+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

Requesting a refund for unprocessed OWP after spousal app is approved

terezzeret

Newbie
Nov 30, 2021
7
2
Hi, I'm a long-time lurker but I've never posted on this forum. I was wondering if anyone has dealt with this issue before as I'm pretty sure it's covid related. My husband and I recently got approved and I received my eCoPR last week. However, my OWP, which was included with the original paper-based sponsorship application, never got processed or returned. I tried linking it to my account multiple times over the months but was never able to as the system could not find any results. As I now have my eCoPR, I was wondering if I should apply for a refund through IRCC's payment portal or if anyone has received their money back automatically. I was exempt from giving biometrics and we already received a refund for that (we weren't sure when applying so we just paid it again). I basically gave them an extra $300 for nothing as I was not able to work this whole time due to IRCC not processing the OWP. Technically you should be able to request a refund if you're withdrawing an application or after a refusal, however neither really applies to me as they just processed my PR quicker. Would appreciate any input. Thanks
 

clue12

Full Member
Jul 1, 2020
31
7
Hi! Same thing happened with me - received eCoPR with no movement on the OWP. What I did was submit a webform request to withdraw the OWP application right after I received eCoPR. I got a reply from them 1-2 weeks later stating that they had added a note to the file that I wished to withdraw the application and the appropriate team would determine if that was possible or not. That was on Sept 9th and I didn't hear anything about it again until a few days ago, on Nov 29th, when I got a message from IRCC that because I was now a permanent resident, the OWP was no longer required, so they had closed the file and would be processing a refund in 6-8 weeks.

I'm not sure if it was necessary to submit the withdrawal request via webform or if they would eventually have closed the file on their own anyway, but I guess it doesn't hurt to try. Ultimately, though, I think it's probably good to be prepared for a pretty long wait before you see any kind of refund - things seem to process really slowly either way!
 
  • Like
Reactions: armoured

terezzeret

Newbie
Nov 30, 2021
7
2
Hi! Same thing happened with me - received eCoPR with no movement on the OWP. What I did was submit a webform request to withdraw the OWP application right after I received eCoPR. I got a reply from them 1-2 weeks later stating that they had added a note to the file that I wished to withdraw the application and the appropriate team would determine if that was possible or not. That was on Sept 9th and I didn't hear anything about it again until a few days ago, on Nov 29th, when I got a message from IRCC that because I was now a permanent resident, the OWP was no longer required, so they had closed the file and would be processing a refund in 6-8 weeks.

I'm not sure if it was necessary to submit the withdrawal request via webform or if they would eventually have closed the file on their own anyway, but I guess it doesn't hurt to try. Ultimately, though, I think it's probably good to be prepared for a pretty long wait before you see any kind of refund - things seem to process really slowly either way!
Hey, thanks for sharing! I'll try to send a webform and see if they respond. Crazy that it takes so long to get anything done though :/
 

Niki2016

Star Member
Oct 17, 2021
54
15
Any news about the refund? I got Confirmation of Permanent Resident , still waiting for PR Card, never received OWP, don't know how to do it
 

alidonkaka6

Member
Dec 22, 2021
17
0
Hi,

I'm not sure if submitting the withdrawal request via webform was essential, or if they would have closed the file on their own regardless, but I suppose it's worth a shot. In the end, I believe it's probably best to expect a long wait before receiving any form of return - things tend to move at a snail's pace in any case! It is not an issue.
real estate istanbul
Thanks
 
Last edited:

paul22381

Star Member
Sep 25, 2015
81
29
Hi, same here. I submitted a request via webform, withdrawing my OWP permit application and a refund in November after I got PR approval. After few days, I received an email from IRCC saying that they will determine if my application can be withdrawn and will issue a refund if applicable within 16 weeks.
Last week , I received an update that my OWP application has been cancelled, however no update on the refund yet.