OWP - How soon can it happen?

[cephalocereus7]

Hi everyone:

here is my situation I worked 4 years in Canada as a temporary worker (postdoctoral fellow). I never applied for PR.
2 companies are interested in hiring me but do not want to go through the Labour Market Opinion hassle. They can however wait a few months for me to sort out my situation.

I was wondering, if I get sponsored by my girlfriend, how long does it take to get an open work permit (an OWP would solve the problem)?
Is it delivered after assessment of my girlfriend (the sponsor)? or later? On average how long does it take to get it, for those of you who did it?

Thank a lot in advance! 

C.

[scylla]

If you apply inland, you can get an OWP after approval in principle. This will take 11-12 months from the time you apply.

If you apply outland, you don't qualify for an OWP. You will qualify to work once your file has been approved and you have landed in Canada as a PR.

Hope this helps.

[cephalocereus7]

Hi Scylla,

Thank you very much for your answer - useful. I can apply inland. But 11-12 months - ouch - I might as well apply for experience class, might be faster 

Thanks again!

[scylla]

Actually, I believe Canadian Experience Class processing times are now at 15 months. So you'd have quite a wait there too.

What country are you from? There's a good chance that your fastest option would be to apply for spousal sponsorship via the outland route (and yes - you can do that from Canada).

[cephalocereus7]

Really? I am outdated last time I heard of CEC it was 8 months.

I am a French Citizen, is it really possible to apply as outlander and still live in Canada? I will look into this, processing might be faster from what I read.

Thank you for your help!

[scylla]

Yep - just checked. CEC is now 15 months. See:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-ec.asp

If you're French, you should definitely apply outland. The Paris office has short processing times for spousal applications and you could be completely done in just a few months. Many of us here have applied outland while the person being sponsored has been in Canada. It's no problem to do this and perfectly acceptable from CIC's standpoint.