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Open Work Permits not being approved even when meeting eligibility criteria

CanUK333

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2019
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The Minister wouldn’t be looking into directly or personally , if anything, maybe someone in his office will investigate . And there isn’t a whole department that takes MP’s issues . I used to work for EI. If a MP rep called , the call would just be transferred off to another internal # .
Hmmm...well perhaps my MP knows the minister personally then because that's what they told me. Unless my MP is lying to me but that would be strange. :confused:
 

canuck_in_uk

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Hmmm...well perhaps my MP knows the minister personally then because that's what they told me. Unless my MP is lying to me but that would be strange. :confused:
Generally, MPs don't personally contact anyone on behalf of constituents unless it's going to get them good press. They pass the inquiry to their staff to handle. MP offices have designated members of staff for contacting the various government agencies/departments. The immigration staff member contacts IRCC. As Copingwithlife said, there is no department within IRCC for MP inquiries.

It is likely that a staff member in your MP's office contacted a counterpart in the Minister's office.
 

CanUK333

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Jun 18, 2019
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Generally, MPs don't personally contact anyone on behalf of constituents unless it's going to get them good press. They pass the inquiry to their staff to handle. MP offices have designated members of staff for contacting the various government agencies/departments. The immigration staff member contacts IRCC. As Copingwithlife said, there is no department within IRCC for MP inquiries.

It is likely that a staff member in your MP's office contacted a counterpart in the Minister's office.
Even if that's so, it's still the minister's office looking into our work permit problem which is more than we can do at this point. So finger's crossed it leads to some kind of answer.
 

BB802

Star Member
Nov 19, 2019
109
25
Update: Yesterday my MPs office rang me to tell me (without me even having to request or suggest this) that they have contacted the Minister himself to look into my OWP! They explained my situation to him and the urgency of getting it sorted i.e. we both cannot work so we're living off of savings, newborn baby, etc. He said he was going to contact the office handling our case personally and get to the bottom of it.

I mean...wow! Apart from Trudeau himself looking into this, this is pretty big! If anyone can get some answers it'll be him!

I imagine with the long weekend and employees working from home etc, that I probably won't hear back for a week or two. I will let you guys know ASAP when I do.

Fingers crossed.

However, now I'm kinda of nervous that i've rocked the boat....my case officer is probably going to hate me now that I've put them on the Minister's naughty list...eeeeek....they're going to spit on my application haha
HEY!!! Thats great. I really hope you get a good result from this. We are both in such similar situations (Newborn, neither of us working etc..) So if yours goes through then its good news for the rest of us. We are still waiting on news from our MP in Winnipeg.
 

CanUK333

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Jun 18, 2019
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HEY!!! Thats great. I really hope you get a good result from this. We are both in such similar situations (Newborn, neither of us working etc..) So if yours goes through then its good news for the rest of us. We are still waiting on news from our MP in Winnipeg.
You have a newborn as well?! Our MP suggested that this may be one of the reasons why the delay as they put the application on hold until the baby is born so they can add the child into the system first before continuing to process the application. He was just guessing though based on a previous case that he looked into where the applicant was pregnant and had the child which is different. He suggested that regardless, to upload via the webform a copy of the birth cert or birth reg from the hospital to be uploaded into your PR file explaining that your circumstances have changed and you'd like to make IRCC aware of the birth of your child. He also said that I could attach a new IMM5406 (additional family information) adding the child; however, I'm unsure about confusing the situation by sending new forms when they didn't request them so I didn't send a new form I just uploaded the birth cert and if they want a new IMM5406 I'll wait until they request it.
 
