Snowy560

Thanks for giving your comments. You make good points and it's good to discuss these things! I am always the anxious type and as you can see I've focused on the negatives!

Do you think it is fair to say though that most on this forum would go for the outland route?

S

SchnookoLoly

Yes. About 99% go outland because the processing is just that much faster. Inland did become much more of a sensible/valid option once the OWP pilot was announced in December; previous to that it made next to zero sense for someone from a visa-exempt country to go down the inland route as it basically land-locks you to Canada for the whole processing time. But with the OWP in hand it changes the game quite a bit so more people are choosing to go down that route. (Which in turn is making inland applications take longer, which is making everyone bitch about the long processing times, but that's another discussion!)

It's not so much focusing on the negatives, but it is important to ensure that you have the information correct as some of what you posted wasn't right. But it happens, it's complicated to understand and ensure you've got all your Ts crossed and your Is dotted!

stevethedog

Thanks once again

Just to be sure I'm filling out the right form...

I posted this earlier in the thread but I think now I was on the wrong track anyway.

Am I now right in thinking that this is what I want.

Application to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada as a Worker

For question 3 it asks

I am applying for one or more of the following:

*A work permit with the same employer
*Restoration of your status as a worker
*An Initial work permit or a work permit with a new employer.

I assume it's the restoration of your status as a worker, is that right?

I just wish it said PILOT OPEN WORK PERMIT somewhere obvious rather than APPLICATION TO CHANGE CONDITIONS, EXTEND MY STAY OR REMAIN IN CANADA AS A WORKER.

Well, really, I'd rather it just said STEVETHEDOG FILL OUT THIS FORM PLEASE!

Oh, and am I right in thinking that I can hold off on my medical and police checks (have to get from UK, NZ & Oz so bit of a pain in the arse and time consuming) until they are requested. Would like to get my app in soon to make sure of OWP.

I know I've said it every post but my gf an I really appreciate all the support that you guys give on here. It's such a stressful process.

stevethedog

Was hoping to send in my application without police checks and medicals until requested but looking through the document checklist for the OWP it seems I need to submit police certificates.

No getting out of this huh? Have to get them from Oz, UK and NZ

Completely understand why they are important but I did just do them last year in order to get my IEC and it's a pain in the arse.

EDIT - I'm an idiot. I was reading the document checklist for the PR application. Crazy how easy it is to make simple mistakes when you're stressing out.

I see on the FAQ here that it says that you do need to include police checks with the application but I take it that's only for the outland application as looking at Visa Canada's inland spreadsheet they have, like the medical, the field for whether or no you included police checks with application.

SchnookoLoly

If it's on the checklist then you have to include it. Simples.

christmasoompa

Just checking, but you're aware that you have to apply for PR and the OWP at the same time? You can't just apply for the OWP and then follow it up with a PR app. So you'll need the police certs anyway.............

christmasoompa

Be very, very careful about relying on info on Canada Visa. Bear in mind that the majority of people on that forum aren't from the UK so will have different requirements/processing times to you.

Looking at a spreadsheet on a forum isn't the way to determine if you should include something with your application or not anyway, for that you need the document checklist, and that states very clearly that you should include police certs. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kit...s/IMM5443E.pdf You should be able to reuse your police certs for your new app though if you got them for your IEC.

HTH.

stevethedog

Yip, aware I need to put in PR and OWP application at the same time.

Was definitely hoping that I could get my application without my police checks and as per CanadaVisa advice - make a note that I will send them in when they arrive. They mention that this is commonly done with American police checks as they are slow to process.

But you're right, I should make sure that I get it in correctly and as I have 6 months there's still a little bit of wiggle room for my OWP.

I had a lot of hassle getting my police checks for my IEC, which are now surely expired as they were issued around February 2014.

The most time consuming one was for the UK but I'm delighted to see that they have now allow online applicaitons which should speed it up no end. Last year while in NZ I had to sign the forms, send them to a friend in one of the specified jobs, get him to send it to the police to send back to him and then him to send it back to NZ.

I realise that this isn't the place to ask about NZ police checks but I had a stressful time getting my IEC as it was rejected on the first attempt as I didn't provide my NZ police check.

The site clearly said that I could use the •Completed Consent to Disclosure of Information (NZ) form (PDF, 402.93 KB or the ministry of justice from (police check through NZ). I used the completed consent to disclosure and it was denied.

I'm now pretty concerned to see that they are now only asking for the consent to disclosure of information form. While this is obviously significantly quicker I'm hesitant to see that I've to go down this path again. I do note that it mentions at the bottom that the ministry of justice cert is only suitable for IEC.

How to get a police certificate - New Zealand

If memory serves me right I can complete the Australian one online too and that didn't take too long to be sent to me in NZ.

Thanks again for the prompt advice team!

christmasoompa

Not necessarily. It's always worth checking the CIC website thoroughly, whether that's for a document checklist, or the rules regarding expiry dates for police certs, as it's just possible that you don't need to redo them - How to get a police certificate (police check)

UK police checks should only ever take about 2 weeks max, and you can pay extra for a 2 day service?

stevethedog

Sadly there is this on the CIC guide.

The UK police check only took 2 weeks or so to process but it was getting verified by someone I'd known for over a year (or whatever it is) and the postage that made it a long process. I had to fill it out and sign while in NZ to send to police officer friend in UK who sent it in for me, then back to me. Online now means I can put his details down as my verification and they can contact him rather than getting him to sign off on my docs and pictures.

It also means I don't have to buy additional pictures!

christmasoompa

Which CIC guide says that? It's out of date whichever one it is.

This is from the link above -

For the country you currently live in, the police certificate must be issued no more than six months before you apply.

For countries where you have lived for six months or more, the police certificate must be issued after the last time you lived in that country.

SchnookoLoly

OP, Oompa is correct re: timing of police checks - the guidance changed relatively recently for how old police checks need to be, and the 3 month thing is definitely no longer required, so whatever guide you are reading that in is certainly out of date.

stevethedog

The guide on the inland application.

Guide 5289 - Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class

I've been in Canada for 6 months now but fortunately it says that I don't have to get one for here, not sure why that is but I'm not complaining!

While it says there that it has to be issued after I stopped living in the country that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't expire as per the guide. I think that's making the instruction that you can't stop living in the country in March and use a police check from January.

christmasoompa

The guide also says "For specific and up-to-date information, please consult......(the link I gave you above)". So you can see that the info in the link above supersedes the guide, which is out of date.

If you look at Appendix A in the application pack for inland sponsorship (which is relevant to police certs only), that also states 6 months.

It also says 6 months in the guide (above the section you've quoted).

So, put simply, that little bit of the guide that says 3 months isn't correct, and all the other bits that say 6 months are correct!

HTH.

SchnookoLoly

You don't need to get one for Canada because CIC can conduct their own police checks on you themselves. You need to get the rest of the countries, though.