Spouse Open Work permit

[fkl]

hi fkl,

i showed them iam married and i have a son,but in Alberta they only give nomination for the principal applicant not for the family as they do in Manitoba,so they where not included in the nomination letter as my job falls under NOC c so iam in confusion whether he is eligible for open work permit or not.
thanks

hi cali,

Okay i understand your situation some what. But i don't know much about it. Perhaps you should apply for PR first while he is included in the application and along with it you file wp application. But i am not sure of any further details.

 

[simransandhu7]

I haven't received any information on my husband's application. Applied on June 26th. Its almost 2 weeks to 4 months processing time period. Should I made a case specific enquiry or call to Chandigarh consulate to know the file status.

we also applied for SOWP at chandigarh VFS on 6 AUG 2015 & not recived anything yet. plz keep us updated about ur application so we might get an idea about how much time do they take..

 

[nashid khan]

You are most welcome Nashid (to your previous comment).

1. Sure ties to home country remains a problem as long as you are on a temp status in Canada. E.g. if you got a work / study permit for a couple years. CIC wants to ensure by whatever standard they have that unless you actually got a visa renewal or PR, you would return at the end of that period and won't stay illegally in Canada. Unfortunately that has been a real scenario in the past years and hence weighs similarly on even work permits. E.g. i came here on a work permit, i still had to show strong ties by my employment history in home country. That was kind of a proof that i am making good money in home country so i won't have likely reasons to over stay illegally in Canada. However, if i was unemployed at the time of application that might be treated as a weak tie. For trv it is a short term issue i.e. over stay beyond six months. However, concept is the same.

2. Yes police certificates have an expiry - usually 3 to 6 months. They should be valid at time of application submission for SOWP.

Thank you once again fkl for your insightful information. So it seems that it's better to hold a job in home country while applying for SWOP.

 

[fkl]

Thank you once again fkl for your insightful information. So it seems that it's better to hold a job in home country while applying for SWOP.

You are most welcome.

I was mainly referring to principal applicant. Me and at least 3 of my friends applied for work permits for themselves with SOWP in the last 3-4 years. None of our spouses worked. However, we were applying together and would not have gone to Canada if they refused spouses or any thing. Of course all of us were employed at very good positions in home country in the exact same profession for years.

Situation is a bit different when the principal work permit holder is already in Canada and the one applying for SOWP is in home country.

However, it doesn't mean that if a spouse is applying separately from home country, it cannot get through.

I have just seen CIC with a little laid back approach on that. Because the actual person needed in Canada is already there.

So being employed certainly helps. If not, you might use other things like family, assets, travel history whatever you can come up with. CIC should be convinced that these guys won't over stay illegally, period.

 

[nashid khan]

You are most welcome.

I was mainly referring to principal applicant. Me and at least 3 of my friends applied for work permits for themselves with SOWP in the last 3-4 years. None of our spouses worked. However, we were applying together and would not have gone to Canada if they refused spouses or any thing. Of course all of us were employed at very good positions in home country in the exact same profession for years.

Situation is a bit different when the principal work permit holder is already in Canada and the one applying for SOWP is in home country.

However, it doesn't mean that if a spouse is applying separately from home country, it cannot get through.

I have just seen CIC with a little laid back approach on that. Because the actual person needed in Canada is already there.

So being employed certainly helps. If not, you might use other things like family, assets, travel history whatever you can come up with. CIC should be convinced that these guys won't over stay illegally, period.

Okay, I think I get it now. I must have misinterpreted the earlier message. Let me explain you the scenario a bit more elaborately so that it would be easier for you to help by having a comprehensive idea of the situation.

In this case, the principal applicant is a second-year PhD student in Canada. The marriage took place 8 months ago, the spouse is currently unemployed, residing in home country and wants to apply for SWOP from there.

Like you said, the CIC might be a bit laid back into processing the spouse's application since the principal applicant is already in Canada. I am worrying about how to make the application stronger so that there is at least a good chance of getting SWOP within standard processing time?

So my major conecrns are:

Proof of fund: The amount and the way of showing it e.g. bank certificate, parent's liquid asset etc.. Is bank statement a must?
Employment: How important it is for the spouse to have a job in the home country?
Proof of Marriage: Is there anymore proof needed other than marriage certificate?

