Spouse Open Work permit

[Rainy_w]

Hi!

I have a question regarding SOWP for my spouse. I am currently in Canada and have a NOC level A job, it is a permanent one in government. My husband and I have been together for almost 6 years, but we only got married in April this year. Can I still apply for SOWP for him?

We only have pictures when we travelled together in the past 6 years, but we didn't have time for wedding and honeymoon yet. Should we postpone the SOWP application?

Will it be a lot easier if we own a property (house/condo) together in our home country? If yes, his family will transfer a property under our names.

Thank you in advance!

 

[fkl]

Hi!

I have a question regarding SOWP for my spouse. I am currently in Canada and have a NOC level A job, it is a permanent one in government. My husband and I have been together for almost 6 years, but we only got married in April this year. Can I still apply for SOWP for him?

We only have pictures when we travelled together in the past 6 years, but we didn't have time for wedding and honeymoon yet. Should we postpone the SOWP application?

Will it be a lot easier if we own a property (house/condo) together in our home country? If yes, his family will transfer a property under our names.

Thank you in advance!

I assume you yourself are also on a work permit (not a PR or citizen), so as long as you are married already or common law i.e. have been living together for 1 or 2 years (my memory is bit hazy about this, but it doesn't matter in your case since you have been living together longer), you are good to apply for SOWP.

Just provide paper evidence of marriage along with what you can provide as proof. Common law people provide proofs like bills on each person's name with common address, shared car / bank accounts / mortgages - any thing that proves you live together. Since your marriage is relatively recent on paper, adding some of these would help.

In terms of rules, there is no restriction of period of being married to apply for SOWP. You could get married and apply the next day. Just would need some more proofs to show legitimate relationship - that is all.

 

[jieu2969]

Dear all,

I am in Canada currently with Student permit.
My wife is working in Canada with OWP status.

Can she apply for a work permit ? Our concern is mainly, what happens after the OWP is expired.
By the time her OWP is expired I may have a Post grad work permit, however its not sure though.

Thanks for your response,....,

Regards

 

[Rainy_w]

I assume you yourself are also on a work permit (not a PR or citizen), so as long as you are married already or common law i.e. have been living together for 1 or 2 years (my memory is bit hazy about this, but it doesn't matter in your case since you have been living together longer), you are good to apply for SOWP.

Just provide paper evidence of marriage along with what you can provide as proof. Common law people provide proofs like bills on each person's name with common address, shared car / bank accounts / mortgages - any thing that proves you live together. Since your marriage is relatively recent on paper, adding some of these would help.

In terms of rules, there is no restriction of period of being married to apply for SOWP. You could get married and apply the next day. Just would need some more proofs to show legitimate relationship - that is all.

Thank you fkl! Your response is really helpful

Yes, I am with a post-graduate work permit and valid until June 2016. Just a bit of clarification, by "together" I meant to be in a relationship, but unfortunetly we are not living together.. I have been in Canada by myself for almost 3 years. But I flew back to see him 3-4 times every year. But since I started working full-time, I don't have the time to visit him that often anymore..

In this case, should we also submit my flight tickets? We don't have shared utility bills or bank accounts etc. And since we are using Skype to call each other, we don't even have phone history

Just another quick question.. Is he a dependant of me? How much fund do I need to have in my bank account? He has approx. 40,000 CAD in his fixed deposit account (for more than 2 years), is that enough?

Thank you again for your help!!!

 

[fkl]

Dear all,

I am in Canada currently with Student permit.
My wife is working in Canada with OWP status.

Can she apply for a work permit ? Our concern is mainly, what happens after the OWP is expired.
By the time her OWP is expired I may have a Post grad work permit, however its not sure though.

Thanks for your response,....,

Regards

She can apply for a standard work permit that requires employer to get an LMO first. Or if your study permit is still valid she can apply for an extension of SOWP.

Once you get a PGWP you also need to be employed with a skilled job NOC 0, A or B - Only then your spouse can again apply for a SOWP.

You cannot get a SOWP while you have a PGWP, but not a skilled job.

