I created a thread for this already, but I am also posting it here so the appropriate people read this..
I don't know what to do. We sent our inland application for sponsorship with the open work permit included back in September. It was intended for the OWP pilot project. It was received by CIC on Sept 11, and started processing on Dec 12. We completed both the permanent residency application and the open work permit application according to the checklists provided on the CIC website. Everything on the checklist was included.
We received a package in the mail today. We were very excited, expecting it to be the work permit we've been waiting for. Instead, it was the open work permit portion of our application, returned with a letter saying it was not processed because it was incomplete. We're supposed to fill out a new form that I have never seen before and isn't listed on the application checklist - IMM5710: Application to Change Conditions, Extend My Stay, Or Remain in Canada as a Worker. This form is not listed in the checklists for either the Inland spousal sponsorship application or the open work permit application, and it's not listed on the pilot program page either. I don't know how we could have known this was a necessary piece of our application. Even the application we were returned doesn't have this form on their checklist!
I'm terrified. All this time, I was under the impression that my husband would be granted Implied Status as long as the application was in process, and that as long as we mailed our application before his visitor visa expired, we'd be fine. Members of this forum advised me as much. We even called CIC to confirm this. We were so careful to make sure that we included everything so this didn't happen. Now, we don't know where to turn.
He arrived in Canada in May 2015 on a 6-month visitor permit that expired a month after we sent our application away. Does this mean my husband is now out of status and not eligible for the open work permit? Does this mean the application to extend his stay will be rejected because he's now out of status? Will my husband be forced to leave Canada, making our sponsorship application null? What do we do? Has anyone else come across this problem before?
If you successfully applied for the open work permit and did not have this problem, where did you find the information that told you this IMM5710 form was needed for this pilot program? I can't find it anywhere but on the specific page it's listed.
I'm really panicking here. Please help.