There are other minuscule concerns as well but for now, these are the major issues I am facing. Hope I'm not causing you much trouble. Merely thanking you would not be enough for the help I am getting from this forum.

Nashid

 

[syedahraza]

Okay, I think I get it now. I must have misinterpreted the earlier message. Let me explain you the scenario a bit more elaborately so that it would be easier for you to help by having a comprehensive idea of the situation.

In this case, the principal applicant is a second-year PhD student in Canada. The marriage took place 8 months ago, the spouse is currently unemployed, residing in home country and wants to apply for SWOP from there.

Like you said, the CIC might be a bit laid back into processing the spouse's application since the principal applicant is already in Canada. I am worrying about how to make the application stronger so that there is at least a good chance of getting SWOP within standard processing time?

So my major conecrns are:

Proof of fund: The amount and the way of showing it e.g. bank certificate, parent's liquid asset etc.. Is bank statement a must?
Employment: How important it is for the spouse to have a job in the home country?
Proof of Marriage: Is there anymore proof needed other than marriage certificate?

There are other minuscule concerns as well but for now, these are the major issues I am facing. Hope I'm not causing you much trouble. Merely thanking you would not be enough for the help I am getting from this forum.

Nashid

Nashid I am in a similar situation as yours. I am also a PhD student and I was trying for my wife's SOWP. My wife is also unemployed back home and I am looking at ways of getting her here

 

[fkl]

Okay, I think I get it now. I must have misinterpreted the earlier message. Let me explain you the scenario a bit more elaborately so that it would be easier for you to help by having a comprehensive idea of the situation.

In this case, the principal applicant is a second-year PhD student in Canada. The marriage took place 8 months ago, the spouse is currently unemployed, residing in home country and wants to apply for SWOP from there.

Like you said, the CIC might be a bit laid back into processing the spouse's application since the principal applicant is already in Canada. I am worrying about how to make the application stronger so that there is at least a good chance of getting SWOP within standard processing time?

So my major conecrns are:

Proof of fund: The amount and the way of showing it e.g. bank certificate, parent's liquid asset etc.. Is bank statement a must?
Employment: How important it is for the spouse to have a job in the home country?
Proof of Marriage: Is there anymore proof needed other than marriage certificate?

There are other minuscule concerns as well but for now, these are the major issues I am facing. Hope I'm not causing you much trouble. Merely thanking you would not be enough for the help I am getting from this forum.

Nashid

Well that's a hard one for a variety of reasons that i would put under. But still it's not like impossible.

Proof of funds: My knowledge is not extensive about it but i am not sure what you would put in instead of bank statement. Since the general requirement is assets that can easily liquidate. Property is helpful but not the best option. So is money in some one else's / parents account. It would be a different ball game if you were employed in Canada. Since you are student, you need enough funds to sustain your spouse there. Any education or skills he/she might have would loose weight age because she is not working. Not just working recently but having worked for a good length of time in a skilled area might be useful which you dont have.

So you need to show good money (in CIC numbers a year's expense at least in addition to your fee and cost of living). Generally this is around 11k for principal applicant (already there but just giving an idea of figures) then about 6-7k for spouse. This does not include any fees related to education. Some better amount is recommended. Too much funds are NOT RECOMMENDED. They are prone to refusals since chances of illegal stay increase according to CIC logic.

Employment: I mentioned above already. It was a no issue if you were working. Since you are a student, it is not as clear cut any more.

Proof of marriage: Most certainly yes. For a recent marriage like described, you need to provide some details like pictures from the event, proof of regular contact (call / chat logs etc.) This is a classic case when some body was already in Canada and got married back home. CIC is well after trying to identify whether it's a genuine marriage. I am sorry i sound picky, but unfortunately that is how it is.

You won't have needed much to prove marriage if you would have been living together / married for longer / have had kids or possibly were applying together.

All in all, its a relatively harder case to succeed.

Given the current economic conditions in Canada, and CIC's priorities to get permanent residents - in particularly those who have validated jobs and hence significantly affecting work permit processing times, i would suggest you should look at PR options along.

To give a realistic idea, work permit processing from inside Canada used to be much faster. Until early this year it was around 2 months total and CIC would post online they are working on applications submitted on Date X. As of today, the current wp processing time from inside Canada stands around 138 days for online applications. A bit less for paper apps, all since the introduction of express entry.

