Work permit at the border port-of entry

[job_seeker]

Apply for the OWP where you are. Attach the documents asked for on the checklist (marriage certificate, spouse' study permit). If approved you'll be given a visa and you can obtain your OWP at yourPOE.

Hi Everyone,

I need some clarification about applying for an open work permit at a port of entry.

I am married to a full time international graduate student but I am based in the UK on a work permit. I understand that I can apply for an open work permit to join him in Canada by virtue of his own study permit which expires in Dec. 2013. I already have a multiple entry TRV (expires Nov. 2014) which I obtained for coming to Canada to get married to him last May.

1) I have lived all my life except for the last 2 years in my home country whose nationals are not TRV exempt. Do I need to submit a police report from both the UK and my home country as a supporting document? I have lived in the UK for the past 2 years.

2) How do I satisfy the immigration official at the border that I will leave Canada at the end of the validity of my work permit? Once I resign from my job in the UK and leave for Canada, my UK work permit becomes invalid and I cannot return to the UK except on a visitor's visa. Do I need a plane ticket for a journey back to my home country as a proof that I will leave Canada when my OWP expires? I intend to apply in October which is more than year away from Dec 2013. Are plane tickets issued/ re-bookable for more than a year in advance?

3) As of now, I have not yet been able to secure a job in Canada, and as such do not want to resign from my job in the UK till I am sure I have a job in Canada. If I don't get a job in Canada before applying for the OWP in October, I intend to return to the UK after submitting my OWP application at the border and spending about a week in Canada job hunting on the ground. Does my husband need to send me a letter of invitation for this visit?

4) What is the mode of payment for the application fee at the border? Can I pay in cash and how much does it cost?

5) I intend to bring with me the following documents: Marriage certificate, birth certificate, a copy of my husband's study permit, a copy of my husband's certificate of enrollment in his university, a copy of his international passport photo page, my bank statement, my educational certificates (Bachelor's and Master's degrees), my resume and previous letters of employment. Please what other supporting documents do I need to submit with my application?


Thank you so much in anticipation of your advice.

 

[Karo2012]

Dear JobSeeker,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I can apply for the OWP here in the UK. I will be issued a letter of authorisation which I will present at the Canadian border and thereafter be issued an OWP. However, this will take some 8-10 weeks to process.

From your experience, is it possible to receive a letter of authorisation for an open work permit outside Canada and be refused an open work permit when applying with the letter of authorisation at the Canadian border? I don't want to take the risk of quitting my job in the UK and then get refused the OWP at the border...

 

[SenoritaBella]

It is rare to be denied entry with an authorization letter, but there is no gurantee either. You have to satisfy the border agent at the port of entry that you still meet the conditions under which your work permit was issued. As for your job, you can wait until you get here before you resign.

 

[job_seeker]

Temporary Resident Visas are needed to enter Canada. If you don't need a visa to enter Canada then you can certainly obtain your OWP at the POE but you indicated that you are not TRV exempt hence you need to do first things first .

Dear JobSeeker,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I can apply for the OWP here in the UK. I will be issued a letter of authorisation which I will present at the Canadian border and thereafter be issued an OWP. However, this will take some 8-10 weeks to process.

From your experience, is it possible to receive a letter of authorisation for an open work permit outside Canada and be refused an open work permit when applying with the letter of authorisation at the Canadian border? I don't want to take the risk of quitting my job in the UK and then get refused the OWP at the border...

 

[Liubov]

Hello, does anybody know if it possible to get a WP on border if i am not from visa exempt country and do need a visa to go to Canada. Have anybody done it before? ?

 

[job_seeker]

You need a TRV.

Hello, does anybody know if it possible to get a WP on border if i am not from visa exempt country and do need a visa to go to Canada. Have anybody done it before? ?

 

[Liubov]

I was told that there is some kind of corridor at the border and when I walk through there i practically do not leave Canada and since i am still legally here (90 days restoration) i will be able to come back again.
Looking for any prove of this information.

 

[job_seeker]

Do you have your LMO? Is your TRV still valid?

I was told that there is some kind of corridor at the border and when I walk through there i practically do not leave Canada and since i am still legally here (90 days restoration) i will be able to come back again.
Looking for any prove of this information.

 

[Liubov]

I was refused in WP because did not submit LMO with application. Than i applied for restoration and new work permit. Two month passed already and there is no response from cic. I am worry already, who knows what they will decide, cause i applied with different employer than i applied first time.
Now i am thinking to get another LMO (first employer) and go to border to get work permit withing 90 days of restoration period.
But as i said i dont have visa...
Looking for any examples who`ve been in similar situation..

 

[job_seeker]

Got mine from the border but have valid TRV.

I was refused in WP because did not submit LMO with application. Than i applied for restoration and new work permit. Two month passed already and there is no response from cic. I am worry already, who knows what they will decide, cause i applied with different employer than i applied first time.
Now i am thinking to get another LMO (first employer) and go to border to get work permit withing 90 days of restoration period.
But as i said i dont have visa...
Looking for any examples who`ve been in similar situation..

 

[Karo2012]

Hi Job_Seeker and SenoritaBella,

Thank you for your prompt response to my enquiries.

I am not TRV exempt but I do have a valid TRV which expires in Nov. 2014. Now this is where my confusion lies:

One of the conditions for applying at the port of entry from CIC site is:

"Eligibility to apply as you enter Canada

You can apply for a work permit as you enter Canada, but only if you meet the following requirements:

you are temporary resident visa exempt ..."

Now, does this mean that even if I am not TRV exempt but already hold a valid TRV, I cannot apply at the border?

Thanks in advance for your clarification.

 

[job_seeker]

What kind of TRV do you have? Is it as worker? (W)

Hi Job_Seeker and SenoritaBella,

Thank you for your prompt response to my enquiries.

I am not TRV exempt but I do have a valid TRV which expires in Nov. 2014. Now this is where my confusion lies:

One of the conditions for applying at the port of entry from CIC site is:

"Eligibility to apply as you enter Canada

You can apply for a work permit as you enter Canada, but only if you meet the following requirements:

you are temporary resident visa exempt ..."

Now, does this mean that even if I am not TRV exempt but already hold a valid TRV, I cannot apply at the border?

Thanks in advance for your clarification.

 

[Karo2012]

What kind of TRV do you have? Is it as worker? (W)

Hi, my TRV is a multiple entry visitor's visa.

Thanks.

 

[job_seeker]

Not quite sure if it will work. Anyway you can try. You can always enter as a visitor (if not granted the OWP) and once allowed in as a visitor can apply for your OWP at CPC-Vegreville.

Hi, my TRV is a multiple entry visitor's visa.

Thanks.

 

[Karo2012]

Not quite sure if it will work. Anyway you can try. You can always enter as a visitor (if not granted the OWP) and once allowed in as a visitor can apply for your OWP at CPC-Vegreville.

Hi JobSeeker,

My husband called the CIC office yesterday. He was told that I cannot apply at the border directly even though I have a TRV. The advice given was that I should apply (online or by paper based) once I get into Canada.

Thanks for your help.