Implied status

[ACatto]

I have my application for sponsorship with OWP lodged, submitted dec 2020, but I am drawing to the end of my permitted 6 month visitor visa period. As a result I have applied for an extension.
I received a message today saying that my application status had changed. It currently reads
“We are processing your application. We will send you a message when there is an update or if we need more information from you.”
Does this mean that I now have implied status and don’t need to worry about my visitor visa lapsing, or is there another stage that the application process must reach before I am covered?
I made sure to apply for the extension more than a month before my visa ran out, but this whole waiting game is eating me up and leaving me an anxious mess.

 

[ACatto]

*bump*

 

[Underhill]

It all depends on who you talk to: IRCC? Yes, you have implied status *while you remain in Canada*. If you leave Canada and try to return that implied status means nothing at the border, and any time you spent in Canada with an expired visitor visa (but under implied status with IRCC) will count against you and you'll likely not be allowed to return.

This is the classic case of governmental bureaucracy - one part of a government not coordinating with another.

Moral of the story? If your visitor visa is expired and you have implied status through an OWP application, do not leave Canada.