 

[fkl]

Thank you fkl! Your response is really helpful

Yes, I am with a post-graduate work permit and valid until June 2016. Just a bit of clarification, by "together" I meant to be in a relationship, but unfortunetly we are not living together.. I have been in Canada by myself for almost 3 years. But I flew back to see him 3-4 times every year. But since I started working full-time, I don't have the time to visit him that often anymore..

In this case, should we also submit my flight tickets? We don't have shared utility bills or bank accounts etc. And since we are using Skype to call each other, we don't even have phone history

Just another quick question.. Is he a dependant of me? How much fund do I need to have in my bank account? He has approx. 40,000 CAD in his fixed deposit account (for more than 2 years), is that enough?

Thank you again for your help!!!

You are most welcome.


That does make it some what more complex. But you are legally married now - so that helps. Yes flight tickets, even skype logs could be useful if don't have much other stuff.

Being dependent or not is a bit subjective. If you are working in NOC A with PGWP and a salary good enough to support a couple by CIC standards, you won't NEED to show any funds - just your job offer, pay stubs / t4 like things. Still his educational back ground, past job experiences (attach letters if he has those) and available funds should be helpful at least and it might be positive if your account in Canada shows some savings. 40K CAD by any standards is quite a lot of money. This kind of figures are only needed when you are going as a student with husband and need to show funds for your fee + living (both people)

 

[jieu2969]

She can apply for a standard work permit that requires employer to get an LMO first. Or if your study permit is still valid she can apply for an extension of SOWP.

Once you get a PGWP you also need to be employed with a skilled job NOC 0, A or B - Only then your spouse can again apply for a SOWP.

You cannot get a SOWP while you have a PGWP, but not a skilled job.

Thanks fkl,

My Study permit is till April 2015, and her OWP is valid till April2015 as well. Hence there is no extension applicable, Is my understanding correct ?
Secondly, LMO have to come from the current employer only or can it be from a future employer as well ?

regards

 

[Rainy_w]

You are most welcome.


That does make it some what more complex. But you are legally married now - so that helps. Yes flight tickets, even skype logs could be useful if don't have much other stuff.

Being dependent or not is a bit subjective. If you are working in NOC A with PGWP and a salary good enough to support a couple by CIC standards, you won't NEED to show any funds - just your job offer, pay stubs / t4 like things. Still his educational back ground, past job experiences (attach letters if he has those) and available funds should be helpful at least and it might be positive if your account in Canada shows some savings. 40K CAD by any standards is quite a lot of money. This kind of figures are only needed when you are going as a student with husband and need to show funds for your fee + living (both people)

Thanks fkl, that was very helpful!!!

Yes! His 40K CAD was deposited for his studies, but his study permit was rejected in 2012, sadly.

My annual salary is approx. 62,000, but my parents are visiting me in Canada with non-super visa, and my bank account is a shared one with my mom.. I wonder if this is enough for him and for my parents, as coincindentally, I'm also preparing to apply for extension of my parents' stay in Canada. That's why I'm so confused, I don't know if I should extend their stay first (their status expires in July 16), or submit SOWP first. I still have approx. 11,000 deposit in my shared bank account with my mom.

Moreover, he does not have good work experience and educational background back at home. In this case, should I answer "yes, he is a dependant of a full-time worker blahblahblah" in the questionnaire on CIC's webiste? Which way would increase his chance of getting SOWP?

I really appreciate your help, I was so lost and everything's so complicated ???

 

[fkl]

Thanks fkl, that was very helpful!!!

Yes! His 40K CAD was deposited for his studies, but his study permit was rejected in 2012, sadly.

My annual salary is approx. 62,000, but my parents are visiting me in Canada with non-super visa, and my bank account is a shared one with my mom.. I wonder if this is enough for him and for my parents, as coincindentally, I'm also preparing to apply for extension of my parents' stay in Canada. That's why I'm so confused, I don't know if I should extend their stay first (their status expires in July 16), or submit SOWP first. I still have approx. 11,000 deposit in my shared bank account with my mom.

Moreover, he does not have good work experience and educational background back at home. In this case, should I answer "yes, he is a dependant of a full-time worker blahblahblah" in the questionnaire on CIC's webiste? Which way would increase his chance of getting SOWP?

I really appreciate your help, I was so lost and everything's so complicated ???

You situation might be some what complex because the circumstances are not that common.

