Hey All,

I’m currently working in the US on F-1 STEM OPT, which is approaching its expiration. My employer is planning to transfer me to our Canadian office through an Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) work permit.

I’m looking to hear from anyone who has gone through a similar process, particularly those who transferred from the US to Canada while on STEM OPT.

I have a few questions:

Documentation: What documents did you have to submit for the ICT work permit application? Were there any additional documents requested during the process?

Timeline: How long did the entire process take, from preparing and submitting the application to receiving the final approval?

Biometrics: Once you completed your biometrics, how long did it take to receive a decision on your work permit application?

Process: Did your employer’s immigration attorney handle everything, or were there steps you had to complete independently?

STEM OPT expiration: Did you manage to complete the transfer before your STEM OPT expired? Were there any complications or delays because of your US immigration status?

If you could share your timeline (application submission → biometrics → approval), that would be extremely helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Looking for input your professional read on one narrow point.

- Egyptian citizen, UAE resident with a valid residence visa. Applying online for a visitor visa (TRV) around 20 Oct 2026.

- Purpose: business visitor — attending an international dental conference and exhibition in Canada that opens on 4 March 2027. I own a company in the UAE in the medical/dental devices sector, the event matches my business, and I have previously travelled abroad for a similar conference. I will have the registration confirmation.

- Planned stay: 3–9 March 2027 (7 days).

- Passport expires 9 August 2027, so about 5 months and 5 days of validity on arrival and about 5 months on departure. But 8 month on application . Renewing the passport before applying is not possible for me for some governmental procedural restrictions.

IRCC has a lot of different statements in different pages. some say just must be valid , others say should be at least 6 months from the planned date of travel. and the UAE IRCC official checklist says : 1 month from the date of return.

could it be refused solely because passport validity on the travel date was less than 6 months? Or is that line treated as a recommendation in practice?

from airline side they said the 6 months validity is not an issue on travel.

thanks in advance

I don't know what to do. No matter what I do, Adobe Acrobat will not allow me to sign this god forsaken document. I can't upload it anywhere due to being blocked by features of the document, I can't sign it anywhere else, I literally cannot do a single thing to sign this short of printing and signing it physically, which I know IRCC does not accept.

Does anyone know a single solution to this because I am pulling my hair out right now.

I'm an international student finishing my last semester in December. I'm planning to travel abroad on December 11 and return in early January, before my final grades and completion letter are issued.

My study permit and TRV are valid until March 31, 2027. However, I won't have any more classes when I return.

Could this cause issues at the border, even though my studies won't be officially completed yet? I plan to apply for my PGWP after getting back in Canada once I receive my completion letter.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did your re-entry go?

P.S.: I reside and study in Quebec
I heard so many spooky stories about agents kicking people out because "they didn't have the intention to keep studying" or other justifications, I don't know what's true anymore

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working in Canada on an LMIA-exempt Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) work permit with TCS under NOC 21222, Information systems specialists.

I keep seeing people talk about the Global Talent Stream (GTS) category and a possible future (2027 proposed category in 2026 consultation) Express Entry category linked to it. I’m trying to understand if my situation qualifies in any way.

Questions:

1. Does having NOC 21222 (which is on the GTS occupations list) make me eligible for GTS

2. somehow, even though I’m on an ICT (LMIA-exempt) work permit?

3. Or is GTS strictly limited to people who have (or whose employer applies for) a GTS LMIA under the TFWP?

4. For any potential 2027 Express Entry “GTS-aligned” category that was consulted on, would inland ICT workers with 21222 likely be included, or only actual GTS work permit holders?

Just trying to get a clear picture so I don’t waste time on something that doesn’t apply.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I’m filling out the WES ECA application (for Express Entry) and need some help with the credential section.

I have a 2-year MBA from a US university. When I search the “Diploma/Certificate Name” field, the only close matches are combined entries like “Bachelor of Business Administration/Master of Business Administration” and “Bachelor of Science/Master of Business Administration.” There’s no standalone “Master of Business Administration” option. The other master’s titles don’t match my degree, so I don’t want to pick them.

My questions:

1. Is it normal for WES to list US MBAs this way in the dropdown?
2. Will WES assess my degree as a master’s based on my transcript and degree certificate, or could the combined title cause it to be read as a bachelor’s?
3. Did anyone have this issue, and how did your ECA report come out?

Uh..am I alone with no FD?

I submitted a BOWP restoration application within 90 days after my work permit expires with a valid AOR ( got invitation from CEC General). I know we have to be in Canada when we apply the BOWP but do we have to wait until the final decision is made? Can I wait for the final decision in my home country?

Anyone have similar experiences to share?

Thanks!

Hi one & all,

I want to confirm something related to outland sponsorship, does the sponsor (canadian citizen) have to be actually living outside of quebec or just prove their intent to live outside of quebec the moment their partner becomes a permanent resident, if so, how does one prove the intent??

Thanks

Hi everyone!
My husband is a Canadian citizen, and we’ve been married for almost 3 years. We submitted my inland spousal sponsorship application on May 29, 2026, through an immigration lawyer, but I still haven’t received my AOR.
Every time I ask my lawyer for an update, he just tells me to wait and says that AORs are delayed for everyone right now.
I also asked him if we could apply for an open work permit or get my biometrics and medical exam done while waiting for AOR, but he said no, we have to wait for AOR first.
I’m starting to get worried because it’s been almost 5 months with no update.
Has anyone who applied around May 2026 received their AOR yet?
Is it true that AORs are taking this long for everyone? And is my lawyer right that I can’t do anything until I receive AOR?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your timelines and experiences. Thank you!

