Inland Spousal OWP during Spousal PR Sponsorship

[kming]

Hi,
I would like to get some information in regards to the Inland Spousal Open Work Permit Application during a Spousal PR Sponsorship Application. I am a Permanent Resident in Nova Scotia and my wife is currently living with me as a visitor. We applied for her PR through the Sponsorship Program and also applied for an Open Work Permit through the Inland Spousal OWP Program at the same time. We sent both applications within the same package, back in the end of February 2021. We've recently received confirmation of receipt of the PR application and she has completed both her medical exam and her biometrics, but we have yet to receive any indication of receipt in regards to the Open Work Permit Application. I know that the IRCC is extremely busy with the Afghanistan situation, but due to it, it is near impossible to contact them to ask any questions.

Is it normal that we haven't had any feedback on the work permit application after more than 7 months? Even though we've received feedback on the PR application that is currently being processed? She has been in Canada for over a year now and has been very isolated due to Covid regulations and being unable to work.

Any advice and info is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Sam Westchester]

Honestly I think the pandemic has delayed these things really badly. I don't know what the standard is like right now but tons of people are having this problem. It's stilly, too, because they should want her to work.

 

[canadageorge]

Well the sponsorship takes 1 year to process (yes, assuming everything was perfectly submitted). I was always under the impression that after 6 month the work permit kicks in. I would wait for one or two more months and if still nothing on the work permit, just hire someone you trust in the immigration industry to look into it for you (use a referral). Full disclaimer I work for Immigroup.

 

[kming]

Honestly I think the pandemic has delayed these things really badly. I don't know what the standard is like right now but tons of people are having this problem. It's stilly, too, because they should want her to work.

Exactly I completely agree. I understand that the PR process takes a while and should be thorough but I thought this was why there is an Inland Spousal OWP Program in the first place. Other work permits are typically processed in about 3 months which is why I was wondering if there could be some other issue and I can't even reach out to the IRCC currently to see if that is the case or not.

 

[kming]

Well the sponsorship takes 1 year to process (yes, assuming everything was perfectly submitted). I was always under the impression that after 6 month the work permit kicks in. I would wait for one or two more months and if still nothing on the work permit, just hire someone you trust in the immigration industry to look into it for you (use a referral). Full disclaimer I work for Immigroup.

Thank you, this is really good feedback. We'll do our best to be patient (we really don't have much of a choice at this stage) and for full disclosure on my end, we received receipt of her application around September 15th. We also submitted everything through using immigration lawyers at Stewart McKelvey (I would be surprised if something wasn't submitted perfectly, I did review everything prior and it looked great but there is a huge cost with that). In your experience, is it usually 6 months after receipt of the spousal PR application that the work permit would kick in and that we should be expecting it around March 2022? That's obviously an extremely long wait, we originally applied on February 26th, 2021, so over a year just to get the work permit, but I'd rather know sooner than later if that is the expectation. My wife is itching to work and be more productive with her days, being idle at home is killing her

 

[canadageorge]

A decent legal firm usually files at least 6 sponsorship application per year. I know not all applications are created equal but you lawyer should know the answer to this question. It's more than a reasonable question to ask. I don't know if the spousal sponsorship work permit is treated differently (Sam Westchester would know the answer to this question) but look here: "

Work Permit – from INSIDE Canada (initial & extension application

87 days

 

[kming]

I believe that my lawyer is reluctant to give a real depiction of a timeline due to that fact that we’re already down this path and doesn’t want to give potentially false information that she can held to. I only get answers like “soon” or “in short order” but not an actual timeline.

thank you for sending the processing time, this is what I’ve seen on the government website as well, approximately 3 months. But we applied over 7 months ago, unless maybe they don’t start processing the work permit until they’ve started processing the PR Application? It just seemed strange to me that we’ve had news back on the PR application but not the work permit application. Even when checking the online tool I can see the PR Application is “in process” but it does not even show that there is a work permit application, let alone if it’s being processed.

Thank you again for getting back to me, and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[canadageorge]

I would not stop pushing for answers. If your lawyer filed the application, ask for a copy and call IRCC yourself. If your lawyer had a heart he/she would just reframe the answer to something like "well not all applications are created equal, but the last work permit we filed took ______". I am sorry I don't buy " want to give potentially false information". The other thing you can do is post your question on Canada Visa's forum. They are a lot bigger than Immigroup's forum. Just make sure you post it in the right section.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[kming]

Thank you I will try posting on Canada Visa's forum as well. I actually do have the application and tried calling the IRCC but due to the situation in Afghanistan, if your application isn't considered what they deem a priority, then they will not speak to you. You can't even be directed to an IRCC agent the last few times I tried. I could push for more answers from the lawyer but every time I contact them there's a bill associated with it (which is hard to afford on one income), so I don't want to continue doing that and not receive viable information. We can't be the only ones in this situation though, I'll reach out to Canada Visa's forum and see if they have more insight.

Thanks again for you help