r/ImmigrationCanada

Things I am facing with my current life in Canada, I want advise and guidance.

To start with, I understand my writing is straightforward. I lived in the UAE my entire life growing up after the war in Iraq. My family and I were hunted by "bad" people, simple as it gets. Due to this, my entire family and I are protected people by the UN, not referred to any one place, but just that the UN and its assigners know that my family and I are people who require protection. I had no knowledge of this until later in life, once I landed in Canada, at which point they took my passport to confirm my identity. To add and come back to this later, I applied to Canada as a student for aviation. Right now, I have my CPL, PPL, Night Rating, Aerobatic, and Floats Rating, and I am working on my Multi IFR and Mountain Rating soon.

So, knowing some of these things, I'd like to add a few things that happened the past 4 years while I have been in Canada. My mother passed away. I couldn't visit her; my visa from the UAE was denied. I couldn't go to my mother's, and I couldn't grieve as any person can or should. I don't blame myself for this, and I am not in any way sad; I am just disappointed I couldn't. I know my mother wouldn't hold it against me, she taught me well. My father became the lead of maritime military training, my brother started college, and my sister is doing well in school.

My family applied for PR from the UAE, not as refugees but by profession, through an organization that is legitimately authorized by the UN and has no sketchy backgrounds. Case in point regarding them, they're fine; they did everything right. My parents at the time did their interview, and the IRCC agent said, "Where's your son, since you're a unit of 5?" My father said he's already in Canada, at which point I started working on my CPL. The agent in Abu Dhabi did mention that adding me to their PR file would only serve to protect me from any issues in the future.

This was closer to 2 years ago, 2 years after my parents applied for the PR, making it a total of 4 years.

I applied for a PGWP in September. Until now, almost a year later, I have received no response. When I called the local MP, he personally cleared his day to help me and told me his IRCC line said my PGWP requires work. Now, what this work is, I never got a clear answer. There are logs on my phone waiting on IRCC lines for countless hours, well over 1,000 hours waiting for a response the entire time. Only one call got through. The lady was nice and did try to help me, but she could not give me any answer or promise on the PR application because I'm not the main applicant; I'm just a dependent. She did clarify my PGWP isn't a refugee application; it's a student application, so I had to pay roughly $501.75 for it. I did so right away without delays, uploaded it, and they accepted it. Ever since, nothing.

In the meantime, I've paid for my education through my father's help. Thankfully, I never got a loan. I am extremely grateful for the situation I am in, but I've attempted a lot.

I contacted 3 different lawyers with no proper aid or ability to give me clarity. I even contacted the refugee clinics thinking they could help me, but since my case isn't a refugee case, they turned me away, and a lawyer isn't willing to help or at least clarify what I am able to do.

In the past 2 years, I've had 2 emergency visits: my appendix and shards of iron that fell into my eye, both of which I paid for out of pocket. The person I spoke to regarding my Medicare, I had to tell her 5 times that I am not a willing donor, and she, and only she, was working on my file. I'm not going to name her, but she kept a tab on my Medicare file for this entire time and would ask for papers that the school has. Even the school got involved and sent the papers through their own contact to Medicare, and I never received it. I paid exactly $6,876.89 CAD in medical bills.

Every time I submitted the exact papers she asked for, she came back and said no, that's not the paper she asked for. I talked to the school about it, and they sent the papers on my behalf, and even then, she said those aren't the papers she wanted. No matter how much I talk to phone agent support, they say, "We'll redirect you to her because she's 'handling' your file." Now, I do not know how this all ties to me saying I don't want to fucking give my kidney, heart, or brain; God knows best.

The past year has been harder for me. I used to be able to work. I used to work every day for at least 8 hours, go to school right after, fly at night, get 8 hours of sleep, and go to the gym. When a new law was introduced regarding students not working over 20 hours a week, the job I worked at basically cut all of my hours away from me due to my limit, forcing me to leave.

