Hi all,
My spouse recently graduated and received her diploma at the end of October 2019. She renewed her study permit last summer, and her renewed study permit is due to expire on March 30, 2020. After checking immigration law, we found out that her study permit would likely become invalid by the end of January, 90 days after the degree is granted. So, she decided to apply for a PGWP from within Canada, and the date the application was submitted and finalized was the last day of her study permit validity.
We took advantage of the new policy, where the window to apply for the PGWP was extended to 180 days after confirmation of graduation, from the original 90-day window about a year ago. There is also a new policy she falls under, where she will have to submit Biometrics for this application.
On the same day the PGWP application was sent and we paid the $340 fee, she received the Biometrics request letter, and she has until the end of February to get her Biometrics done.
However, her foreign passport expires in the next two to three months. If her PGWP is approved in that timeframe, she would have to renew her passport right away after waiting for IRCC to send her a letter in order to extend the PGWP. Or worse, the application could be refused because at that point in time the passport will already be expired. So, at the same time she was submitting her PGWP application, I helped her book an appointment to visit to the foreign consulate in Toronto, where she will get her passport renewed. The appointment is scheduled for February 19th. After this was booked and the application was sent, things got busy with household chores and other obligations which suddenly came up, and somehow, we forgot about the recommendation that we book the Biometrics appointment right away.
Today is the day I decided to look for a booking slot for the Biometrics appointment. However, just like it was with the passport renewal, most places where Biometrics can be done in Ontario are fully booked up for the next three weeks! This means that my wife will likely not be able to get her biometrics before the Request Letter expires. To further complicate matters, on the Request Letter, it says "You must use the same travel document (i.e. Foreign Passport; emphasis mine) throughout the application process, including when you go to a biometric collection service point to give your biometrics."
Our original plan was the following:
1) Apply for PGWP.
2) Renew the passport.
3) Before or after the passport renewal date, book a Biometrics appointment as required.
4) When the passport has been renewed, scan the new passport and upload the new document using the secure webform here: https://secure.cic.gc.ca/enquiries-renseignements/canada-case-cas-eng.aspx
5) The case will begin processing after the Biometrics are submitted.
I am confused about what we should do at this point in time. We could have tried booking an appointment before the passport renewal date, but that no longer looks possible. We can try booking an appointment after the renewal date but before the biometrics letter expires, but the staff at the Biometrics collection service point will likely say that the passport is not the same as the one in her application (I am assuming that her foreign passport number gets changed upon renewal). She can try uploading the new passport document using the secure webform, but her Request Letter will still expire.
What are my spouse's available options at this point? Should she be prepared to submit a restoration of status/visitor record application? Will we have to pay the fee again and/or resubmit the PGWP application altogether? Remember that her student permit expires at the end of March but has likely already become invalid.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
PolentaMax
My spouse recently graduated and received her diploma at the end of October 2019. She renewed her study permit last summer, and her renewed study permit is due to expire on March 30, 2020. After checking immigration law, we found out that her study permit would likely become invalid by the end of January, 90 days after the degree is granted. So, she decided to apply for a PGWP from within Canada, and the date the application was submitted and finalized was the last day of her study permit validity.
We took advantage of the new policy, where the window to apply for the PGWP was extended to 180 days after confirmation of graduation, from the original 90-day window about a year ago. There is also a new policy she falls under, where she will have to submit Biometrics for this application.
On the same day the PGWP application was sent and we paid the $340 fee, she received the Biometrics request letter, and she has until the end of February to get her Biometrics done.
However, her foreign passport expires in the next two to three months. If her PGWP is approved in that timeframe, she would have to renew her passport right away after waiting for IRCC to send her a letter in order to extend the PGWP. Or worse, the application could be refused because at that point in time the passport will already be expired. So, at the same time she was submitting her PGWP application, I helped her book an appointment to visit to the foreign consulate in Toronto, where she will get her passport renewed. The appointment is scheduled for February 19th. After this was booked and the application was sent, things got busy with household chores and other obligations which suddenly came up, and somehow, we forgot about the recommendation that we book the Biometrics appointment right away.
Today is the day I decided to look for a booking slot for the Biometrics appointment. However, just like it was with the passport renewal, most places where Biometrics can be done in Ontario are fully booked up for the next three weeks! This means that my wife will likely not be able to get her biometrics before the Request Letter expires. To further complicate matters, on the Request Letter, it says "You must use the same travel document (i.e. Foreign Passport; emphasis mine) throughout the application process, including when you go to a biometric collection service point to give your biometrics."
Our original plan was the following:
1) Apply for PGWP.
2) Renew the passport.
3) Before or after the passport renewal date, book a Biometrics appointment as required.
4) When the passport has been renewed, scan the new passport and upload the new document using the secure webform here: https://secure.cic.gc.ca/enquiries-renseignements/canada-case-cas-eng.aspx
5) The case will begin processing after the Biometrics are submitted.
I am confused about what we should do at this point in time. We could have tried booking an appointment before the passport renewal date, but that no longer looks possible. We can try booking an appointment after the renewal date but before the biometrics letter expires, but the staff at the Biometrics collection service point will likely say that the passport is not the same as the one in her application (I am assuming that her foreign passport number gets changed upon renewal). She can try uploading the new passport document using the secure webform, but her Request Letter will still expire.
What are my spouse's available options at this point? Should she be prepared to submit a restoration of status/visitor record application? Will we have to pay the fee again and/or resubmit the PGWP application altogether? Remember that her student permit expires at the end of March but has likely already become invalid.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
PolentaMax
