Temporary Residence While Waiting

[Prelude]

Hey again!

My American wife and I are aspiring to get her outland PR application sent in around the send of August or beginning of September. She has a VR right now that's good until September 18, which is just over six months from the time she originally entered Canada. We'd like her to be able to stay longer, though, and were told by the border people we had to extend her status through the CIC.

Anyway, we got the online code thing for applying for temporary resident status through the government website. It uses IMM5708. The first question says this:

I am applying for one or more of the following:
- extension of my temporary resident status
- extension of temporary resident status as a visitor
- initial temporary resident permit or extension of temporary resident permit

Which one do we pick? She has a VR, but that's... not really the same as TR status, is it? I originally thought it would be that first option, but now I'm confused and it sounds like the second option is more applicable. Which is correct?

Also, I looked up the website info for clarification about a few things and found this:

Temporary resident permit holders

As holders of a valid TRP, you and each of your family members are both a permit holder and a temporary resident. Despite your status as a temporary resident, you remain inadmissible or in non-compliance and as such may not be eligible for a further period of temporary residence or for permanent residence.

Your inadmissibility may limit your success in being granted a TRP or lengthen the processing period of your application. Applicants may be asked to provide additional documentation, to attend an interview, or may even be prevented from becoming permanent residents.

The duration of your TRP may limit access to certain services. For example, permit holders may only apply for a work or study permit if their TRP has a validity of more than six months.

(Link to the above source: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5554ETOC.asp#5554E2)

It then discusses what inadmissability/non-compliance are, but it makes it sound like both of those apply to TRP holders by default or something.

...I'm kind of alarmed. Is doing this potentially detrimental to her impending PR app and therefore a bad idea? I'm super lost with regards to what we should be doing right now. Ideally she'd like to be able to stay in the country at least awhile longer, but if she needs to leave she's able to. Obviously we don't want to do anything illegal or dangerous to her PR.

Please help? You guys are a lot better at parsing this than I seem to be.

 

[DuberBlue]

The second one.

Definitely NOT the third one. A TRP is a document that is generally issued (for a fee of $200) to someone who is otherwise deemed inadmissible to Canada. For example, someone with a past criminal record who is being allowed in by a CBSA agent on compassionate grounds or something.

 

[Prelude]

So are temporary resident status and temporary resident permits different things, then? It sounds like the TRP is questionable, but status as a temporary resident itself isn't necessarily bad.

If we check that second box and everything goes through as it should, will she end up just getting a new VR from them?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Anyway, we got the online code thing for applying for temporary resident status through the government website. It uses IMM5708. The first question says this:

I am applying for one or more of the following:
- extension of my temporary resident status
- extension of temporary resident status as a visitor
- initial temporary resident permit or extension of temporary resident permit

Which one do we pick? She has a VR, but that's... not really the same as TR status, is it? I originally thought it would be that first option, but now I'm confused and it sounds like the second option is more applicable. Which is correct?

OK, a few things here to clear up. First off, the correct answer for that question is most definitely 1.

The question actually asks:

I am applying for one or more of the following:
- extension of my temporary resident status
- RESTORATION of temporary resident status as a visitor
- initial temporary resident permit or extension of temporary resident permit

The correction I've made is a VERY IMPORTANT distinction. Restoration means that a person has LOST STATUS, i.e. is in Canada illegally, and needs to restore status. This does not apply to your wife.

As said above, a Temporary Resident Permit, TRP, is a special permit granted to those who are otherwise inadmissible to Canada. This is something that is specifically applied for. Your wife does NOT have a TRP.

Temporary resident status refers to foreign workers, students and visitors. Your wife is a temporary resident and will be applying to extend her temporary resident status as a visitor. She will receive a new Visitor Record.