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one-year pilot OWP for spouses and common-law partners

danny87

Star Member
Mar 29, 2015
152
7
124
Ottawa, Ontario
Visa Office......
Mississauga
App. Filed.......
03-03-2015
Doc's Request.
CSQ: 08-07-2015, Received 24-08-2015
AOR Received.
29-03-2015 + 07-05-2015 & OWP rec'd: 19-05-2015, SA: 17-03-2016 & DM: 18-03-2016
Med's Request
Upfront, extended for 1yr by CIC
Med's Done....
26-11-2014
Interview........
Inland
Passport Req..
VISA EXEMPT
LANDED..........
03-05-2016
hooligander said:
Thanks, that clears things up for me :)

Happy job hunting
Thanks! But I already landed a permanent job :D
 

GustavesF

Hero Member
Oct 29, 2014
552
41
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
01-04-2014
AOR Received.
26-01-2015
LANDED..........
08-10-2015
Ponga said:
She can apply for an OWP with an Inland sponsorship application even if she is out of status, but...she would not qualify for the Pilot Program OWP and would need to wait until she has AIP (Approval in Principle) before her OWP would be processed.

There's a big difference between the 4 month OWP and the 17 month OWP!
If you already got the Pilot OWP, do you then get the real OWP after AIP?
 

Ponga

VIP Member
Oct 22, 2013
10,418
1,469
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
GustavesF said:
If you already got the Pilot OWP, do you then get the real OWP after AIP?
*shrug*

That's a good question.

Since most people just need it to work, get a driver licence, etc., I suspect not, but I understand how the `real' OWP would help in the case of OHIP for some people.

I should have clarified when I said that there's a big difference between the 4 month OWP and the 17 month OWP. It's about 13 months of more waiting! LOL!
 

GustavesF

Hero Member
Oct 29, 2014
552
41
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
01-04-2014
AOR Received.
26-01-2015
LANDED..........
08-10-2015
Ponga said:
*shrug*

That's a good question.

Since most people just need it to work, get a driver licence, etc., I suspect not, but I understand how the `real' OWP would help in the case of OHIP for some people.

I should have clarified when I said that there's a big difference between the 4 month OWP and the 17 month OWP. It's about 13 months of more waiting! LOL!
Well, there's more difference than the amount of time you have to wait. OHIP is a pretty big deal.

I hope getting a Pilot OWP doesn't mess up getting the real OWP for me. I'm starting to regret applying for it.
 

screech339

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2013
7,887
552
Category........
Visa Office......
Vegreville
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
14-08-2012
AOR Received.
20-11-2012
Med's Done....
18-07-2012
Interview........
17-06-2013
LANDED..........
17-06-2013
GustavesF said:
Well, there's more difference than the amount of time you have to wait. OHIP is a pretty big deal.

I hope getting a Pilot OWP doesn't mess up getting the real OWP for me. I'm starting to regret applying for it.
You really don't need to get a real OWP to get OHIP. You only need to get AIP. Once your wife get AIP, she can use it to get OHIP without a "real" OWP.
 

screech339

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2013
7,887
552
Category........
Visa Office......
Vegreville
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
14-08-2012
AOR Received.
20-11-2012
Med's Done....
18-07-2012
Interview........
17-06-2013
LANDED..........
17-06-2013
omgurnidiot said:
wouldn't holding a job for 6 months with the owp also let someone get ohip?
Someone mentioned that too. I think you can if you can get a letter of employment. They usually states when the applicant start working. That would help.

The question I like to know is once the applicant passes the 6 months work mark, does the applicant get OHIP coverage immediately after applying or have to wait 3 months after the 6 month mark to get coverage.
 

hooligander

Full Member
Oct 22, 2012
27
0
Category........
Visa Office......
Mississauga, Ontario
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
25-03-2015
AOR Received.
22-04-2015
Med's Done....
Up front
screech339 said:
Someone mentioned that too. I think you can if you can get a letter of employment. They usually states when the applicant start working. That would help.

The question I like to know is once the applicant passes the 6 months work mark, does the applicant get OHIP coverage immediately after applying or have to wait 3 months after the 6 month mark to get coverage.
I believe in that case you would have to wait 9 months if everything went without a hitch
 

GustavesF

Hero Member
Oct 29, 2014
552
41
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
01-04-2014
AOR Received.
26-01-2015
LANDED..........
08-10-2015
omgurnidiot said:
wouldn't holding a job for 6 months with the owp also let someone get ohip?
Not really. The Type 27 OWP isn't the same as the WP you'd get if you were in the country *as a foreign worker*.
Foreign workers need to have proof of full time employment for 6 months.

The people at the Service Ontario desk *will* tell you that you should get a letter from an employer, until they look carefully at your Type 27 OWP and realize that it is not what *they* consider a work permit.

You aren't in the country as a foreign worker, with a work permit to prove it. You've applied for Permanent Residence, and the OWP you have has nothing to do with OHIP as of April.
 