Any way, i think that a) 62K annually is enough for a couple (average Canadian annual salary is 47 or 48k)

b) Applying for parents should be different i.e. extending their stay is still visit visa so as long you have enough funds for their stay, you should be good - generally speaking 10k CAD is enough for parents to stay for more than six months with you.

c) SOWP is different in the sense that it is clear that your spouse is going to live with you for as long as your permit is valid. So your capability to take care of both until at least he doesn't find a job (your income ) is the primary criteria for him (vs only enough funds for inviting parents).

Since july is close you should apply for your parents. I don't think that doing both at the same time has any relevance to each other.

Lastly, husband not being well educated or working well in home country is not very positive and could possibly result in refusal due to "weak ties to home country". Keep that in mind and try to add elements to his SOWP application which could show his "ties to home country".

 

[Rainy_w]

You situation might be some what complex because the circumstances are not that common.

Any way, i think that a) 62K annually is enough for a couple (average Canadian annual salary is 47 or 48k)

b) Applying for parents should be different i.e. extending their stay is still visit visa so as long you have enough funds for their stay, you should be good - generally speaking 10k CAD is enough for parents to stay for more than six months with you.

c) SOWP is different in the sense that it is clear that your spouse is going to live with you for as long as your permit is valid. So your capability to take care of both until at least he doesn't find a job (your income ) is the primary criteria for him (vs only enough funds for inviting parents).

Since july is close you should apply for your parents. I don't think that doing both at the same time has any relevance to each other.

Lastly, husband not being well educated or working well in home country is not very positive and could possibly result in refusal due to "weak ties to home country". Keep that in mind and try to add elements to his SOWP application which could show his "ties to home country".

Thank you again fkl

I am just a bit confused, I read some posts on this forum, and seems like SOWP's main focus is on the other spouse's job in Canada. If the one outside Canada does not have a job, is it going to make the application look really bad? He has a college degree, and he is a video editor, but his salary is paid by cash, and without any pay slips or any tax forms.. In this case, can we submit a letter of employment along with his fixed deposit, as well as his college transcripts and degree? One of the major reasons why his study permit was rejected in 2012 was because of his lack of intention leaving Canada after the program. What other supporting materials you might suggest?

Another thing is that we will be apply for our CEC immigration this summer. Will it look better if we submit that first and honestly tell the officer that we have submitted an application to immigrate? Is that going to be "dual-intent" and stronger the application? Or will it just complicate the problem?

 

[jobin007ae]

Hi all, I have submitted my application online on May 5th , 2014

is there anyone who applied in may

plz share ur current status and informations regarding this...

once my application has been refused,and I reapplied now.....still no there is no reply so I am very much tensed....

guys plz....share urs

 

[Rajan Grover]

Hi all, I have submitted my application online on May 5th , 2014

is there anyone who applied in may

plz share ur current status and informations regarding this...

once my application has been refused,and I reapplied now.....still no there is no reply so I am very much tensed....

guys plz....share urs

This time..did u use the lawyer to file the application,..

Or you have applied by your own.

and it was the paper application or online.

Rajan

 

[ljiljka007]

Hi all, I have submitted my application online on May 5th , 2014

is there anyone who applied in may

plz share ur current status and informations regarding this...

once my application has been refused,and I reapplied now.....still no there is no reply so I am very much tensed....

guys plz....share urs

Why was it refused first time?

 

[Viky]

You need to ensure they got your first medicals. Getting record numbers from where ever you gotten it done and forwarding to CIC is your job. It often happens that people with medicals done already do get these requests. This is a common mistake. Try to convey the information. In very rare cases you might have some issue with medicals and might be asked for another one. But chances of this are far less compared to simply they not having the records.

Thanks for the suggestion, I spoke to the hospital personnel to get it confirmed, mailed CIC with the reference number provided by hospital and also sent a copy through VFS.

 

[Sun88]

Hi All..my husband and i applied for student permit and SOWP respectively..below are the timelines..

Applied : 01/05/2014
Request for medical :06/05/2014
Medical Submitted :09/05/2014
PP stamped and received :26/05/2014

We applied through VFS Bangalore and it got processed in New Delhi..

Hope the timelines will give idea to the people who are waiting for the visas...