I had to go ask a credit counselor to help me figure out the rest of my bills, and basically, no clinic, support system, medical system, or credit system is willing to help me because I am not a refugee or a Canadian resident; I am only an ongoing status person. So, I deserve no help, no regard, and no ability to work on my life and at least keep up with it until I get a response regarding my papers.

I've applied for an ATIP request regarding this entire matter, and I haven't gotten a response back yet. I've contacted IRCC about it through a webform, and I get blank responses saying, "Apply on our website for your refugee paper." I'm not a fucking refugee; I am a student who paid for his entire expenses. No matter how much tax I've paid or how much I've contributed, I'm still not even getting the basic right to go to a dentist's office. I've called so many offices, and because I don't have insurance or Medicare, I get pushed months back. This one office I applied to in order to check on a tooth that has hurt me kept pushing my appointment month after month after month, until I had to go to the emergency room. My tooth was cracked from the inside from a football accident. It had to be removed in an emergency when it could have been fixed in time.

I don't understand. I left my home to study, not to worry about these matters. I've been pushed to a limit I cannot understand the purpose of. I can't fly back to Iraq at the risk of my life. I can't go back to my father because my visa was denied. I am literally stuck in Canada, and no clinic, office, Parliament member, or IRCC agent knows a way to help me or guide me. I've been on my toes regarding so many things, and over it all, I am grateful. My instructors have all told me one thing in common: I have good promise, I know how to fly, I know how to do things right, I study beyond what is required, and I do my best. I really do.

But this system doesn't reward me in any way besides the courtesy that I live here. I am not joking when I say this: during the call I had with the IRCC agent, the one response I got was, "On paper, you're a protected person; you being in Canada is your protection," so I get no paper, no help, nothing.

I still haven't processed my family's tragedy because I don't have the time or ability to do so. I apologize if my writing has confused you in its organization, but I am trying to make it as easy as possible for anyone else to read because I know I am alone in this matter here. I have not met anyone who can help me or who can offer guidance, as no one has been here. The local Parliament member and the IRCC helpline have both said the same thing: your case is something we've never seen before.

I want to work, I want to get another car after a lady crashed into mine, I want to live in security, and I want to be a good thing, but I cannot. Two of the people I knew (and I'm not hating, to be clear) they're both Indian, they left Canada, got their files completely ended (which means you need to apply all over again to get into Canada), they left, applied, came back, and finished their training all in the same time it took for me to finally get a response call from IRCC. I am unsure.

I just want to clarify two things truly: I am not sad, and I am not depressed in any way. I am annoyed, and I am bothered that I cannot see a way out. I'll keep trying.

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u/ysfi__ — 10 hours ago

Spousal Sponsorship PR - I forgot to add my spouse under my credit card as authorized user

Hello,

So I am the sponsor and is almost ready to submit our applicaiotn but I was thinking to add the proof that I added my spouse as authorized user to my credit card just a week ago but then to obtain the bank statement as proof, we would need to wait 1 month so i can get that.

The reason why I havent thought of adding my spouse is because i honestly forgot about it since I mainly send international money transfer to my spouse. We have this as proof as well.

Should try to include inlcude the authorized user as proof of our relationship and write an explanation? or what is the smartest thing to do?

thanks so much

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u/izuixjx — 15 hours ago

I forgot to do the two way, what do I do?

I mailed my passport to the LA address to get the visa after receiving the letter but stupidly didn’t choose the two-way service, so I’m now worried about how I’m going to get the passport back!
What can I do? The passport should arrive at the VAC tomorrow according to tracking.

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u/Some_Dyke5 — 15 hours ago

Got extended study permit but got denied entry. Steps on how to apply for a temporary visa from outside of Canada?

Posting on behalf of a friend.

She is from India, Pune has finished her bachelors in UBC and had an extended student permit to continue furthering her studies. She left Canada in April due to a medical issue and was supposed to be back this week, however she was denied entry at the border due to her extended student permit is not equal to a canadian visa. She needs help now on how to apply for a temporary visa from the outside.