GustavesF

Hero Member
Oct 29, 2014
552
41
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
01-04-2014
AOR Received.
26-01-2015
LANDED..........
08-10-2015
screech339 said:
You really don't need to get a real OWP to get OHIP. You only need to get AIP. Once your wife get AIP, she can use it to get OHIP without a "real" OWP.
Right, this is what I am hearing also, we just need AIP, the OWP is useless to me.

I'll use it to clean my BBQ or something...
 

Ponga

VIP Member
Oct 22, 2013
10,418
1,469
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
GustavesF said:
Not really. The Type 27 OWP isn't the same as the WP you'd get if you were in the country *as a foreign worker*.
Foreign workers need to have proof of full time employment for 6 months.

The people at the Service Ontario desk *will* tell you that you should get a letter from an employer, until they look carefully at your Type 27 OWP and realize that it is not what *they* consider a work permit.

You aren't in the country as a foreign worker, with a work permit to prove it. You've applied for Permanent Residence, and the OWP you have has nothing to do with OHIP as of April.
So...instead of the Pilot Program OWP being a giant leap forward for CIC...it's more like a `trip and fall forward, slightly' as if in a drunken stooper, for those that are hoping to use the OWP for OHIP. Is that basically what has happened?

It's a shame for those that need OHIP, but for others it's still a welcome blessing I'm sure.
 

VN

Full Member
May 13, 2015
40
0
Category........
Visa Office......
NDVO
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
24-08-2015
Ponga said:
She can apply for an OWP with an Inland sponsorship application even if she is out of status, but...she would not qualify for the Pilot Program OWP and would need to wait until she has AIP (Approval in Principle) before her OWP would be processed.

There's a big difference between the 4 month OWP and the 17 month OWP!
Hi Ponga,
Can you please clarify your above comment. So if someone is here on a visitor visa and we send the OWP application along with the Inland application, the wait time is 4 months and if someone does not have legal status in Canada then it is 17 months?
 

Ponga

VIP Member
Oct 22, 2013
10,418
1,469
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
VN said:
Hi Ponga,
Can you please clarify your above comment. So if someone is here on a visitor visa and we send the OWP application along with the Inland application, the wait time is 4 months and if someone does not have legal status in Canada then it is 17 months?
Exactly. A person must have legal status when CIC receives the Inland application and OWP to qualify for the faster OWP.

The processing times are only estimates, but most people that qualify are getting their OWP in ~ 4 months it seems.
 

screech339

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2013
7,887
552
Category........
Visa Office......
Vegreville
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
14-08-2012
AOR Received.
20-11-2012
Med's Done....
18-07-2012
Interview........
17-06-2013
LANDED..........
17-06-2013
Ponga said:
So...instead of the Pilot Program OWP being a giant leap forward for CIC...it's more like a `trip and fall forward, slightly' as if in a drunken stooper, for those that are hoping to use the OWP for OHIP. Is that basically what has happened?

It's a shame for those that need OHIP, but for others it's still a welcome blessing I'm sure.
It basically means that the OWP pilot doesn't allow applicant to bypass the AIP to qualify for OHIP. The only reason the inland applicants were complaining was that they couldn't work while waiting. So the OWP pilot was born. People didn't complain to fed government about getting on provincial health care as it is not the Fed jurisdiction.

So Ontario still can set the rules on how to qualify for OHIP and since they know that OWP pilot are issued before AIP stage, they won't accept it since it bypass AIP stage.
 

screech339

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2013
7,887
552
Category........
Visa Office......
Vegreville
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
14-08-2012
AOR Received.
20-11-2012
Med's Done....
18-07-2012
Interview........
17-06-2013
LANDED..........
17-06-2013
GustavesF said:
Right, this is what I am hearing also, we just need AIP, the OWP is useless to me.

I'll use it to clean my BBQ or something...
Are you saying you applied for OWP pilot program just so your wife can go on OHIP? That's the impression I am getting from you since it is "useless" to you.

And you wondered why Ontario still had to make sure the applicant at least met AIP stage to qualify. I guess they didn't want the Fed to encroach on their jurisdiction on how applicant qualify for OHIP.
 

Smilesat24

Member
Jul 8, 2014
11
0
Hi, there.
I need you guys to clarify some technical terms that CIC uses. And how can I take advantage of it.

Open Work permit received on: April 13, 2015
Decision assumed to be made on or before: August 13, 2015 (4 months)
Visitor Visa expires on : June 20, 2015

Question 1 is once I get my OWP on that day, my visitor visa will expire. During waiting for CIC respond for my OWP application, can I take advantage of "implied status"? which is an legal status that allows me to stay in Canada until their decision is made for my application.

Question 2 is I only got Canada post delivery certificate that shown that my application was received by Alberta CIC Office. I am not sure if my application are in process or incomplete. The Website shows that incomplete application is thought of never submitted application. I am worried if they send me back after my visitor visa expires. What should I do?

Question 3: For safety reason, is it a better way to extend my visitor record while applying for my OWP?

Thank you so much!
As CIC agents, sometimes are not helpful and the worse is misleading you... I hope you guys can give me advise.