I am trying to show the realistic picture so you could chose best suitable option.

On the bright side, express entry is completing in less than 6 months for majority of people. Even around 3-4 months for a good percentage. So it clearly shows where their priorities are. Good luck

 

[nashid khan]

Nashid I am in a similar situation as yours. I am also a PhD student and I was trying for my wife's SOWP. My wife is also unemployed back home and I am looking at ways of getting her here

syedahraza

This kind of situation is very complicated. it is also very difficult to find a good solution. At least we get experts' opinion from this forum which can help us strengthening our applications. I am getting some really valuable insights from fkl. Hope you will find all the necessary information from here. All the best! May God fulfill our wishes.

Nashid

 

[nashid khan]

Well that's a hard one for a variety of reasons that i would put under. But still it's not like impossible.

Proof of funds: My knowledge is not extensive about it but i am not sure what you would put in instead of bank statement. Since the general requirement is assets that can easily liquidate. Property is helpful but not the best option. So is money in some one else's / parents account. It would be a different ball game if you were employed in Canada. Since you are student, you need enough funds to sustain your spouse there. Any education or skills he/she might have would loose weight age because she is not working. Not just working recently but having worked for a good length of time in a skilled area might be useful which you dont have.

So you need to show good money (in CIC numbers a year's expense at least in addition to your fee and cost of living). Generally this is around 11k for principal applicant (already there but just giving an idea of figures) then about 6-7k for spouse. This does not include any fees related to education. Some better amount is recommended. Too much funds are NOT RECOMMENDED. They are prone to refusals since chances of illegal stay increase according to CIC logic.

Employment: I mentioned above already. It was a no issue if you were working. Since you are a student, it is not as clear cut any more.

Proof of marriage: Most certainly yes. For a recent marriage like described, you need to provide some details like pictures from the event, proof of regular contact (call / chat logs etc.) This is a classic case when some body was already in Canada and got married back home. CIC is well after trying to identify whether it's a genuine marriage. I am sorry i sound picky, but unfortunately that is how it is.

You won't have needed much to prove marriage if you would have been living together / married for longer / have had kids or possibly were applying together.

All in all, its a relatively harder case to succeed.

Given the current economic conditions in Canada, and CIC's priorities to get permanent residents - in particularly those who have validated jobs and hence significantly affecting work permit processing times, i would suggest you should look at PR options along.

To give a realistic idea, work permit processing from inside Canada used to be much faster. Until early this year it was around 2 months total and CIC would post online they are working on applications submitted on Date X. As of today, the current wp processing time from inside Canada stands around 138 days for online applications. A bit less for paper apps, all since the introduction of express entry.

I am trying to show the realistic picture so you could chose best suitable option.

On the bright side, express entry is completing in less than 6 months for majority of people. Even around 3-4 months for a good percentage. So it clearly shows where their priorities are. Good luck

Dear fkl
Thank you once again for your informative reply. You don't need to be sorry for being picky or anything, because you are actually helping us selflessly by being honest. I appreciate you mentioning all sort of drawbacks and risks and I think it will be more helpful than anything else.

Regarding Proof of Fund- It is a bit different for phd student (who are funded by the university) to show 11k in their account since they get cyclic bursary from supervisor every semester and spend certain amount as living expense. the tuition fee is also covered by the funding. In that case if the student shows his funding letter for previous months along with bank statement (which proves that his tuition and living expenses are covered and he has enough fund to bear the living expense of his spouse) and if the spouse shows 6k in her account, do you think it will be enough?

I agree with you that it is indeed a difficult case but hopefully a strong application will do the trick. Thank you once again. I hope to keep bugging you from time to time

 

[Jibike]

Spouse Open Work permit and TRV

Hello everyone,
I am pretty new on this forum. I will be more than happy to get all my enquiries answered by you'all.
1. I applied for a visitors visa in March 2015. Purpose of visit was to spend my annual vacation visiting my fiance who is a student in canada but I was unfortunately denied .
2. We got married this month and we have our marriage licence available and would want to apply for the spousal open work permit and TRV.Please do I stand a chance of getting this visa this time?
I have checked cic site and other sites and also advise from people on what to provide with my application. I need clarifications on:
I.Proof of funds-is it my husband (the international student) or me , that should provide proof. And how much can we estimate.
II. Home ties-i won't mind suggestions on what that could be.
3. I am employed in my home country currently. Could that be a plus.