To my knowledge she should just apply to immigration from India right? Is this a very particular difficult case due to her being Indian and be granted a multiple entry visa or should be easy considering she has a student permit already?

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u/justanotheeredditor — 1 day ago

Outland spouse PR address change?

We have an Outland PR application pending, originally filed beginning of January, from the USA. Biometrics and medical done in April. Last info we could see is background check in process as of a month or two ago. So we expect PPR next.

We are moving to Canada next month and my understanding is that we will update our address with IRCC once we arrive. Since we may be very close to PPR, will the change of address cause any delay in the whole process or the issuing of the PPR?

And will the border guard care about this situation? USA spouse will cross on visitor visa. Canadian citizen spouse will be declaring all the household goods.

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u/ClassicNebula1081 — 19 hours ago

Question about impact of marriage on my partner's PR

I'm a Canadian citizen looking for some insight regarding my partner's active PR application. We were hoping to get married sometime this year, but we want to better understand how marriage would impact her PR processing times and her work permit options.

Here's her situation:

  • Citizenship/Background: Non-visa-exempt country (Bangladesh born in the UAE).
  • Education: Completed a Master's degree in Ontario (graduated early 2024).
  • Current Employment: Employed at a Canadian Crown corporation on a contract expiring in late 2026.
  • PR Application Stream: OINP Masters Graduate Stream (Non-Express Entry).
  • PR Timeline: Applied to IRCC in July 2025.
  • Current Application Status: Pending. In May 2026, she was notified that her file was transferred to RROC as her Primary Visa Office (PVO). Her Secondary Visa Office (SVO) is CPC Sydney. IRCC’s current estimated completion window is between October 2026 and February 2027.
  • Work Status: Currently holding a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) expiring in April 2027.

We are concerned about how much the marriage would disrupt her application and/or status, since I know that it would require updating her marital status in her current application. We are weighing three potential paths:

  1. Marry this year and update the existing OINP PR application: We would notify IRCC of the marital status change and add me as a spouse. We expect this will cause a delay, but does anyone have a rough idea of how long RROC takes to process a marital status update for a non-EE application?
  2. Marry this year and submit a brand new Inland Spousal Sponsorship: Can she keep her current OINP application active while we submit a separate Spousal Sponsorship application to see which one processes faster? If not, and we are forced to withdraw the OINP stream, is Inland Spousal Sponsorship typically faster than waiting out an RROC-backlogged OINP application?
  3. Wait to marry until PR is finalized: Postpone the marriage until her PR is fully approved to avoid any changes to her current file. While this is our "default" plan, I want to make sure whether it really is worth putting our lives on hold waiting for the PR.

Regarding her work status while waiting for a decision: Her PGWP expires in April 2027. We are planning for her to apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) before then if her PR isn't finalized yet. For a non-Express Entry Provincial Nominee stream, does the eligibility check (pass) on the PR application need to be completed before she can apply for/be approved for the BOWP, or is the Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) enough?

We would appreciate any insights, similar experiences, or advice on which path makes the most sense. Thank you!

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u/sleepycomputer — 16 hours ago

UK to Canada - Where to start??

Hi all - as is a lot of people in the UK at the moment, I am fed up and at breaking point and to put simply, I need out.

Me and my gf have debated looking into moving for years and have always used our connections to this place as a reason to stay but the UK has gone down the shitter in recent years and it’s beyond saving so it’s time we pull the trigger.

Ive heard incredible things about Canada and from what I remember from a short stint as a child, it was beautiful BUT I am very much at stage one of the process so please speak to me like I’m a child.

Where do I start? Where should I look into? (Calgary seems to be a good option (?) ) What do i need to have?

It would be myself, my gf and our 4 year old (or 5 depending when it becomes feasible) moving. Obviously we want to ensure that our little one is secure and the move is done correctly so literally any suggestions are appreciated!!

