Visitor Visa extension

[greenside]

Just wanting to get my head straight with applying for an extension for the visitor visa. From my understanding, as I am sponsoring my wife through the spouse sponsorship in the inland application process. She is here on a visitor visa that is for 6 months just as a standard visitor, we didnt apply for anything specific, just had a return ticket booked and a letter from my family saying that shes living with us. When and how do we apply for an extension of her visitor visa whilst we wait for the application to go through. We have been her for one month finalizing everything for the application just waiting for her birth certificate to be translated and then we will just finnish the application and send it off. Then once it has taken the month to acknowledge the application will we be able to apply for her visitor status to be extended whilst it is processed the rest of the way ?

 

[truesmile]

You apply for the visit visa extension say, 30 days before the current one expires. What you haven't mentioned (asked about), is the OWP (open work permit). Include an application for one of those with your inland application for PR and once you have reached Stage 1, she will receive an 'open work permit', at least allowing her to do something while waiting.

 

[DuberBlue]

An inland application should actually give your wife Implied Status, so technically she should NOT have to renew the visitor visa, no?

 

[truesmile]

Seems to be a lot of debate over that point. The sticky point (as I now understand it) is that CIC must RECEIVE the application before the current 'visit visa' expires. Anyway you ARE permitted to be 'out of legal status', so perhaps it's only a big deal for those extending work visas of some sort.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

An inland application should actually give your wife Implied Status, so technically she should NOT have to renew the visitor visa, no?

It's actually the OWP app submitted with the inland app that provides Implied Status, provided the app is received before the applicant's current status expires. An inland app by itself does not confer any status.

Just wanting to get my head straight with applying for an extension for the visitor visa. From my understanding, as I am sponsoring my wife through the spouse sponsorship in the inland application process.

Submit an OWP app along with the inland PR app before your wife's current status expires and you will not need to extend her status.

 

[greenside]

okay that seems straight forward, on the checklist it says proof of visitor status, we just came through and as my wife has a bio- European passport we didnt need to apply for any specific visa. is that proof required for people who have to apply from a country that doesnt allow the 6 month visitor visa straight away. I would assume they can just look up her passport on the system and find all the info out ?

 

[greenside]

ah reading the requirements she needs to be a professional adhering to one of the LMO jobs it seems or some other requirements that I dont think she will fit. The open work permit doesnt seem very open? you have to have a job offer in one of the preferred jobs and be qualified fully for that job and have youre employer get a LMO sorted for you seems like a lot. strange how ive been served by non-canadians in restaurants and such and i wouldnt think they have a degree in serving ? Is there a way to see the scale of employment like from teacher to ceo or something ?

 

[MilesAway]

Those don't apply to spouses being sponsored through the inland route. You apply for the OWP, and it is granted after stage 1 approval (11 months, give or take). The conditions apply to other categories of OWPs (but I don't know much about those categories, sorry).

 

[QuebecOkie]

okay that seems straight forward, on the checklist it says proof of visitor status, we just came through and as my wife has a bio- European passport we didnt need to apply for any specific visa. is that proof required for people who have to apply from a country that doesnt allow the 6 month visitor visa straight away. I would assume they can just look up her passport on the system and find all the info out ?

We included a copy of my passport, the main info page with photo, name, passport number, etc., and the page with the stamp from when I entered Canada. I'm American, and so didn't have a visa either, just permitted as a visitor for 6 months. We applied online for a visitor extension a little over a month before my initial 6 months was set to expire. Submitting that request grants "implied status" until they make a decision on the extension request; we didn't get the approval until about a month after my initial visitor status expired (but I kept a printout from the website where we requested the extension to show I had a request in process, and therefore had implied status until we received approval). We stated honestly in the extension request that I was here as a visitor, staying with my husband, and that I wished to remain with him for the duration of my inland PR application process. I requested and received a one-year extension.

I don't know a lot about the OWP apps (we're in a very French part of Québec, and I'm working on learning the language; since most Anglophones can't find work here, it wasn't worth the expense to apply for OWP), but like MilesAway said, the OWP for those applying for PR through spousal sponsorship are truly open. Once approved, the sponsored spouse can apply for and work in any job. No LMO required, no "preferred jobs" limitations or anything like that.

 

[greenside]

Right feeling better about that now. with the fees of $150 for the owp can I pay that with the sponsorship application of $1040 if i define which amounts are for which and submit it with the same application or would it have to be different receipts does anyone know ?

 

[screech339]

Seems to be a lot of debate over that point. The sticky point (as I now understand it) is that CIC must RECEIVE the application before the current 'visit visa' expires. Anyway you ARE permitted to be 'out of legal status', so perhaps it's only a big deal for those extending work visas of some sort.

As for debate on the status when submitting application inland, I believe with you that CIC must receive the application before visitor visa, study visa, work visa expires (excluding IEC and PGWP (debatable)), in order to get "implied status" when their legal status expires. How can one be granted a "implied status" on an out-of-status visa since it is no longer valid/legal. It is quite a debatable submit.

Screech339

 

[greenside]

Thats not a problem my wife's visitor status runs out in march and I am hopefully going to send everything off this week. Just wondering about the payment if i can just add up the fees for the sponsorship application and the 150 for the open work permit and give a breakdown or if they need two different payments ??