BOWP Issuance / Travel Question
 

Ultimately trying to gauge how a particular bit of language regarding a decision is interpreted, I guess. I have an active PNP/PR app which was acknowledged on the 20-somethingth of January, and I applied for a BOWP that same evening which I gather is taking 2-3 months to process at the moment. I'm planning to head over to Portugal to visit family for around a month at the end of March - tickets bought part as insurance policy in case the PR biz went nowhere! - leaving the country three days before my current work permit expires (I'm here on an IEC visa right now) and then returning at the same point in April. I hope the BOWP is issued by the time I leave but there's definitely a reasonable chance it won't be.

From a time perspective I'm not overly concerned - no implied status after I've left I get, but I'll be away for a month and conceptually if I had to sit around for a couple of weeks on a visitor visa after getting back that'd be no great problem (at least from my point of view, as it'd be a nice excuse to go do some exploring locally and/or do something interesting with the garden which I never seem to have the time for). What is, on thinking about it, more concerning is that of course if you read the instructions regarding BOWPs, to be eligible you must be in Canada. I am of course now, but may not be on the day they decide to issue it.

Questions, therefore:

- Is the holiday likely to be an obstacle to the work permit being issued? That is, are CIC more interested in where I am at the point of application, or of the permit being issued? (Or, both?)
- Presuming that it is issued while I'm away, am I likely to face problems on return? I guess along the lines of, CBSA in Toronto thinking, 'alright, you look particularly smug and self-satisfied getting off the one flight a week from Faro, what's going on with this thing then...'
- If the worst happens and it still hasn't been finished up by the end of April, is there particularly a problem with my going away, coming back and then sitting around on a visitor visa attacking a big pile of dead mint plants with a weedwhacker etc while waiting for it to show up?

I am a bit naturally inclined to assume noone will be too bothered in that I had one of those semi-mythical IEC activation sessions where you plop down a binder full of all the carefully-collected paperwork, evidence of this, that and the other and the officer just smirks at you, says 'oh, you look like you've prepared' and starts writing everything up without so much as glancing at anything past the bit that says 'invitation' (must have been shift change time...) but better to think about it now...

Re: BOWP Issuance / Travel Question
 

The BOWP will be sent to your home address in Canada so would there be anyone there to receive it if you are away?
CBSA in Toronto would be able to see if the BOWP has been issued or is still in process providing the officer carefully checks GCMS which they do not normally have access to at the Primary Inspection Line so would likely result in a trip to the Secondary Examination area. If issued then shouldn't be a problem. If not issued and still in process then be prepared to explain the situation in a calm manner.

Re: BOWP Issuance / Travel Question
 

Ok, cheers, that makes sense. I assumed there'd be a sit down and chat involved in any case so booked a long layover! Boss will be keeping an eye on the house while I'm away and will presumably want a copy of the thing anyway so no issues getting it picked up if need be.