For context, I am a lawyer and she is a SAHM so we are far from minted but not in an awful position and can save quickly if needs be.

Thank you 🙏

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u/dan_ccfc — 1 day ago

Travelling with Family When Landing

Hopefully coming up on the end of my PR (Spousal - Outland, Outside of Quebec) journey. Applied in November 2025 and just got PPR request on June 22nd.

I know that there is still a bit to go, but coming into the final steps I've been thinking about when I finally go for landing with COPR. The plan is to drive over the US border with my stuff, however I do not drive. My parents were going to drive me and everything to help me and my partner get set up (hopefully in our own place at that time) or at least just to bring everything over.

Just wondering if anyone has experience bringing all their stuff and having family (who are not moving with me and will be returning likely within a week or so of crossing!) coming over the border just to help with the move. I know it is always up to the discretion of the agents, but just wanted to know if anyone has done similar and had any issues or any insights.

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u/TortelliniEnBrodo — 20 hours ago

Entering Canada as a dial citizen to live with my partner

My partner is a Canadian citizen, I’m dual (PH/US citizen) currently living in the Philippines. So I guess the process is different since I can use my US passport but lives in the Philippines. We are planning to wed soon to finally start our lives together and close the distance between us. He’s visiting me soon and we’re thinking of getting married. After that, I will go with him to Canada. I live independently so my lease will also end while I stay there.. so I am conflicted whether I should pack up all my stuff to move or will I have to come back to the PH if the visitor visa expires.

I know inland processing takes longer. My partner is also conflicted because he’s found that outland processing is quicker. But I’m not quite sure how long I can hold up the long distance. We both really want to start our lives together.

How should we go from here?

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Need help and advice!

I need some honest advice regarding my Express Entry application.
This will be my second PR application. My first application was refused because of a missing document. At that time, I had applied without my spouse (non-accompanying).
For my current profile, I received an ITA with my spouse listed as non-accompanying. Initially, my spouse did not want to move to Canada and wasn't interested in taking the IELTS because they only have a high school education, so we didn't think it was worth it.
After receiving the ITA, I convinced my spouse to take the IELTS. They achieved the required scores, which would increase my CRS.
Here are my scores:
Received ITA with a CRS of 516 (spouse non-accompanying).

My CRS as a single applicant was 547.

If I now change my spouse's status to accompanying, my recalculated CRS would be 520, which is still above the cutoff for the draw in which I received my ITA.

My question is: Is it allowed to change my spouse's status from non-accompanying to accompanying after receiving the ITA if my recalculated CRS remains above the draw cutoff?
Has anyone done this successfully, or received guidance from IRCC? I really don't want to make another mistake, especially since this is my second application. I'd really appreciate honest advice from anyone with experience.

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Husband and Child are Dual Citizens - Unusual Border Crossing Encounter?

Before I jump in to our story, I realize that my question is very “first world problem” and not that serious. It’s just not what I expected at all, ha!

For context: I am a US citizen. My husband and child are dual US-Canadian citizens. They have passports for both countries.

We took a day trip to Québec, and we presented my US passport and their Canadian passports at the Glen Sutton border crossing. The agent questioned all of us like we were all non-citizens - what are you doing here, why did you decide to take a day trip, what stores are you going to visit, WHY again are you here, etc. I figured I’d get questioned as an American, but he was talking to my husband and daughter the same way, even though they’re Canadian.

Is this common at land border crossings? I’m sure the agent knew they were dual citizens based on their place of birth on their passports, but they didn’t present as dual to the agent, if that makes sense. Again, in the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal, but I was curious if we should expect this every time they enter Canada.

EDIT: typo

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u/FrizzIsIn — 2 days ago

Hi all. I’m a 24 year old male from Jordan. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Dentistry as well as a couple of years in clinical dentistry, both from the Jordan University of science and technology. I hold an 8.6 IELTS score. What are my options. It is a dream of mine to live in Canada

I heard a lot of things about the ways I could go about this and honestly I am a bit lost.

