tips on extending a work permit as a visitor extension, while waiting for PR?

[eletyl]

hi. I am in Canada on a work permit - I have been here for 2 years, and met my spouse here while on it - but it is about to expire in a few days, and I am now unemployed. I want to stay here as a visitor and continue to wait for PR. I was delaying the extension as much as possible because I kept hoping to get PR (have been "in process" in Buffalo since May 5), but it looks like it's not going to happen in time.

I have done a bunch of reading on obtaining and extending visitor's permits, but most of those posts assume you were already a visitor, and have to "prove" your ties to your home country, that you are planning to return, etc. Obviously, if and when I am told to leave, I would do so (and go to my parents' home in the US). BUT I have lived here 2 years, and all my belongings are here, my name is on my lease here, etc. so my question is: how do I "prove" that I would leave at the end of my visitor's permit, if my PR still hasn't been granted at that time?

does anyone have tips for what kind of details or evidence to include?

thank you so much!

 

[QCSunshine]

I did this. I just stated that I had applied for PR, showed proof of that, and said that I would like to wait it out in Canada as a visitor in order to be with my spouse. I asked for a year and got it. (My stuff was here and my name was one our lease too. And I did not specifically try to "prove" I would leave, though I would have if I had not received the visitor permit.)

This thread should be helpful and give you more of an idea what others have said:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/extending-my-stay-a-little-urgent-questions-thanks-t55341.0.html

Make sure you submit your request BEFORE your current status expires. You can request the extension online, just make sure you save a copy of the confirmation they give showing it was submitted. (And it takes a while to do it online because there are only a few files you can upload, so if you have more things you want to provide like marriage certificate, income/financial support proof- we included a letter from my husband's work that stated his annual salary, receipts of payment for the PR app, Purolator delivery confirmation, copy of sponsorship approval or whatever, you might need to combine several documents into one pdf before you try to upload it. I used Publisher to do this (pasting the various images into one document then converting it to a pdf) and it took me some time to get it the right size file with all the info in each file.

You could also mail it because that makes it is easier to add extra information, but using a (non-Canada Post) courier that can get it there that quickly with delivery confirmation before your status expires will cost a bit, while the internet submission only costs some extra time. Personally, I prefer the internet, but I know many others like the mail-in option, with the additional reasoning that the mail-in option takes longer to process, so might allow more time to stay in Canada (in the case the request is denied). Personally, I would rather have less time not knowing, so I preferred the shorter processing time that comes with online submissions. However, had they denied my request, that certainly would have been to my disadvantage.

However you do it, just make sure you get it confirmed as being there before your status expires. Good luck!

 

[eletyl]

thanks so much, QCSunshine! you confirmed a bunch of stuff I already suspected, and also shed light on the fact that I could ask for a year - I thought 6 months was the limit, so good to know.

I actually have the application all ready online, except for submission.. and I did spend most of the morning compressing several documents into a single (2 MB) PDF: my passport, passport stamps, work permit, CSQ, and marriage certificate. sounds like it is okay to do, although I hope I didn't forget anything.

I think I'll just sit on it a few more days (it's due by July 1).. just in case a miracle happens, and PPR comes though.. OR I get a job offer from my interview a few weeks ago, and suddenly this turns into a work permit application. /fingers crossed!

 

[lhet_sept2010]

hi. I am in Canada on a work permit - I have been here for 2 years, and met my spouse here while on it - but it is about to expire in a few days, and I am now unemployed. I want to stay here as a visitor and continue to wait for PR. I was delaying the extension as much as possible because I kept hoping to get PR (have been "in process" in Buffalo since May 5), but it looks like it's not going to happen in time.

I have done a bunch of reading on obtaining and extending visitor's permits, but most of those posts assume you were already a visitor, and have to "prove" your ties to your home country, that you are planning to return, etc. Obviously, if and when I am told to leave, I would do so (and go to my parents' home in the US). BUT I have lived here 2 years, and all my belongings are here, my name is on my lease here, etc. so my question is: how do I "prove" that I would leave at the end of my visitor's permit, if my PR still hasn't been granted at that time?

does anyone have tips for what kind of details or evidence to include?

thank you so much!

Hi there! I just mailed my application for extension of stay as visitor last friday. I am also holding a work permit but i stopped when i finished my contract and when i got married. my work permit will expire on june 30 so i decided to extend my stay as visitor. just fill up the forms needed for the visitor's requierement and tell them you have inland application "in process". and you're extending because you want to maintain your legal status in canada while waiting for waiting for your PR result.

look my my thread, i also asked people about that.

good luck to all of us!


my timeline:
application sent: septmber 12, 2010
application received: septmber 15, 2010
application start processing on : november 3, 2010
sent extension of stay as visito: june 17, 2011
decision made: june 22, 2011
..and still waiting..


** pray hard coz it really works!

 

[eletyl]

thanks lhet_sept2010! sounds great (except I will note that I am outland, not inland.. even though I am physically in Canada, my application is being processed outland. hence why I am not entitled to a new work permit here, based on the application).

I am curious which thread you are referring to, though?

thanks again!

 

[QCSunshine]

eletyl, I am glad you got it worked out with the online application and have it ready to go. And maybe you will get PPR before your deadline to apply to extend your stay. That would certainly be wonderful!