Since we're on the subject, if none of you lovely people mind, I'd like to also explain my own situation.
I am from England, my wife is Canadian. Currently in Canada on a tourist visa but that expires in six days. I just applied to extend my tourist visa. We have been gathering documents and getting everything prepared to send off for an Inland application. Now, a part of me feels Outland would be better for those same reasons as everybody else. I will be missing some of my best friends getting married next year, and another set of friends getting married in Jamaica the year after. However, my wife is pregnant and will not be working after October. We have savings to pay rent for around a year realistically, but the option to work would be nice. But it's going to take about four to six months to get that permit. How much longer would I have to wait if we were to send off for an outland application for the ability to work? And then I will be there for the beginnings of my child's life and still get to go to weddings. But then what if the savings disappear? It's a tricky one, and I wish life wasn't so complicated. The whole process is stressing us out. Also, if we send off the open work permit and my residency application at once, I will be allowed to stay on implied status, correct? My fear is, what if they refuse my request to extend my visitor's visa? We're nearly ready to send off for inland, and I know this way is a guarantee I can stay on implied status thanks to the OWP, but outland seems so much quicker. Plus, my passport expires August 2017, meaning my work permit will expire then also..