Open Work Permit and PR application - What do I need to send

[stipey]

Hi All,

I am submitting an open work permit along with an inland PR application for my wife, who is currently in Canada on a visitor visa.

We have filled out form IMM 5710, and the work permit checklist also says to include a letter from an employer, however, she currently doesn't have any offers for employment.

Shall I indicate this on the work permit? Based on some information I've received from searching this site, we have currently written a letter to attach to the work permit indicating that the work permit is part of the PR application, and not to process until the AIP - is that correct?

Final question, do I have to put the work permit in it's own envelope and address it to Alberta (it will still be part of the PR application), or should I just include it at the back of the PR application without its own envelope?

We are close to finally submitting our papers and any help would be appreciated!

 

[scylla]

It looks like your wife is from India. You would be far better off applying outland.

First stage of the inland process is now taking around 14 months. So that's how long you would have to wait just for the open work permit to be approved.

If you apply outland, changes are your wife will have PR months before you hit 14 months of waiting time.

 

[stipey]

Hi Scylla,

We were applying inland because I would like my wife to be able to stay in Canada while we wait. Also, it says outland times are around 15-17 months. I'm not sure if this has recently changed.

 

[scylla]

Your wife can stay as a visitor in Canada while an outland application is being processed. She just has to request extensions to her visit to keep her status legal.

The 15 month processing time for ND is the amount of time it took them to complete processing for 80% of applications. What this practically means that is that almost 80% of applications are processed in less than 15 months - and some are processed much faster. You should visit the ND thread to get a feel for the average processing time. You're going to find it's well under 15 months

 

[Kayaker]

If she's already in Canada, she should have no problem staying here while she waits for the PR app to go through. All you need to do is to apply (Online is faster) to extend her visitor visa before it expires. It's straightforward and all you need to do is prove that she has funds to stay. (if she cannot show funds in her name, then you can show your pay stubs etc and write a letter that you will be financially responsible for your wife.) You can apply for an extension more than once. Also, you can apply for an extension of a year or even longer.

Almost all visa extension cases are approved, I believe. (unless some documentation is missing or something.) I have heard of cases where people ask for 1 year but got only 6 months, or people asked for 2 years but only got 1 year. If that happens, you apply for another extension before the current one expires. It costs 100$.