Open Work Permits not being approved even when meeting eligibility criteria

[DirtyMelodies]

No not since March 25th was the last approval for an August applicant. There has been no more updates since then for August or September on the spreadsheet

That's so frustrating. We're soooooo close to the end! Can't wait for this pandemic to be over.

 

[CanUK333]

So got another response from my web form (which I seem to send out every couple of days haha) asking about the status of my husband's unopened OWP and today they responded by saying that the application has not yet been reviewed due to the Covid situation causing delays. Obviously this is false because I have been asking about this OWP situation for months now, long before the covid situation! They had and should have approved the OWP a couple of months before any covid situation. It's been over 5 months! So there's another false and misleading answer from IRCC.

MP got back to me with an update. They can not contact the office directly responsible for the application, they first have to go through a "middle man" that liases with the office on the MPs behalf (annoying). So this middle man told my MP that there isn't an OWP application in the system for my husband. This I already knew as I've been told and I have no application number. So the middle man is now contacting the office responsible and will find out why it has not been started. I imagine I'll hear back this week.

 

[TuAnh]

Have you still been attending school?

I finished school last week but study permit still available until Jun 30, 2020. So I am ok right now but I don't know how will the pandemic impact the process.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I finished school last week but study permit still available until Jun 30, 2020. So I am ok right now but I don't know how will the pandemic impact the process.

If you qualify for a PGWP, that is the better option for you. You can work part-time right now until you get written confirmation of program completion. Once you have the necessary docs, you can apply for a PGWP and can then work full-time right away. If you get written confirmation and don't apply for a PGWP, you must stop work that day.

Applying for the inland sponsorship OWP won't allow you to continue working after your receive confirmation of program completion. You would have to wait for the OWP to be approved before you could work again. Given the timeline, you are likely to become a PR first (depending on pandemic delays, of course).

If you don't apply for either work permit and haven't become a PR before June 30th, you should apply to extend your stay as a visitor in order to maintain status while you wait.

 

[PrincessButtercup]

I'm going to need something stiffer than a beer

Let's do a Zoom once we've all got OWP approval or PR. I know that @DirtyMelodies and I are in the same area of Ontario. Don't want to speak for them, but sign me up for a drink (or 3)!

 

[PrincessButtercup]

6 months is fast, usually you get AIP around month 10 and then another two months until it's final! You are very very lucky. I'm at month 5 and my eligibility hasn't even started! Makes me want to cry actually...sigh...

I'm at month 6 and my eligibility hasn't started, either. GC Key for PR & OWP applications has always read "We are processing your application. We will send you a message when there is an update or if we need more information from you," and "Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start reviewing your eligibility." Is everyone else still seeing these messages? A lot of my fellow Inland October applicants were performing and submitting medicals right before COVID-19 hit.

 

[BB802]

I'm at month 6 and my eligibility hasn't started, either. GC Key for PR & OWP applications has always read "We are processing your application. We will send you a message when there is an update or if we need more information from you," and "Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start reviewing your eligibility." Is everyone else still seeing these messages? A lot of my fellow Inland October applicants were performing and submitting medicals right before COVID-19 hit.

I have done my medical about a month ago

 

[DirtyMelodies]

I'm at month 6 and my eligibility hasn't started, either. GC Key for PR & OWP applications has always read "We are processing your application. We will send you a message when there is an update or if we need more information from you," and "Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start reviewing your eligibility." Is everyone else still seeing these messages? A lot of my fellow Inland October applicants were performing and submitting medicals right before COVID-19 hit.

Month 7 (almost 8), and we still have the exact same thing!

 

[CanUK333]

I'm at month 6 and my eligibility hasn't started, either. GC Key for PR & OWP applications has always read "We are processing your application. We will send you a message when there is an update or if we need more information from you," and "Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start reviewing your eligibility." Is everyone else still seeing these messages? A lot of my fellow Inland October applicants were performing and submitting medicals right before COVID-19 hit.

Yup same messages. Although under background check it says they are processing my background check, which seems a bit weird.

 

[TuAnh]

I'm at month 6 and my eligibility hasn't started, either. GC Key for PR & OWP applications has always read "We are processing your application. We will send you a message when there is an update or if we need more information from you," and "Your application is in progress. We will send you a message when we start reviewing your eligibility." Is everyone else still seeing these messages? A lot of my fellow Inland October applicants were performing and submitting medicals right before COVID-19 hit.

I received my email request for medical check up Dec 15, 2019 and they received it by end of Jan. Then Mar 13 I got the letter for PA passed but in my account the status hasn't been updated yet. I submitted application on paper and linked to the account later. I guess the status in online account is not always accurately updated.

 

[TuAnh]

If you qualify for a PGWP, that is the better option for you. You can work part-time right now until you get written confirmation of program completion. Once you have the necessary docs, you can apply for a PGWP and can then work full-time right away. If you get written confirmation and don't apply for a PGWP, you must stop work that day.

Applying for the inland sponsorship OWP won't allow you to continue working after your receive confirmation of program completion. You would have to wait for the OWP to be approved before you could work again. Given the timeline, you are likely to become a PR first (depending on pandemic delays, of course).

If you don't apply for either work permit and haven't become a PR before June 30th, you should apply to extend your stay as a visitor in order to maintain status while you wait.

Thanks. PGWP sounds like a better option for me. As I focused on the PR application, I didn't really pay attention to this but I guess I am qualified to apply.

 

[CanUK333]

I would be really curious to see in the end if we all had the same inept case officer. You can find out your case officer by ordering your gcms notes. Have any of you ordered your notes? If you have, PM me and let's compare. (don't want to post publicly officer's names or ID #s)

 

[PrincessButtercup]

I would be really curious to see in the end if we all had the same inept case officer. You can find out your case officer by ordering your gcms notes. Have any of you ordered your notes? If you have, PM me and let's compare. (don't want to post publicly officer's names or ID #s)

I haven't ordered at this point but will do so if my MP can't help me with an approval or reasonable answer as to why my OWP is put on hold until AIP.

 

[BB802]

I haven't ordered at this point but will do so if my MP can't help me with an approval or reasonable answer as to why my OWP is put on hold until AIP.

I will do the same. How do you order the notes?

 

[CanUK333]

I will do the same. How do you order the notes?

Here's the link to where you order them and search order gcms notes in the forum to get more details and instructions.

https://atip-aiprp.apps.gc.ca/atip/welcome.do?lang=en

They take over a month to come so I suggest ordering them now already. You can order them for the PR application and a separate order for the OWP application (if you have an application number). These are the actual notes and paper trail of what the officer has done with your file...so if you have an app # for your OWP you'll be able to see what the officer is doing and hopefully what reason they are giving.

I don't have an app # for my OWP but I ordered my PR notes and although nothing much has been done it does show the progress of the background check being done. As soon as I got the notes, I re-ordered and will do monthly so I can get a monthly update on what's going on with the application (got that tip from another forum member)