CIC has not taken the decision yet, you can apply for Visitor/Student visa, perhaps online, and till that visa comes in your mail/hand, you can stay in Canada on implied status. Critical condition for this application is : CIC has not officially declined your LMO yet.

what is the CEC application going to do to all this? does it give me any kind of status while it is being processed (taking 12 months)?
As long as you don't over stay in Canada, your CEC application will have no impact. But no, CEC application does not give you any right to stay in Canada. I'm sure some friends here will quickly jump in with BOWP, but for that you need to first have your AOR (basically a file no. of your CEC application). Secondly, tell me when did you apply for CEC? Timelines dude!!

or do i have to apply for a tourist visa at the same time to be able to stay in canada?
Yesssssss. You have to apply for any visa before CIC officially rejects your LMO application. Time is of essence here and you will have to determine (perhaps through your lawyer) when does he/she expects the CIC refusal. Your application has to reach CIC before that refusal.

should i go for a student visa, does that allow me stay while i am waiting for the student visa application to be processed?
Yes, any visa application allows you to stay in Canada, till the application is processed from CIC. But the moment you get your LMO refusal, stop working! Remember, your CEC application is your ultimate thing, you gotta protect that.

You can also go for Student Visa.

But...do u have time to pass all requirements of getting accepted at any college? If you have already worked out a course, talked to a college already and just have to submit them money. Go ahead. Keep in mind, it will take them few days to send you the offer letter. You need that confirmation to apply for Study Permit. Again...do you have 5-7 days? Are you certain that CIC wont send in that refusal within next 5-7 days. This is something you'll need to figure out A-ZZapp!!! and not just asap.

I have answered your questions above. Now few 'things-to-consider' for you:

1- let's say you have enough time before CIC gives the refusal on your LMO. So you go ahead with Study Permit. You'll pay them 1st semester fee, they give offer letter, you get study permit. Boom! Then what? Is that course really worth it? Is that 1 yr off from your career really worth it? Is that $12-$14k + $4-$6k in accommodation easily available to you? Or you are doing that just cuz that is the only way to hold on to your stay in Canada? You need to answer that for yourself as everyone has their own priorities.

2- Let's say you choose the Visitor Visa option. Yes, you only get to stay here for 6 months. But you mentioned something that felt like your employer might really need you. If that is the case, while you are on visitor visa, can they again apply to get an LMO for you? Yes, you wont be working while on visitor visa, but if they are a big firm they can get the LMO/WP for you. No? You may need to have this conversation from your boss first thing tomorrow morning. Worst case scenario...your boss says, 'sorry, we wont apply for LMO again'. Then there is no point in stay in Canada even for those 6 months. Few questions to ask yourself...do you have enough funds to stay without work for 6 months. What will you achieve by staying in those 6 months. What will happen after 6 months. Dont expect CiC to start processing applications super fast. It can happen, but its rare. So what will you do at the end of those 6 months? Going back to home.....after staying here for 6 months and incurring costs without work?

3- There is one more option, but this is not a highly recommended one and it is full of 'ifs' and 'buts'. I'm laying it out because i know it has happened, hence a ray of light. You apply for visitor visa aZZZap. And then forget about it. Remember you had a CEC application too? How long is it taking these days to get an AOR? As soon as you get your AOR, like literally the day you get it, apply for BOWP. Write a cover letter and explain your situation that your LMO was being refused for the reasons that were. There is a high chance that you may get your BOWP, even though you are not fulfilling criteria no.1 of BOWP which is to have a valid WP at the time of BOWP application. I know people might hound me on this suggestion, very few of those who know me here know that im not speaking of some fantasy. There was atleast 1 person in Dec12/Jan13 who was on visitor visa, applied for BOWP and got it. And i know from my experience, that you cannot get BOWP if you once got study permit.

Worst case scenario..You dont get BOWP. So you are only on your Visitor status. 6 months passed, your CEC application is still crawling and you have to pack up now. How bad is it for you to go back to your home country? Also evaluate, is it better now to pack up and leave or after 6 months? Keep in mind, CEC application will take around a year or perhaps less.

Everybody has different circumstances, so you will have to calculate that yourself. I hope i haven't confused you more. Just wanted to show you what happens afterwards. I have taken few decisions in that path and I suffered its consequences. In this game, every decision has a negative impact and you will have to calculate which decision is going to impact your bottom line the least.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
 

vivaio

Full Member
Sep 29, 2013
24
0
thanks again for the replies!

@gladaki
i didn't have a PGWP before, it would be the first time if i applied for one.

@InfoSeeker12
thanks, very helpful post. i would not be someone to freak out. i've been to a lot of countries, dealing with all sorts of visas. it's just my bad immigration lawyer that makes me mad for ruining this for me after being paid a good chunk out of my savings. student visa is nothing i'd be interested in and i would not have the funds to pay for it AND not work at the same time - unfortunately not an option.

my immigration lawyer told me i am under 'implied status' until i receive the official refusal from CIC for my work permit. i'm not going to hear about the LMO from anybody but my lawyer or employer. so until then, when would i have to let the CIC know that my employer's LMO was denied and how how soon after that you think they will be sending me the refusal? i'm certain that the LMO will be denied next week.

i will be applying for a visitors visa today just to make sure not to waste any time. i did have one before and i did extend that one before before having a work permit and working for a year. i hope that won't have a negative effect on sending me another "tourist" visa in the mail.

CEC application was not submitted yet. it will be in about 3 weeks (earliest possible language test is in 2 weeks).

from what i understand my best option is to go for tourist visa and let my employer keep trying the LMO, while i concentrate getting the CEC done.
 

ahm2307

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gladaki said:
Above advise is most accurate on your situation.
Do a course for a year, u can always tell future employers
You went for some courses
I'm actually curious...if I take up another student visa and finish a Masters, can I apply for another PGWP?
 

Leon

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No, PGWP is a once in a lifetime thing. If you already had one, you can't get one again, even if you complete another course. Besides, you don't need a PGWP. If you are applying for CEC now, you will have your PR in 12 months.
 

gladaki

Champion Member
Jul 15, 2012
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submitted with application
Med's Done....
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Passport Req..
11-07-2014
VISA ISSUED...
17-07-2014
LANDED..........
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Leon said:
No, PGWP is a once in a lifetime thing. If you already had one, you can't get one again, even if you complete another course. Besides, you don't need a PGWP. If you are applying for CEC now, you will have your PR in 12 months.
I second that