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work permit - us border - visit permit = confused

lassy_girl

Newbie
Mar 3, 2011
2
0
hello everyone. i came to canada on a work permit as a live-in caregiver on march 2008 and i filed my application for permanent residense and my open work permit on april 2010. my employer signed a letter of release on october 2010. since then i am unemployed. i was looking for a job but couldnt find one. i phone cic on january 2011 and asked them for advice because my work permit will expire on february 2011 and they told me that not to worry about it and not to apply for restoration because my open permit will be released in march 2011 anyways.

now here where the problem started. i went to vancouver to renew my passport and my friends wanted to see the us border and we accidentally crossed the border. i dont have my passport because i have to renew it and my work permit is expired. i was given a yellow paper and was asked a lot of questions. she asked me why i dont have my passport, why my work permit is expired and why didnt i look for a new employer and etc. she was kind of angry because i dont know my program. i was there for an hour and she told me that my open permit is not in their system yet so she might have to send me back home. she talked to one my friends and verified some information like where did you meet, how long do you plan to stay in vancouver and etc. and then she issued me a visitor permit and she told me i have 1 month to renew it. she even told me if i came from vancouver she will me back home that instant. i am from manitoba.

here are my questions:
-will this affect my application for residence in canada. somebody told me that i will be denied because i have a visitor permit. she even pointed out that an immigration officer phoned her not to apply for a visitor permit when her work permit expired.

-i know that i have 120 days as implied status if i apply with the paper application. im pretty sure i can look for a job and obtain a LMO and get a work permit within 6 months time. but is it ok for me to apply for a work permit if a i have a visitor permit? if yes , will i send my application to vegreville because its not an intial application. im hoping that i will recieve my open work permit soon so i dont have to worry about.

-i am on ei, should i cancel it now that i am a visitor?

-what are my opinions

i know what had happened to me is truly stupid and so complicated. seniors help please. Thanks a lot.