Edit: 8.5**

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u/mkabandeh — 1 day ago

Relocating from USA

Relocation

American here. The wife and I have been considering moving out of the US for several years now, but will likely wait until I retire from my current job within the next decade.

**A bit about my background and the wife’s to perhaps help:**

  1. I’ll be in my mid-40s at retirement
  2. Wife will be the same age but will continue to work as a nurse
  3. I’m very centered within the left/right of politics, however I believe both parties have absolutely failed the USA and our country is extremely divided. I won’t go into too many details about that, but I am pro universal healthcare and support a free education or at least reduced cost for post-HS.

**What I’ll be looking for:**

  1. Looking to stay somewhere between Windsor and Toronto due to wanting to stay close to Michigan (will remain dual citizen) and our kids will be adults soon and might choose to stay in Michigan. It sounds like this area snows less compared to much of Canada and the temps are similar to where I live in Michigan from what I’ve seen. We don’t want colder or more snow. We get over 160” of snow as it is with temps flowing around -10C for several months.

  2. More bang for our buck for a home in an area that isn’t too *expensive*. My retirement will pay decent, but not enough to just live lavishly - another reason my wife will continue to pursue nursing. It looks like atm the American dollar is superior (for now) so I believe my retirement income will stretch a little further, and I’ve also seen that gas is much cheaper in Canada. That’s refreshing.

**Questions**:

  1. How are the politics in Canada? Is it similar to the USA where half the country hates the other and show it daily? We are trying to get away from the daily turmoil of everyone against each other in every way just based on whose side they are on. I’m tired of “sides”, and just want to live in a cooler political climate. Are the areas I mentioned above dealing with similar politics?

  2. How is racism? I’m white, but my wife is black. Being a person of color in the USA is… not the greatest, and my wife is treated poorly in the medical system and almost died due to neglect which has been a huge trend in the US especially labor & delivery.

  3. Everyone here hears that taxes in Canada are horrendous, however, it actually seems comparable at least regarding income. I’ve found this with additional research, but how are taxed goods such as food? Housing, items?

  4. Mortgage rates, I’ve seen some varying answers regarding Canada, but we have 10, 15, 30 year contracts but interest rates have been very high since 2022 or so, and although housing might be more expensive in some of the areas mentioned above, what is purchasing a home like with those interest rates? Our interest rates can be so high that purchasing a home regardless of price can be a no-go.

I’ll have more questions, but I have to go for now and will likely send some after some folks have answered.

Thanks in advance!

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u/No-Seaworthiness4272 — 2 days ago

Family Visitor Visa Status while waiting for PR Approvals.

My family (spouse and child) is visiting me while the family sponsorship application is being processed. They have done their medicals, which is usually the last stage before a passport request.

Going by the processing time at the time of applying, we should have received the PRs by now.

I'm concerned that, if the PR application continues to delay, and if they stay for 6 months and leave, they won't be allowed to return soon after.

I'm now considering applying for a visitor record but wonder how that affects everything.

I did some research and it seems my spouse could apply for the SOWP and simultaneously apply for a visitor record for our child.

Has anyone gone through this or similar?

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u/r2o_abile — 1 day ago

PGWV Application

Hi, I'm currently applying for my pgwv. My student visa expires on the 30th of this month, and I plan on going back home on the 28th.

I was wondering: Do I apply for my pgwv through "applying from inside canada" or "outside"? My studies ended mid-April, but I only got my confirmation of graduation last month.

I don't really have anyone to guide me through this stuff: My application is practically done, but since I'm leaving Canada, I became worried maybe I should apply for "applying outside Canada" rather than inside.

I also was wondering about the Client Information: I found a thread from 2 years ago, but my form seems different as I was able to submit proof of language proficiency in a specific document upload, and all other documents seem fine.

Thank you for any help you can provide, I am a very anxious person and tend to overthink things a lot., so any advice is welcome.