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scylla

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You have a newborn as well?! Our MP suggested that this may be one of the reasons why the delay as they put the application on hold until the baby is born so they can add the child into the system first before continuing to process the application. He was just guessing though based on a previous case that he looked into where the applicant was pregnant and had the child which is different. He suggested that regardless, to upload via the webform a copy of the birth cert or birth reg from the hospital to be uploaded into your PR file explaining that your circumstances have changed and you'd like to make IRCC aware of the birth of your child. He also said that I could attach a new IMM5406 (additional family information) adding the child; however, I'm unsure about confusing the situation by sending new forms when they didn't request them so I didn't send a new form I just uploaded the birth cert and if they want a new IMM5406 I'll wait until they request it.
Your child is Canadian by birth, right? So having a baby wouldn't result in any delays to your file since the child doesn't have to go through a medical, etc.

Your MP is really reaching here...

There is no need to upload your child's birth certificate via webform. Not sure why on earth the MP is suggesting this. Generally it's not recommended to send information that's not needed or not requested - can cause confusion. I would personally not follow the MP's advice here.
 

CanUK333

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Your child is Canadian by birth, right? So having a baby wouldn't result in any delays to your file since the child doesn't have to go through a medical, etc.

Your MP is really reaching here...

There is no need to upload your child's birth certificate via webform. Not sure why on earth the MP is suggesting this. Generally it's not recommended to send information that's not needed or not requested - can cause confusion. I would personally not follow the MP's advice here.
Hmmmm...very unsettling that people offer advice when they don't 100% know. Yes, it is Canadian by birth right so you are right, it is a stretch. I was unsure of this as well and rang IRCC call centre and they too told me I should upload a copy of the birth certificate as it's seen as a "Change in circumstances" which the IRCC need to be aware of. But I do know from you experienced members here that the call centre agents too are often wrong and give out incorrect advice. ugh...hard to trust these people
 

scylla

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Jun 8, 2010
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Pre-Assessed..
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AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Hmmmm...very unsettling that people offer advice when they don't 100% know. Yes, it is Canadian by birth right so you are right, it is a stretch. I was unsure of this as well and rang IRCC call centre and they too told me I should upload a copy of the birth certificate as it's seen as a "Change in circumstances" which the IRCC need to be aware of. But I do know from you experienced members here that the call centre agents too are often wrong and give out incorrect advice. ugh...hard to trust these people
The vast majority of MPs are far from immigration experts. They are politicians. By all means use your MP to try to escalate the issue. Don't take advice from them on immigration matters. If you want immigration advice, I would hire a good lawyer.

I mean think about this logically. There are (sadly) lots of people on this thread who are still waiting for their OWP to be approved. They haven't all had a baby recently. Having a baby isn't the cause and is unrelated to OWP processing. There's something else going on from an IRCC process perspective that is causing this delay in OWP issuance.
 

CanUK333

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Jun 18, 2019
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The vast majority of MPs are far from immigration experts. They are politicians. By all means use your MP to try to escalate the issue. Don't take advice from them on immigration matters. If you want immigration advice, I would hire a good lawyer.

I mean think about this logically. There are (sadly) lots of people on this thread who are still waiting for their OWP to be approved. They haven't all had a baby recently. Having a baby isn't the cause and is unrelated to OWP processing. There's something else going on from an IRCC process perspective that is causing this delay in OWP issuance.
No of course you are right, but the fact that we all on this thread haven't received our OWPs can't be random either so we're just trying to piece together the puzzle on this thread to see if we can gain some insight as to why this is happening to us select few. Trust me, when you are desperate like we are, any answer even if it's a wrong one seems to feel better for a few seconds hahaha
 

