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

[xxxma3dl]

guys,is the open work permit for people who are in Canada(as visitors) with their spouse and sent already their OUTLAND permanent residence application or only for INLAND applicants?

It's for INLAND applicants

 

[cuttingman]

There is nothing wrong in as much the OWP application was sent with the PR application together. In fact that is the normal practice because they will simply treat the PR application 1st stage first then process the OWP after prior to introduction of the Pilot Scheme....I think where the problem is now is that CIC messed up the PR application and someone somewhere failed to process it or they did not receive it at all. And yes it is a BIG mistake sending out such application with important document using ordinary mail. But you can't continue to blame yourself now because it will further depress you. Best thing to do now is to think of what to do...and to me the starting point will be trying to establish what went wrong with the PR application. Unfortunately it might be so difficult because it was not registered and you may not have any proof that it was posted.

Secondly since March 2014 after sending the PR application, you suppose to have received some form of communication from CIC about the PR application if indeed it was received by them. If there has been no communication and no UCI and you've not been able to monitor the progress of the application online then that is a strong reason to panic that something is not right. Unfortunately it is really hard to advice on what's the next step should be now but if I found myself in this situation, I will submit fresh application with OWP and in 4 months you'll get the OWP...while you continue to pursue this old application to know what actually happened to it.

Thanks guys for the reply... I called CIC call centre they told me that re apply the OWP with an explanation letter.

 

[Rene]

Hi Inlanders

From reading this forum I have realized I have not paid the correct fee for my OWP application which I lodged with my spouse visa application on 26 May 2015. I paid $100 only, and so I am thinking my best option would be to pay the remaining $155 and send this to CIC with an explanation.

I am looking for any feedback from people in similar situation who have sent in the remaining fee separately. Did they send your OWP application back or did they receive the remaining fee and go ahead with processing? Any information you can offer would be gratefully received! My IEC visa is now expired, so I guess if I have to apply for OWP again I may have to restore my status first.

beans on toast & hooligander I was hoping you may be able to help!

Although i have now just seen the additional fee for the OWP application, which i hadn't included as I prepared it all before the 21st Feb, whilst getting the Spousal Package ready. Damn you CIC!!
How should i go about sending this additional $100?

Well the fact I paid the lawyer tons of $$$ he should be in the know after the new rules was implement a month prior

I sent the $100 in separate with a note indicating what happened. Hopefully it does not slow down my wifes application

Hi guys.. unfortunately our OWP app got sent back. It was weird coz i admittedly didn't know that the total fee is $155 + $100. We only submitted the $155 and after we discovered there's additional $100 we sent it after we got the file number. The weird part is they got the $100 and they lost the first receipt which was the $155.. urghhh..
so now we have to resend it back. my question is:
should we mail it back to cpc mississauga or vegreville? they didn't have an instruction on the letter. thanks

kimzie - how did you go sending your OWP in again (if you don't mind sharing?!) - where did you end up sending it etc?

 

[Ponga]

Hi Inlanders

From reading this forum I have realized I have not paid the correct fee for my OWP application which I lodged with my spouse visa application on 26 May 2015. I paid $100 only, and so I am thinking my best option would be to pay the remaining $155 and send this to CIC with an explanation.

I am looking for any feedback from people in similar situation who have sent in the remaining fee separately. Did they send your OWP application back or did they receive the remaining fee and go ahead with processing? Any information you can offer would be gratefully received! My IEC visa is now expired, so I guess if I have to apply for OWP again I may have to restore my status first.

beans on toast & hooligander I was hoping you may be able to help! kimzie - how did you go sending your OWP in again (if you don't mind sharing?!) - where did you end up sending it etc?

I think it's likely that your OWP application will be returned. If it is...you will have lost your implied status and would need to apply for Restoration of Status to be eligible for the pilot program OWP.

You should bite the bullet and call the CIC Call centre :-\ and hope that your call is, first of all even answered, and then hope that it's a human that can give you the right answer about what, if anything, you can do to avoid this.

Good luck!

 

[Rene]

I think it's likely that your OWP application will be returned. If it is...you will have lost your implied status and would need to apply for Restoration of Status to be eligible for the pilot program OWP.

You should bite the bullet and call the CIC Call centre :-\ and hope that your call is, first of all even answered, and then hope that it's a human that can give you the right answer about what, if anything, you can do to avoid this.