Please I need your wealth of advise and experience on how to go about it.

Looking forward to hear from you.

Thank you.

 

[jassi2427]

Re: Spouse Open Work permit and TRV

Hello everyone,
I am pretty new on this forum. I will be more than happy to get all my enquiries answered by you'all.
1. I applied for a visitors visa in March 2015. Purpose of visit was to spend my annual vacation visiting my fiance who is a student in canada but I was unfortunately denied .
2. We got married this month and we have our marriage licence available and would want to apply for the spousal open work permit and TRV.Please do I stand a chance of getting this visa this time?
I have checked cic site and other sites and also advise from people on what to provide with my application. I need clarifications on:
I.Proof of funds-is it my husband (the international student) or me , that should provide proof. And how much can we estimate.
II. Home ties-i won't mind suggestions on what that could be.
3. I am employed in my home country currently. Could that be a plus.

Please I need your wealth of advise and experience on how to go about it.

Looking forward to hear from you.

Thank you.

Hello,

Only weak point will be your husband is on student visa but that could be overcome by showing strong ties. I would suggest to show like 10 k here in Canadian account and same in Indian account would be a good idea. You job will definitely help in this case as you can show them that you are coming for short visit here in Canada. what was the reason for the last rejection? you have to overcome the last time weakness for sure too.

Good luck!

 

[fkl]

Dear fkl
Thank you once again for your informative reply. You don't need to be sorry for being picky or anything, because you are actually helping us selflessly by being honest. I appreciate you mentioning all sort of drawbacks and risks and I think it will be more helpful than anything else.

Regarding Proof of Fund- It is a bit different for phd student (who are funded by the university) to show 11k in their account since they get cyclic bursary from supervisor every semester and spend certain amount as living expense. the tuition fee is also covered by the funding. In that case if the student shows his funding letter for previous months along with bank statement (which proves that his tuition and living expenses are covered and he has enough fund to bear the living expense of his spouse) and if the spouse shows 6k in her account, do you think it will be enough?

I agree with you that it is indeed a difficult case but hopefully a strong application will do the trick. Thank you once again. I hope to keep bugging you from time to time

I am glad you are positive and i know what it feels like to be stuck in this kind of processes - been there done that. So i try as much as possible for me to help, since it reminds me of how useful ANY info was for me back then.

POF: For spouse yes 6k should be enough though i would think some what more is better - more like 10-12k but not higher.

I pretty much understand how it is like for Phds, though i am more familiar with those of post docs, who are considered employees still.

The main problem for either of them is the short term renewal of funding as you mentioned already. So a letter from supervisor etc. showing intention of next grant / bursary would go a long way. Even if you haven't submitted that initially but its been a while since you applied, adding that to your file could really make a difference between yes and no. All the best

 

[nashid khan]

I am glad you are positive and i know what it feels like to be stuck in this kind of processes - been there done that. So i try as much as possible for me to help, since it reminds me of how useful ANY info was for me back then.

POF: For spouse yes 6k should be enough though i would think some what more is better - more like 10-12k but not higher.

I pretty much understand how it is like for Phds, though i am more familiar with those of post docs, who are considered employees still.

The main problem for either of them is the short term renewal of funding as you mentioned already. So a letter from supervisor etc. showing intention of next grant / bursary would go a long way. Even if you haven't submitted that initially but its been a while since you applied, adding that to your file could really make a difference between yes and no. All the best

Dear fkl

You are quite right on figuring out the drawbacks in this case. I very much appreciate the way your are helping with every detail. I hope everything will turn out to be okay once the application is submitted. Thanks a million for the help. God bless you

Nashid

 

[shallu7287]

Hi fkl,
Its going to be 4 months on 25th. Should I submit a case specific enquiry then. I contacted my lawyer today he told me it could take anywhere upto several months. I am really frustrated about what to do. Please guide.
Thank you.

 

[fkl]

Dear fkl

You are quite right on figuring out the drawbacks in this case. I very much appreciate the way your are helping with every detail. I hope everything will turn out to be okay once the application is submitted. Thanks a million for the help. God bless you

Nashid

You are most welcome. If this makes the process easier to you, i feel good and thank you for your kind words.