Question regarding applying for a work permit and PR application simultaneously.

[srirvish]

Hi all,

I am a permanent resident (living in Canada) and my wife is finishing up her Ph.D in the US. She recently got a job offer from a Canadian University and her work permit is in process (we finished applying last week).

While her work permit is in process, can I apply for her PR as well under the family class sponsorship? Will this impede with the work permit application in anyway? Also, is there a chance that they will grant her a PR instead of a work permit considering a complete application?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

 

[armoured]

While her work permit is in process, can I apply for her PR as well under the family class sponsorship? Will this impede with the work permit application in anyway? Also, is there a chance that they will grant her a PR instead of a work permit considering a complete application?

Yes, you can apply for her. You can actually apply for her before she arrives in Canada, the so-called 'outland' process, and she can come to Canada later while it's in process. Since the major advantage of applying 'inland' is that she can apply for a work permit and she'll be getting one through her employer, outland may make more sense.

No, it won't interfere with her work permit app (although note - I presume this is through employer and that's a process I don't know much about).

It won't be PR instead of a work permit - one or the other will get completed first. If the work permit comes first, no big deal - when the PR app is finalized she'd just do the PR formalities later and from within Canada. If you apply now and she is from USA, she might well get the PR status before beginning work (assuming that the intent would be for her to begin work formally sometime before start of the next academic year). But unless there's something I'm missing, it shouldn't much matter for her, although possibly minor advantages of not having to re-do some paperwork and forms when she becomes a PR. Estimated processing time for a spousal app is 12 months, and about 80 percent take less than that, and possibly 40-50% in six months - with large flaming asterisk entitled covid.

(I'm also assuming none of this changes anything for the employer or her negotiated terms - i.e. benefits only given to international hires. But overall I'd guess the employer would find it easier if she was a PR before beginning employment - if only for health care eligibility - but that also depends on province. Note, personally I wouldn't promise the employer PR status will be in hand - they might slack off and you don't want them to stop the work permit process or let it lay fallow, since the PR spousal app might take longer - 12 months is the estimate and while USA apps often faster, it's not a guarantee.)