Spouse Open Work permit

[maddyv]

Hi,

I am working in Canada. I applied online for SOWP on 18th Oct 2016 with upfront medicals. We are still waiting for a decision? Is there anyone else on the same boat or is it just me ?

 

[priyabhee]

Have you applied for PR too at the same time?

 

[sreet]

I am in a similar situation. My husband has LMIA Exempted Work permit (Intra company transfer) upto April 2017. So, my open work work permit also expires on April 2017. His company is yet to apply for his extension. Its definite that we will not receive his work permit and our visitor records before April. I am afraid that i may not be able to apply for my open work permit extension within April and hence will lose my full time permanent job.

I have a few queries -
1) Should i wait for my husband's work permit to be received. Or can i apply with his application as his status proof?
2) Or if he gets an Approval letter before April, will that be sufficient for me to apply for open work permit?
3) I am in Canada for the past 1.3 years. But went out of country for just 3 weeks. Do i need to upload Medical Upfront while applying for open work permit?
4) is the application the same for extension and a new open work permit?

Thanks
Sree

 

[maddyv]

Have you applied for PR too at the same time?

yes

 

[rabrakha]

Hi
Applied sowp 25 oct, 2016
Medical Request 24 Jan, 2017
Medical Done 31 Jan, 2017
Medical Passed 8 Feb, 2017

Waiting for next...
Hoping for best

 

[abhilasha]

Hi evryone,

I have received passport request today.
How to submit my passport? Can anyone help.

My timeline is
Application submitted-29th Dec 2016
Received passport request-10th Feb 2017

 

[priyabhee]

Submit your passport through vfs
Take the letter which u got in the message column .
Btw congratulations
I didn't receive yet submitted on Dec 20

 

[rabrakha]

Hi evryone,

I have received passport request today.
How to submit my passport? Can anyone help.

My timeline is
Application submitted-29th Dec 2016
Received passport request-10th Feb 2017

congrats. you applied online?
medical upfront?

 

[abhilasha]

Yes I applied online and upfront medical

 

[abhilasha]

Submit your passport through vfs
Take the letter which u got in the message column .
Btw congratulations
I didn't receive yet submitted on Dec 20

Hey!!You will get that soon

 

[priyabhee]

Hope so
M feeling low

 

[sreet]

I am in a similar situation. My husband has LMIA Exempted Work permit (Intra company transfer) upto April 2017. So, my open work work permit also expires on April 2017. His company is yet to apply for his extension. Its definite that we will not receive his work permit and our visitor records before April. I am afraid that i may not be able to apply for my open work permit extension within April and hence will lose my full time permanent job.

I have a few queries -
1) Should i wait for my husband's work permit to be received. Or can i apply with his application as his status proof?
2) Or if he gets an Approval letter before April, will that be sufficient for me to apply for open work permit?
3) I am in Canada for the past 1.3 years. But went out of country for just 3 weeks. Do i need to upload Medical Upfront while applying for open work permit?
4) is the application the same for extension and a new open work permit?

Thanks
Sree

Can anyone suggest on the above points? Anyone experienced such a situation?

 

[fkl]

Please see inline in blue. This thread is getting too crowded with a lot of meaning less posts.

So i hereby am requesting people in general, feel free to post if you have a genuine question or a genuine answer. But please refrain from adding lengthy (mere commenting) posts.


The only effect of this is that for someone who is trying to answer as many people as possible, he/she gets sooo many posts to sought through that important help seeker ones are easily missed.

I am in a similar situation. My husband has LMIA Exempted Work permit (Intra company transfer) upto April 2017. So, my open work work permit also expires on April 2017. His company is yet to apply for his extension. Its definite that we will not receive his work permit and our visitor records before April. I am afraid that i may not be able to apply for my open work permit extension within April and hence will lose my full time permanent job.

I have a few queries -
1) Should i wait for my husband's work permit to be received. Or can i apply with his application as his status proof?
Why don't you apply along with him? Both applications can always be submitted together and hence processed together


2) Or if he gets an Approval letter before April, will that be sufficient for me to apply for open work permit?
Not sure what do you mean by approval letter. Is it support letter from employer for being LMIA exempt? Because i cant think of any other document that CIC issues that is applicable in this context. But in order to get a SOWP, you need the principal applicant's work permit. Either both are approved together or he gets his first and then you apply based upon that.


3) I am in Canada for the past 1.3 years. But went out of country for just 3 weeks. Do i need to upload Medical Upfront while applying for open work permit?
By default no you are not required to undergo medicals for extension. If CIC thinks for some reason that you need to undergo medicals, they would ask you to do so, which is very unlikely.


4) is the application the same for extension and a new open work permit?
No its not the same. You apply using "Apply to extend/change your status in Canada". And as long as you apply before the expiry of current one (even a week before is fine) AND you are applying to extend with the same type of permit, you status is fine i.e. you are considered to be on implied status and can continue working UNTILL CIC makes decision on your work permit. This does not apply if you are changing the conditions of your stay example switching from an LMIA exempt work permit to an LMIA based one or even switching employer on LMIA based closed work permits.


Thanks
Sree

One last thing is that there is no visitor record (i am not sure you know what it exactly is) when you apply from inside Canada for a work permit.

Basically these are two separate things.

A) Work / study permit: A large paper document which allows you to work/study in Canada. As long as you are not entering/exiting Canada this is all you need to continue working / studying here.

B) TRV / Visitor Record: The visa / sticker that is embossed on passport. This is required by CBSA to allow you to enter Canada (unless you are a permanent resident or citizen).

If you are from a visa required country (i.e. require visa to enter Canada), you do get BOTH of these together when you apply for work permit for the first time from outside Canada because you cannot enter Canada without it.

But once you are in Canada these are treated separately, so if you apply for work permit, you only get a new work permit. If you need to go out and come again, you need a TRV which you can apply separately online (once you have a valid work permit) and it won't take more than 2 weeks to get that done. All the best.

 

[maddyv]

Finally after the longest wait the Passport request today.

Timeline:
18 Oct - Applied Online with upfront medicals
10th Feb - Passport request.

 

[priyabhee]

hi maddv
congratulations on your passport request
can i know y it took so long

have you applied for pr too along with this sowp application?
or is there any other reason?