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Post Grad Permit waiting for PR - Can I keep my job?

workerd

Newbie
Mar 4, 2012
4
0
I finished grad school in March 2009 and got a post grad work permit that expires in Mar 2013. My wife and I have applied for PR three times - the first time under skilled worker in 2009, but they changed the program between when I downloaded the application and when I sent it in, and I no longer qualified. THen we applied again in June of this year under CEC having finally racked up enough hours, but had a page missing from my application, so I had to resubmit. Finally, they processed my payment and accepted my application in late october. I know the timeline for CEC is 14 months or so, so I have to get some other kind of status.

I have worked as the executive director of a small non profit for the last 2 years, and have just sent in my LMO application. If I understand correctly, once I get a positive LMO (anywhere from 2-12 weeks from what I have heard), I can then apply for a work permit (which will take 70 days according to CIC website). That means that under the best (and least likely) scenario I will get my work permit just at the end of march.

I have two questions:
1) is there any other process that I missed that I could apply for? I dont qualify for Provincial NOminee because I dont work for a charity or an employer with the minimum number of employees.

2) If my WP doesnt clear in time (or my LMO for that matter) do we have to leave Canada or just stop working? We have lived here for 5 years, own a home, etc. and don't relish the idea of moving, even if just for a few months. My employer would hold the job for me for a period while the WP was underway.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions? :-[