Hello and thank you so much for all the help this forum has provided.
I am in Canada on an IEC Work Permit that expires very soon (in just over a month). I have received an ITA but don't yet have all my documents in order to make my PR and Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) applications.
I want to make sure I have valid status in Canada at all times.
My plan was to apply to convert my work permit into a visitor visa (I must do this 30 days before my work permit expires, which is in 2 days time), to give me a backstop of status in the event that I can't get my PR and BOWP applications in before my current status expires. (I hope to get those applications in as soon as possible, but postage, holiday season and COVID have things going very slowly).
However an immigration lawyer I spoke with suggested I shouldn't submit a visitor visa application, as the visitor application will "break the chain" and stop me getting the benefit of implied status under the BOWP. They stated this was not a situation they had advised on previously, so I wanted to see if there was any wisdom in this group to confirm/deny?
A different lawyer I spoke to said they didn't see an issue with it, but they also didn't seem to have any direct experience.
Thank you!
I am in Canada on an IEC Work Permit that expires very soon (in just over a month). I have received an ITA but don't yet have all my documents in order to make my PR and Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) applications.
I want to make sure I have valid status in Canada at all times.
My plan was to apply to convert my work permit into a visitor visa (I must do this 30 days before my work permit expires, which is in 2 days time), to give me a backstop of status in the event that I can't get my PR and BOWP applications in before my current status expires. (I hope to get those applications in as soon as possible, but postage, holiday season and COVID have things going very slowly).
However an immigration lawyer I spoke with suggested I shouldn't submit a visitor visa application, as the visitor application will "break the chain" and stop me getting the benefit of implied status under the BOWP. They stated this was not a situation they had advised on previously, so I wanted to see if there was any wisdom in this group to confirm/deny?
A different lawyer I spoke to said they didn't see an issue with it, but they also didn't seem to have any direct experience.
Thank you!