Good luck!

Thanks for this feedback, and yes, I agree that it is likely my OWP will get sent back. Of all the things I could have stuffed up it had to be the fee, which it seems will result in automatic send-back.
Now I am concerned about how long it will take them to send my OWP back... I am conscious of the 90 day requirement to restore status. I would like to be proactive and apply to restore my status now (I'm out of status 3 weeks already), but it seems like it would be refused unless they have my spouse visa application registered on their system - would that be done at the same time OWP gets sent back? It seems like I should wait until I get an AOR, but that may be very close to my 90 days.

I have been trying to reach CIC by phone for the last day and half, haven't been able to get through but will keep trying!
Thanks again
Rene

 

[Ponga]

Thanks for this feedback, and yes, I agree that it is likely my OWP will get sent back. Of all the things I could have stuffed up it had to be the fee, which it seems will result in automatic send-back.
Now I am concerned about how long it will take them to send my OWP back... I am conscious of the 90 day requirement to restore status. I would like to be proactive and apply to restore my status now (I'm out of status 3 weeks already), but it seems like it would be refused unless they have my spouse visa application registered on their system - would that be done at the same time OWP gets sent back? It seems like I should wait until I get an AOR, but that may be very close to my 90 days.

I have been trying to reach CIC by phone for the last day and half, haven't been able to get through but will keep trying!
Thanks again
Rene

I found someone with an identical story:

my update

Category - FAM/SCLPC
Visa office: Mississauga
OWP offices: Mississauga and Vegreville
Med Exam - done upfront on 14 Mar 2015
Police Cert - partly done, sent with PR
Original PR and OWP - app sent to CPC - Mississauga (courier address) on 6 May 2015, courier received by CIC on 8 May 2015
2nd OWP - app sent to CPC – Vegreville on 4 June 2015, XPost delivered to CIC on 8 June 2015

Miskates made:
(1) Not having the payer info parts filled on the official fee receipts for the original PR and OWP
(2) Not making sufficient payment for the original OWP application, $255 in total, only $100 is paid at first

Solution made:
2nd OWP app with $255 fee receipts sent to CPC - Vegreville and payer info parts filled on the receipts

Current Status : waiting for initial feedback/AOR from CIC
--------

Unfortunately, because you are now without status, sending a second OWP with the complete fee isn't an option. Because of this, I think you should apply for ROS (and include a note explaining your situation). Once your status has been restored, you could then submit the second OWP.

Of course if you manage to get through to someone at CIC, they may have a better plan.

 

[Rene]

That is an identical situation to mine! Makes me feel a little bit better..

So I just got through to CIC, the lady I spoke with told me I will be under implied status until they make a decision on my OWP. She said if the OWP is refused, they will send it back with instructions on what to do. I asked what will happen if this occurs more than 90 days since my IEC visa/work permit has expired - at first she would only say the response will contain instructions on what to do, but when I pressed as to if I will be given an opportunity to restore my status even if it is after 90 days of my visa expiring/work permit ending, she said I would. I hope this is the case.

She also said that it was very common for applicants to submit the wrong payment and indicated that I should just wait to hear their response.

So it seems I will just have to sit tight and hope my mistake doesn't cost me too many extra months without work rights. No need to apply for restoration of status now, as I am under implied status until a decision on OWP and also no point sending in a second (and complete) OWP application, as my visa/work permit has already expired - I didn't think to confirm this with CIC as I hadn't read your post about the other couple yet, but from what I understand it is not an option. Although I will keep any eye out on this forum in case I hear anything different!

Thanks for your help, Ponga, much appreciated!
Cheers
Rene

 

[Ponga]

So it seems I will just have to sit tight and hope my mistake doesn't cost me too many extra months without work rights. No need to apply for restoration of status now, as I am under implied status until a decision on OWP and also no point sending in a second (and complete) OWP application, as my visa/work permit has already expired - I didn't think to confirm this with CIC as I hadn't read your post about the other couple yet, but from what I understand it is not an option. Although I will keep any eye out on this forum in case I hear anything different!

Thanks for your help, Ponga, much appreciated!
Cheers
Rene

That's correct. I just realized my mistake in my previous post; you do have implied status as a visitor until the OWP is processed or returned.

Good luck!