BB802

Star Member
Nov 19, 2019
109
25
You have a newborn as well?! Our MP suggested that this may be one of the reasons why the delay as they put the application on hold until the baby is born so they can add the child into the system first before continuing to process the application. He was just guessing though based on a previous case that he looked into where the applicant was pregnant and had the child which is different. He suggested that regardless, to upload via the webform a copy of the birth cert or birth reg from the hospital to be uploaded into your PR file explaining that your circumstances have changed and you'd like to make IRCC aware of the birth of your child. He also said that I could attach a new IMM5406 (additional family information) adding the child; however, I'm unsure about confusing the situation by sending new forms when they didn't request them so I didn't send a new form I just uploaded the birth cert and if they want a new IMM5406 I'll wait until they request it.
Yes and we are still waiting on a birth certificate.
You have a newborn as well?! Our MP suggested that this may be one of the reasons why the delay as they put the application on hold until the baby is born so they can add the child into the system first before continuing to process the application. He was just guessing though based on a previous case that he looked into where the applicant was pregnant and had the child which is different. He suggested that regardless, to upload via the webform a copy of the birth cert or birth reg from the hospital to be uploaded into your PR file explaining that your circumstances have changed and you'd like to make IRCC aware of the birth of your child. He also said that I could attach a new IMM5406 (additional family information) adding the child; however, I'm unsure about confusing the situation by sending new forms when they didn't request them so I didn't send a new form I just uploaded the birth cert and if they want a new IMM5406 I'll wait until they request it.
we do but are still waiting in a birth certificate, (2 months now). And yes you need to advise IRCC on a change of circumstances. We have done this and they also asked for a birth certificate when we receive one.
 
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BB802

Star Member
Nov 19, 2019
109
25
The vast majority of MPs are far from immigration experts. They are politicians. By all means use your MP to try to escalate the issue. Don't take advice from them on immigration matters. If you want immigration advice, I would hire a good lawyer.

I mean think about this logically. There are (sadly) lots of people on this thread who are still waiting for their OWP to be approved. They haven't all had a baby recently. Having a baby isn't the cause and is unrelated to OWP processing. There's something else going on from an IRCC process perspective that is causing this delay in OWP issuance.
How do find a good lawyer though?

We did plenty of research and paid top dollar for ours. but as soon as the application was submitted their service is almost non existent. I have multiple emails they haven't replied to and they have no extra reach than a webform enquiry. We cancelled them and now can deal with immigration directly.

Who are you anyway Scylla? Are you also waiting on a work permit? Whats your situation?
 

BB802

Star Member
Nov 19, 2019
109
25
Your child is Canadian by birth, right? So having a baby wouldn't result in any delays to your file since the child doesn't have to go through a medical, etc.

Your MP is really reaching here...

There is no need to upload your child's birth certificate via webform. Not sure why on earth the MP is suggesting this. Generally it's not recommended to send information that's not needed or not requested - can cause confusion. I would personally not follow the MP's advice here.
you do need to inform IRCC and provide a birth certificate. (Advice from cic website and immigration officer)
 
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CanUK333

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UPDATE: Just got this come through from MP

Minister's office heard back from the IRCC office and apparently they can't find my husband's OWP application!!! They have record of it being received (thank god) but they can not locate the actual application. This was the actual explanation given to the minister from the office in charge of his OWP. So they requested I send pdf copies of the original application directly to the officer who will be working on it and it will be expedited. They said if my husband doesn't receive the permit within 3 weeks to contact them again.

Wow.

First off, we are elated to finally have an answer one way or another and that the permit may be approved and come within a month! Yayyyy... (fingers crossed but cautious) But I suspect that they just can't be bothered to go and find the application so they asked for the documents again and they'll work on it starting now. I can't believe it took three months of inquiries, web forms, MP inquiries, and the minister's office just for someone to say "we can't find it" :rolleyes: Sucks that if it's been lost all this time, I could've sorted it out 6 months ago! And what if I hadn't gone through this trouble...would they just have never said anything?!

For other's reading this thread now or in the future, i'd advise. If you do not have an application number for your OWP and you can not link it online after a few months then it is probably lost.

For those of you who have a linked OWP but are still not approved after 5+ months, we are still waiting to hear why no OWP yet. So the mystery continues.

It seems like the minister's office got answers quicker than the MP for us so try and ask if your MP would escalate the issue to the minister's office on your behalf.