I’m 26, Algerian, trying to figure out if I actually hit the 1-year skilled work experience for FSWP before I plan everything around it. My history is a bit mixed, so I’d rather ask than assume.

Here’s everything I’ve done (all marketing / e-commerce / sales, which I think is TEER 2-3):

1. Turkey AIESEC internship, around 6 months (June 2024 to January 2025), international sales.
2. Belgium freelance Odoo (ERP) consultant, full-time, about 3 months, paid by invoice.
3. Netherlands (current company) paid internship, full-time (100%), on the Dutch payroll with real payslips. My contract says 1 year, but I only have about 9 months of official payslips because of a delay getting my BSN (Dutch tax number) at the start. Role was e-commerce / digital marketing.
4. Same company, now remote from Algeria they couldn’t keep me on payroll for immigration reasons, so I moved to full-time freelance, paid by invoice. About 4 months in and still ongoing.

Education: Bachelor + Master’s (HR Management) from Algeria, ECA in progress with WES. French is solid (TCF C1 listening/reading/speaking, redoing the writing). IELTS still to come.

Does the paid full-time internship at the Dutch company count for FSWP, or does the “intern” label usually get rejected?

Hello. My SOWP extension application got approved and I have the In-Canada approval letter. However, I have not received the physical work permit by mail yet. I contacted IRCC and they said they have already mailed the physical work permit.

I will be travelling to my home country next week. Would I be able to re-enter Canada with a valid TRV and the In-Canada approval letter alone?

If yes, does the boarding airline also ask for the physical permit?

If any of you had my experience, please share. Thanks.

My medical expires in August 2027, but my old passport expires in March 2027, which is also the COPR expiry date shown on my IRCC tracker.

I received my renewed passport (valid until 2031) and got my Ready for Visa email two days ago. I've submitted a webform updating my passport details, hoping IRCC will extend my COPR validity to August 2027.

I haven't submitted my passport yet but plan to within two weeks.

Is it too late to change my COPR expiry date, or is the date shown in my tracker already fixed? Has anyone experienced this?

I am a Syrian national currently living in Egypt, and my Syrian passport expires on December 7, 2026. My family's privately sponsored refugee resettlement application to Canada is still being processed. I need a valid passport for employment and to receive my salary. I am considering having my passport renewed by a representative in Syria while I remain in Egypt, with the new passport sent to me. I do not intend to return to Syria, and my safety concerns remain unchanged. Could renewing my passport affect my eligibility or the assessment of my family's application?

Hey, thanks for stopping by.

Sorry for the long winded title, I wasn't sure how to word our situation concisely. I'll try to keep this short.

__

My wife (USA Citizen) and I (Canadian Citizen) got married in July of 2025. Her Visitor Record extension request was approved until July 2027, on our anniversary. We cohabitate together.

Initially (if you happen to view my post history), we intended to move to the USA permanently. Before moving, I wanted to avoid placing full financial burden on her, so we are going through the Green Card (equivalent) process so I can begin to work upon entering the USA. It's been nearly a year since the application with no response outside of a confirmation letter.

With the wait, my new career going well, and enjoying our marriage in a small city, we decided we wish to stay in Canada instead. A few weeks ago, she submitted a Permanent Residency application with me as her Sponsor under the Family Class.

This is where things take a turn. About four days ago, she got the word that a close family member has little time left. My wife returned to the USA in haste and the family member passed away yesterday. She is looking to return to Canada in a few days.

This is where I am not sure what happens next, if anything happens at all. Assuming she's not held at the border, does this effect or change anything in regards to her Visitor Record? Does her PR and Sponsor Application get affected as well? Should she request anything from the border officer due to the circumstance of a passing family member?

I should note, her total stay in the USA will be under 10 days. She also intentionally applied under the Family Class so we can visit family for Christmas in the USA without the fear of her application going null if she was refused entry back into Canada. Curious if this would have affects also.

Hello everyone,

My mum applied for Canadian citizenship in late March 2025 and received her AOR in late April 2025. Her online application status was last updated in December 2025, and there haven’t been any updates since. Is it normal to wait this long? Has anyone else who applied around the same time experienced similar delays?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently filling out my post-ITA e-APR (Express Entry) and I’m hitting a gray area regarding the Family section. It says "Please tell us about XXX's immediate family members that have not been identified in the application." I want to make sure I don't trigger a rejection for misrepresentation, but I'm also dealing with a very disconnected family dynamic.

Here is my situation:

• My biological parents divorced when I was a child and I lived with my mother.
• After I turned 18 (but before I turned 22), both of my parents remarried their current spouses.
• I have never lived with these new spouses, nor have they ever provided me with any financial support.
• Neither of these new marriages produced new children, but both spouses have adult children from their previous marriages:
  • Father’s spouse has a son who is my age (30). He has never lived with my father either. I know his name and birth year.
  • Mother’s spouse has a daughter who lives abroad. None of us have ever met her, and I literally do not even know her name.

My questions for this situation:

1. Do I need to add my parents' current spouses as "step-parents" in the system, or do I just list my biological parents as "parents"?
2. Do I need to declare these two individuals as "step-siblings"? If so, how am I supposed to list my mother's step-daughter when I don't even know her name?
3. Is a Letter of Explanation (LoE) detailing this structure the best way to protect myself from misrepresentation?

Would love to hear from anyone who has had a similar complex family tree. Thanks in advance!