 

[Ines86]

Hi there,

I phoned on Monday the call center to asked them about my OWP, Iam a January 7th applicant. I had a friendly lady she helped me a lot and was wondering why they didn't issue my OWP yet. She send a claim or something like that to a caseworker and told me I will hear from them or receive my OWP. I forgot to aked how long this will take.
Does anyone know the processing time for this?

 

[Nizo]

Hi guys i have a question on the aplication for the owp imm5710e, it asks my occupation in canada will be: job title. if we didn't know what job my wife will apply for what should i put. I mean we are applying for open work permit so we can apply for some jobs. and what about duration of expected work??

 

[xxxma3dl]

Hi guys i have a question on the aplication for the owp imm5710e, it asks my occupation in canada will be: job title. if we didn't know what job my wife will apply for what should i put. I mean we are applying for open work permit so we can apply for some jobs. and what about duration of expected work??

You can just put "Not applicable" or leave it blank

 

[GustavesF]

I can understand Ontario service denying Pilot OWP for OHIP coverage. This is to prevent a flood of people who applied for pilot OWP for the sole purpose of getting health coverage, no intention of working at all. Even you admitted yourself that you applied for that purpose for your spouse too.

Health care is the provinces domain and should not have Federal Government dictating to them how one qualifies for health care. Ontario wants proof that the applicant is, at least, approved in principle for PR. Pilot OWP does not provide this proof at all only that the application has been submitted, nothing more. If you want coverage under the pilot OWP, your spouse need to start working. Once the spouse starts working, then the pilot OWP would be the same as OWP.

Is your logic that people who don't work don't deserve health care? That's a bit ridiculous.
Last time I checked I get the same health-care as the high-earning lawyers, foreign students, migrant workers, and people on social assistance.
What about the health-care provisions for spouses of almost anything except actual Canadians?

Is your logic that there are simply too many people to provide health-care to all-at-once? That's a bit ridiculous too.
The reason there are so many people eligible for this band-aid solution is because the system is awful and needs to be fixed.

As far as the Pilot program goes, it exists because we've been in the country forever with no eligibility for anything, which is insanity.

To clarify, you can not get Health Care with *anything*, regardless of having a pilot OWP. The Pilot OWP and 3 concurrent full-time-jobs does not give you Health-Care. That's just misinformation.

I've been supporting my wife's life in Canada for the past 20 months, and I'm taxed on my income, and I pay the OHIP premiums.
My "family" has an income, and I pay tax on that income, and my family should be able to get the same level of health-care as a family that showed up 20 minutes ago with a degree in computer programming.

I'm the the sponsor and the bread-winner, and people who have degrees and occupations just like mine get express entry *with* their spouse.
The difference is that they're "new customers" and I'm just part of the crummy loyalty program, but if they're not careful people are going to start to take their business elsewhere.

 

[Ponga]

I'm the the sponsor and the bread-winner, and people who have degrees and occupations just like mine get express entry *with* their spouse.
The difference is that they're "new customers" and I'm just part of the crummy loyalty program, but if they're not careful people are going to start to take their business elsewhere.

This!

+1

 

[beans on toast]

Hi Inlanders

From reading this forum I have realized I have not paid the correct fee for my OWP application which I lodged with my spouse visa application on 26 May 2015. I paid $100 only, and so I am thinking my best option would be to pay the remaining $155 and send this to CIC with an explanation.

I am looking for any feedback from people in similar situation who have sent in the remaining fee separately. Did they send your OWP application back or did they receive the remaining fee and go ahead with processing? Any information you can offer would be gratefully received! My IEC visa is now expired, so I guess if I have to apply for OWP again I may have to restore my status first.

beans on toast & hooligander I was hoping you may be able to help! kimzie - how did you go sending your OWP in again (if you don't mind sharing?!) - where did you end up sending it etc?

Hi there,
I sent my additional $100 to the mississauga address using my original UCI number. I sent it 4 days after the PR & OWP application was received so i am hoping it was matched up with my application. As of yet, i know others around my time frame are starting to receive their OWP or having their application returned, i haven't received any info saying 'yay' or 'nay'

 

[ywqu]

Can anybody explain the difference between case type 20 and case type 27 on the OWP?

Hi, Danny87. Do you know how to apply the Quebec health insurance coverage with the OWP?
I am now in Quebec waiting for OWP.
I heard that to get a health insurance card, you need some kind of proves form the employer other than just a OWP.