I will report back on if and when the OWP comes. From today on my husband will try and link the OWP online to see if the application has been entered into the system yet and I'll keep you updated.
 

DirtyMelodies

Star Member
Feb 19, 2020
167
89
UPDATE: Just got this come through from MP

Minister's office heard back from the IRCC office and apparently they can't find my husband's OWP application!!! They have record of it being received (thank god) but they can not locate the actual application. This was the actual explanation given to the minister from the office in charge of his OWP. So they requested I send pdf copies of the original application directly to the officer who will be working on it and it will be expedited. They said if my husband doesn't receive the permit within 3 weeks to contact them again.

Wow.

First off, we are elated to finally have an answer one way or another and that the permit may be approved and come within a month! Yayyyy... (fingers crossed but cautious) But I suspect that they just can't be bothered to go and find the application so they asked for the documents again and they'll work on it starting now. I can't believe it took three months of inquiries, web forms, MP inquiries, and the minister's office just for someone to say "we can't find it" :rolleyes: Sucks that if it's been lost all this time, I could've sorted it out 6 months ago! And what if I hadn't gone through this trouble...would they just have never said anything?!

For other's reading this thread now or in the future, i'd advise. If you do not have an application number for your OWP and you can not link it online after a few months then it is probably lost.

For those of you who have a linked OWP but are still not approved after 5+ months, we are still waiting to hear why no OWP yet. So the mystery continues.

It seems like the minister's office got answers quicker than the MP for us so try and ask if your MP would escalate the issue to the minister's office on your behalf.

I will report back on if and when the OWP comes. From today on my husband will try and link the OWP online to see if the application has been entered into the system yet and I'll keep you updated.
I want to say I'm surprised, but not really. IRCC's system is such a disorganized clusterf*ck, it's ridiculous. Files continually fall through the cracks/get lost, etc. It's ridiculous, really. I'm so sorry.
 

abeagomez

Star Member
Mar 4, 2020
76
51
UPDATE: Just got this come through from MP

Minister's office heard back from the IRCC office and apparently they can't find my husband's OWP application!!! They have record of it being received (thank god) but they can not locate the actual application. This was the actual explanation given to the minister from the office in charge of his OWP. So they requested I send pdf copies of the original application directly to the officer who will be working on it and it will be expedited. They said if my husband doesn't receive the permit within 3 weeks to contact them again.

Wow.

First off, we are elated to finally have an answer one way or another and that the permit may be approved and come within a month! Yayyyy... (fingers crossed but cautious) But I suspect that they just can't be bothered to go and find the application so they asked for the documents again and they'll work on it starting now. I can't believe it took three months of inquiries, web forms, MP inquiries, and the minister's office just for someone to say "we can't find it" :rolleyes: Sucks that if it's been lost all this time, I could've sorted it out 6 months ago! And what if I hadn't gone through this trouble...would they just have never said anything?!

For other's reading this thread now or in the future, i'd advise. If you do not have an application number for your OWP and you can not link it online after a few months then it is probably lost.

For those of you who have a linked OWP but are still not approved after 5+ months, we are still waiting to hear why no OWP yet. So the mystery continues.

It seems like the minister's office got answers quicker than the MP for us so try and ask if your MP would escalate the issue to the minister's office on your behalf.

I will report back on if and when the OWP comes. From today on my husband will try and link the OWP online to see if the application has been entered into the system yet and I'll keep you updated.
I'm really happy someone is taking care of your case and hopefully you will get an answer soon!

I got my OWP approved last Wednesday! Since they told me the "you don't meet the eligibility criteria" 3 weeks ago I decided to wait a couple of weeks more and 2 days ago I got the letter or approval! Now I'm just waiting to receive it by mail!

I also got my GCMS notes for my OWP and my PR case. I would recommend you guys to request the notes of your OWP case, is an easy way to figure out if the response they gave to your first request was correct! Everything is in the notes!