Krrrsty said:Hi all
I'm back searching for advice!!! SO.. 6 months later and on the advice of a lawyer, I sent two applications for an open work permit to both the Immigration department and the work permit department - along with a "begging letter" explaining that as I had an existing work permit and a company who were intending to renew that permit, so I had not initially submitted an open work permit with our sponsorship application. I also sent details of my client ID, copies of correspondence relating to the LMO and an explanation of why my LMO seemed to have been refused.
Today, I received a refusal letter for the open work permit but I'm not sure whether it came from the work permit folks or the immigration people..... I called the Immigration number and was told that my application was "progressing nicely and everything looks good for first stage approval in March" (????) I'm confused! I have been working under an implied status and was hoping that they would add my work permit application to the spousal sponsorship - I have no way to find out if they did that! - Am I safe to continue working under the assumption that one of my application copies made it through?? I understand that different departments don't seem to communicate
What happens if they take "enforcement action"?? 90 days would take me almost to March... it's so hard to know when the information they give is so vague!!!!
Thanks in advance for any info!
???
So you didn't send your inland spousal sponsorship application and the open work permit application together, at the same time and to the same place? That's what you are supposed to do. You can't add an OWP application at a later date and hope they will join it with the inland spousal application. If your original work permit expired within the last 90 days and your employer has now obtained a positive LMO, you can apply for restoration of status as a worker and a new work permit. If your employer does not have a new LMO and your work permit expired less than 90 days ago, you can apply for restoration and a change of conditions to visitor status. You must now stop working as you have received a decision on your work permit application. You can only apply for the OWP once you receive first stage approval on the inland sponsorship application.