Question about inland sponsorship

[Romeo]

We just filed a spousal INLAND sponsorship. I am a Canadian citizen, wife is currently on a visitor visa that expires in 3 months. Given that the sponsorship could take over a year, does this mean she has to extend her visitor visa every 6 months? Will they accept the reason that she has applied for sponsorship again and again?? Isn't that ridiculous? I thought once you send in the family sponsorship application, that she would have implied status until a decision is made. Is this not correct?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Romeo]

Also in the instruction guide it states the following on page 3.

"Spouses and common‑law partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Canada who wish to apply for permanent resident status are no longer required to have legal immigration status provided that they have an eligible sponsor."

Doesn't this mean that she does not need to keep extending her visitor visa?????????? Or have I misinterpreted this?

 

[aiho]

hi, i just extended my visitor visa. i know it is very troublesome that every 6 months have to extend the visa. that is much safer and just pay 100 dollars. so you don't need to worry about out of status.

 

[screech339]

You still need to extend your visitor visa, despite you submitting application. Your status need to be legal during the entire time of your stay in Canada. At least until you get 1st stage (AIP). When you apply for extension, ask for 12 month extension. We asked for 12 months extension and we were granted 12 months.

Once you get past 1st stage, you can apply for OWP.

Screech339

 

[Ponga]

There has been much debate over this very topic.

While it is true, that an Inland applicant does not need to maintain legal status to APPLY, they DO need legal status to ensure that they are not removed by CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) before their application is approved. You provided only a portion of what is stated on CIC's website. The next sentence says something like "However, there is no guarantee that they will be allowed to remain in Canada..." It seems like a rather cruel `twist'...stating that a person without status can apply, but not offering that same person any guarantee of not being deported, while they wait...and wait...and wait for their PR decision.

Prior to Jan 17, 2014 a person could submit an Open Work Permit (OWP) with their Inland application and have implied status (provided that they had legal status) that would `cover' them throughout the PR application process. Now that Inland applications are being processed in Mississauga, while OWP applications are still being processed in Vegreville...this has caused quite a number of posts here, questioning how, if at all, this affects implied status.

Have the rules changed? Can an Inland applicant no longer submit an OWP with their Inland Spousal Sponsorship application and be under implied status? NOTHING has been posted to the CIC website to corroborate this `theory' that has been tossed around in these threads. Even calling CIC seems to yield different answers from the phone support. Some say yes, while some say no.

It really shouldn't be this cryptic and since, again, nothing has been posted on their website...it should be business as usual.