greenside said:
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.