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OWP and study permit only at port of entry?

G

Guenhwyvar

Newbie
Jul 30, 2012
2
0
Hiya,

Me and my partner (common-law) are British citizens and my partner has a place in a Canadian university as part of his degree over here. I have applied for an open work permit and am going with him. Due to bad advice from our uni we have applied very late and wont get our visas until just before he starts uni there.

We booked flights earlier so that we can go over and find accommodation (as we are British we don't need temp resident visas), but then found out that my partner cannot change from a temporary resident visa to a study permit without coming into the country again (port of entry). We will to go as planned but when his visa arrives in the UK he will fly home and re-enter the country. Could he just go somewhere closer and then fly back (such as USA?). It seems silly that he has to leave and then return just to get his visa issued - and it will cost so much money.

Also do I have to do the same for an OWP? The website is very unclear and we cant speak to anyone about it unless the application is late (no phone number, only an email that wont respond)? The universities know nothing about visas and wont talk to us.
 
I

inameiname

Star Member
Jul 27, 2012
81
25
Guenhwyvar said:
Hiya,

Me and my partner (common-law) are British citizens and my partner has a place in a Canadian university as part of his degree over here. I have applied for an open work permit and am going with him. Due to bad advice from our uni we have applied very late and wont get our visas until just before he starts uni there.

We booked flights earlier so that we can go over and find accommodation (as we are British we don't need temp resident visas), but then found out that my partner cannot change from a temporary resident visa to a study permit without coming into the country again (port of entry). We will to go as planned but when his visa arrives in the UK he will fly home and re-enter the country. Could he just go somewhere closer and then fly back (such as USA?). It seems silly that he has to leave and then return just to get his visa issued - and it will cost so much money.

Also do I have to do the same for an OWP? The website is very unclear and we cant speak to anyone about it unless the application is late (no phone number, only an email that wont respond)? The universities know nothing about visas and wont talk to us.
Click to expand...

I'm sure going to the US and back would suffice. As you said, it would be quite a waste of money to fly all the way to the UK and back just to enter the country differently.

As for you, I believe you will be just fine getting an open work permit visa from within Canada. It isn't very clear on this on any of the main websites, but since it is mentioned that a person currently on a temporary resident visa can indeed change status while within Canada, I'm sure you can do the same here. I think it's just a student visa is another story and that's why the need to 'flagpole' abroad for a second to revamp from a temporary resident to a student visa status.

PS. That is a shame the University that your partner is planning to invest so much in couldn't help / know anything about all of this. One would think they would be fairly apt on all that, or at least somewhere there, since Canada does do a fair amount of active recruitment of foreign students; not to mention even giving special visas and permanent residencies to them if they study there long / graduate. :p
 
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