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u/alphasheart — 1 day ago

Sponsorship Anxiety: Fast-moving relationship, a quick elopement, and a tight timeline. Anyone else have success?

I’m feeling an overwhelming amount of anxiety right now about whether or not my husband’s PR will go through, mostly because we are working with a very short timeline.
For context: I’m F26 (sponsor) and he is M24 (applicant). He is currently living with me in Canada. He’s been here for the past 6 months, and we have already applied to extend his temporary status while we navigate this.

We are applying via the In-Land Spousal Sponsorship pathway.

We chose to elope because neither of us wanted family involved. Because of this, we don't have the "big traditional wedding" photos or a massive guest list to show. On top of that, from an outside perspective looking in, our relationship moved quite fast.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation (fast relationship, small elopement, tight timeline) and had success?

Am I completely overthinking and overcomplicating how strictly they judge the pace of a relationship versus the actual proof?

Would love any reassurance or advice from people who have been through the inland process. Thank you.

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u/blanco_quisto — 2 days ago

OWP rejected. Help please?

Hi all, looking for some help. Please be nice.

We are in BC. I have lived here my whole life. Bf is from California.

He has been here since Dec 2024. We applied for an visitor record to extend his stay, which approves him to be here until Aug 28th 2026.

We have since applied for Commonlaw Sponsorship Inland. We received our AOR but still waiting on a final decision.

We tried applying for an Open Work Permit once the AOR was received.

We got denied the OWP because of "lack of proof showing cohabitation."

We are getting ready to re-apply, but how can we ensure it will be approved this time?

His name can't be on the mortgage because the area we are living in only allows members of the nation to be on mortgages.

We didn't change his license to a BC license or add his name to the Hydro until December 2025 because that is technically when we were common law and didn't want to apply for things while he was a visitor, because technically "you can't put roots down as a visitor."

Given that he only had visitor status, we didn't want to plant the roots then be in trouble for it.

How else can I prove that we have been living together besides family letters mentioning it?

Don't need to be scolded for the misunderstanding.

Thank you in advance for your help

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u/ImpressiveHabit99 — 2 days ago

Gf WP denied, what are my options

Hello all, I am seeking advice since I dont have much experience with Immigration processes and policies.

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I am a Canadian citizen and my gf is a mexican citizen. She originally came here on a study permit, then that expired, she went back and came back on a work permit and eTA.

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I met her when she came back about 2.5 years ago. Things are going great between us and she is the most loving and caring individual I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

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Mexico is currently not the safest place for her or her family, which is why they are all trying to relocate to spain through the grandfathered passport program.

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Recently her WP extention was denied :(

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The options for her to stay ot come back are as follows ( to my knowledge)

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  1. Go back to Mexico and apply for WP again

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  1. Apply for USA visa to enter again via eTA, but she wont be able to work here.

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  1. Me to sponsor her with/without marriage

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I dont want to lose her, do I have any other options to keep her in the country?

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u/Yours_Trulie — 2 days ago
▲ 3 r/ImmigrationCanada+1 crossposts

Worked abroad for a few months without employer authorisation

My permanent transfer from USA to Canada was already in progress. Due to personal reasons I moved before and stayed on US payroll. I have always held SOWP so was legally eligible. The process completed after 4 months. My managers knew about it informally. Now I am on canadian payroll and employed with their canadian entity. I am an indian citizen. How will this impact my pr prospects. I do not plan on using these 4 months for CRS points.

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u/harekrishna_20 — 1 day ago

Exploring PR options

I (32 year old) graduated with a PhD from an ontario university last year. After that I left Canada and is currently working for a US company from my home country (independent contractor, salary $230K USD). I hold a valid canadian PGWP, but havent used it yet. I had an active PhD stream OINP EOI, however, since I wasn't inside Canada, I didn't get the invitation to apply.

Im looking at what options I have for PR. I know one option is to return to Canada and get experience using PGWP.

Any suggestions? Thank you!

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u/Obvious-Rub2327 — 2 days ago